The YMCA has been teaching kids how to swim for more than a century, providing lessons about water safety in a fun and safe environment. With the addition of our “Go Blue” Water Safety Program, children have the opportunity to develop this essential lifeskill while enrolled in YMCA summer camp.

Program Overview

On swim days, summer day campers must participate in a swim test before entering the pool. Based on their swimming abilities, campers are given a red, yellow or blue wristband. To “Go Blue” means that swimmers have enough strength, skill and confidence to pass the blue swim test, which includes jumping into the deep end of the pool, treading water, and swimming the length of the pool using a front crawl stroke without stopping.

To improve their swimming skills, all red and yellow wristband campers will participate in 15-minute swim lessons several times a week. Our goal is to help all non-swimmers and intermediate swimmers “Go Blue” by the end of summer.