Bring out the swimsuits and sunscreen and enroll your kiddos in swim classes where they will learn life-saving techniques and further develop their motor skills. Read on for our roundup of local swim schools and recreation centers that cater to your child’s needs, from customizable curriculums to teacher-student pairing based on personality matches. Plus, most of these classes are offered year-round, so your kids can continue flapping their fins well beyond the summer days.
Aqua-Tots Swim School
Register for group or private lessons at Aqua-Tots Swim School, serving around ages 4 months to 12 years old, with all special needs ranging from autism, cerebral palsy, to Down syndrome and children who are nonverbal. The school’s SNAP program includes an initial evaluation to create goals and create a curriculum tailored to your child’s needs, honing in on water safety. And visual cues such as picture cards are incorporated. Kids will learn how to independently reach for air with techniques such as rolling over to catch their breath, and stroke skills.
Accessibility: Chair lifts at all locations.
When: Time and dates vary by location, offered year-round.
Cost: Pricing varies by how many days per week you’d like lessons.
Location/Contact: 13 locations in Dallas-Fort Worth; call your nearby location to schedule a free evaluation.
Flipkick Swim Academy
Flipkick’s one-on-one lessons are customizable and have even been compared to ABA therapy, with a focus on repetition and physical cues for students. Survival swimming is as short as 10 minutes (ideal for kiddos with short attention spans) and up to 15 minutes for lessons to focus on teaching kids how to float independently, control their breathing, rolling on their backs and tummies and floating.
Instructors also aim to improve all their students’ overall development, honing in on skills such as coordination, speech, endurance and strength. The school’s lessons are for all ages and all special needs, including autism and Spina bifida. Flipkick serves the greater Fort Worth area, with lessons held inside area pools.
Accessibility: Portable chair lift at The Scuba Shop, 8451 Blvd. 26, North Richland Hills.
When: Classes offered year-round, Monday–Saturday.
Cost: Private lessons begin at $30 per lesson, available from one to four lessons per week.
Location/Contact: Multiple locations Fort Worth and North Richland Hills area; register online or call 817/438-4949 or email info@flipkick.org.
SafeSplash Swim School
Customization is also key at SafeSplash Swim School. Before diving into the 30-minute lessons for ages 6 months and up, parents meet with instructors to discuss goals and develop a teaching plan. Children are then paired with instructors based on skill level and personality for one-on-one lessons, learning at their own pace. For example, some parents look for an instructor with lots of patience, while others want instructors who are more bubbly and make lessons fun.
All instructors have training and experience in working with children who have special needs. Kids pick up on basic safety skills, blowing bubbles, floating backward and forward, backstrokes and breaststrokes.
Accessibility: Chair lifts.
When: Private lessons are offered year-round. Times and dates vary.
Cost: Varies by location.
Location/Contact: Lewisville, Flower Mound, Murphy, Grand Prairie, and two locations in Arlington
British Swim School
Littles of all ages and special needs, including autism, Down syndrome, ADHD and Tourette syndrome are welcome at the British Swim School franchise location in Frisco and another location in Richardson/North Dallas expected to open in April.
Their lessons focus on water acclimation, submersion and glides to the wall. Once swimmers become comfortable in the water, they practice blowing bubbles, rolling over on their backs and backstrokes. Instructors will work with you to meet all your goals.
Accessibility: Chair lift
When: Classes offered year-round. Dates and times vary.
Cost: Call for pricing and registration, around $60–80 per lesson
Location/Contact: 7600 John Q Hammond, Frisco; 469/648-0187 or email notice@britishswimschool.com
Coppell YMCA
The Coppell YMCA serves littles ages 4 and up of all special needs, including mental and physical disabilities. In their 30-minute private lessons, swimmers will first gain basic water skills, such as how to float independently, control breath, kick, paddle and jump into the pool. Once they’ve acclimated to the water, kids will learn the four basic swim strokes: backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle. Additionally, all instructors go through the YMCA certification, which includes instruction on how to cater to children with special needs.
Accessibility: Pool equipped with chair lift.
When: Private lessons are offered by appointment from September to May.
Cost: Begins at $40 for YMCA members; $80 for nonmembers for four 30-minute sessions.
Location/Contact: 146 Town Center Blvd., Coppell; 972/393-5121; Visit in-person to fill out a registration form or email aquatic director Melissa Murray at mmurray@ymcadallas.org.
Tom Muehlenbeck Recreation Center
Your kiddos ages 3 and up of all special needs will develop motor and aquatic skills in the adapted swim lessons (with group and private options) at the TM Center’s 3.5 foot-deep leisure pool, kept at a warm 84 degrees. Inform instructors and staff, a majority of which are current or former special education teachers, of any additional information they may need to best serve your kiddo and meet your goals upon registering for the class. Lessons can be modified depending on your child’s needs, such as lengthening rests between activities or having an instructor provide extra physical support. Classes are grouped by age and are small, typically limited to four students per group.
Accessibility: Pool equipped with chair lift, ramp and stairs.
When: Classes are offered during the summer months. Check back for exact dates. Previously, classes were available on Saturdays, Tuesdays and Thursdays mornings, afternoons and evenings (time of class is divvied up by age group). Be sure to book your classes as soon as possible, as they fill up fast.
Cost: Check back for current prices as they are announced.
Location/Contact: 5801 West Parker Road, Plano; 972/769-4404; Register online, by phone, or in person.
Sunsational Swim School
Set your own swim schedule with at-home swim lessons with instructors from Sunsational Swim School. The school’s CPR and First Aid certified instructors (who have a minimum of two year’s experience) will come to you, meeting at your home or community pool. Open to swimmers as young as 6 months, you’ll practice in one-on-one instruction include safely entering and exiting the pool and breathing and floating techniques.
In addition to the one-on-one attention, Sunsational implements visual skill cards to help kids understand the movements their asked to do. SS serves all special needs including autism, ADHD, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, sensory integration disorder, and other physical difficulties.
When: Classes offered year-round, for 30, 45 and hour-long classes.
Cost: Varies by location.
Location/Contact: Call 888/788-2140 or office@sunsationalswimschool.com to inquire about private, at-home swim lessons.
This program is currently on hiatus.
Arlington-Mansfield YMCA
A typical 40-minute lesson at the Arlington-Mansfield YMCA’s Special Needs Aquatic Program (SNAP) program begins with exercises to get kids ages 5 and older comfortable in the water. The instructors then touch on safety topics and lead fun activities, such as a hula-hoop used as a target that kids swim through, reinforcing the kids’ newly learned skills. Aside with working with you to meet your child’s swim goals, instructors work can work with your therapists as well to help improve their overall goals, such as practicing being verbal.
Accessibility: The center provides a waterproof wheelchair and pool is equipped with chair lift.
When: Set your own schedule for one-on-one lessons. Swim classes are offered year-round at the Cooper Street YMCA indoor pool.
Cost: Call or email to ask about current pricing. Financial assistance is available for YMCA members.
Location/Contact: 7120 S. Cooper Street, Arlington; 817/419-9629, ext. 2600; Register in person or email aquatics director Sara Guarisco sarag@amaymca.org.
This article was originally published in May 2019.
Photo courtesy of Aqua-Tots Swim School
