Learn to Swim

Welcome

Hello friends of Learn to Swim at the University of Minnesota and welcome to our new web design for the 2009-2010 sessions of our program. Learn to Swim works hard to provide individuals with a solid foundation of water safety knowledge and skills.Nearly 30 student employees work in Learn to Swim to help better suit participants' needs and requests with regards to learning the fundamentals of swimming and water safety.

Learn to Swim is continually trying to improve the program to allow for instruction of as many individuals as possible.Please note that we have made a few changes for the 2009-2010 year. These changes include:

moving from having 2 separate sessions in Minneapolis on Sundays to only offering an extension of our afternoon session,

implementing the NEW Parent/Tot 2 class for children ages 2 to 5 years old

"going green" with the registration process.Effective for Fall I 2009, Learn to Swim will no longer be accepting mail-in registrations; everything can be done online through links on this site.

Along with the new and improved changes, Learn to Swim still takes pride in the fact that we are recognized as an authorized provider for Red Cross Water Safety Instruction and continually fine tune our program to adapt to the standards set forth by the American Red Cross.We still offer our most popular classes, from Parent/Tot all the way to Adult Intermediate and private lessons.We have added a number of our most popular classes to better suit the needs that you all requested.We hope you enjoy your time with Learn to Swim during the 2009-2010 sessions and, as always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us!

Learn to Swim

The Learn to Swim Program provides individuals with a solid foundation of water safety knowledge and skills. We feature a variety of knowledgeable and responsible instructors who create the fun and excitement of our swim lessons.

Learn to Swim Instructors

Our instructors are University of Minnesota students. All Learn to Swim instructors receive continual training following American Red Cross Water Safety Instructor guidelines and are certified in First-Aid, CPR and AED.

Facilities

The Learn to Swim program utilizes state of the art swimming facilities on the University of Minnesota Campus.

Minneapolis

• Cooke 10: Warm (83-86 deg), shallow water (3.5’ -7’) pool with ramp accessibility [map]
• Cooke 15: Cool (81-83 deg), deep water (12’) pool [map]
• Natatorium: Cool (79-81 deg), deep water (7’) competition pool [map]
• Diving Well: Warm (82-85 deg), deep water (12’ – 18’) pool with 1 meter and 3 meter springboards and platforms [map]

St. Paul

• St. Paul Gym Pool: Warm (82-86 deg), shallow water (3.5’ – 5’) pool with ramp accessibility [map]

Registration Dates

Registration for Fall I classes can be done online beginning August 15. For more information about online registration, visit the online registration page or contact the LTSProgram at (612) 625-3794 or lts@umn.edu.

Future Registration Dates

• Fall II - October 17, 8:00am
• Spring I - January 2, 2010, 8:00am
• Spring II - February 27, 2010, 8:00am
• Summer I, II, III - May 1, 2010, 8:00am

REGISTER HERE

Scholarships

Every session the Learn to Swim Program is allotted a limited amount of money for those participants needing financial assistance. Applications for scholarships are due ONE WEEK before registration opens for that given session.

2009-2010 Scholarship Deadlines:

• Fall I – August 7, 2009 by 5pm
• Fall II – October 9, 2009 by 5pm
• Spring I – December 23, 2009 by 5pm
• Spring II – February 19, 2010 by 5 pm
• ALL Summer Sessions –April 23, 2010 by 5pm

Scholarship Applications Must Include the Following:

• Completed application form (can be picked up by any Senior Instructor at lessons)
• Letter from parent/guardian
• Letter of reference from friend or relative

Scholarships will be reviewed by our committee and a letter will be sent to your home address, stating whether you have received a scholarship or not, and the money will be credited to the account stated in the letter. There are some sessions where we receive many scholarship requests and our funds are limited, for this reason, we reserve the right to award full, partial, or no scholarships at all. If your family receives a scholarship, you MUST attend all classes in that session, or risk losing your scholarship.

Cancellation Policy

Participants wishing to cancel a class enrollment must contact the program office by telephone or email; we are unable to process refunds through our online system. Cancellation requests received at least 24 hours prior to the start of the first class will be eligible for a 100% refund. Cancellations requests received later than 24 hours prior to the start of the first class will be eligible for a 75% refund (except in cases of documented medical illness on the part of the participant).

If participants miss the first class without contacting the Learn to Swim office, they may lose their spot in the class, and WILL NOT receive a refund. If a class does not reach capacity, we reserve the right to cancel and/or combine classes.

We do not offer make-ups for missed classes. If a class in cancelled due to weather or other Extenuating circumstances, we will reschedule the class or credit your Learn to Swim account. Due to the fact that it is very hard for our instructors to run an effective class when adding new participants during the middle of the session, we will only consider changes to classes during the first week of class. After the first week you will not be able to change days, times, or levels. This allows the instructor to manage his or her classes more effectively.

About Wait Lists

Class sizes are limited, per Red Cross regulations, to ensure quality instruction and optimal participation. If the class you wish to register for has already been filled, you will have the option of joining the wait list for that class. To join a wait list, simply select the “Wait List” option online, or call the Learn to Swim office. If a space in the class opens up, you will be notified by phone! As a courtesy to others in the program, please limit your wait-listing to one class per session. If a participant joins more than one wait list per session, the Learn to Swim program reserves the right to remove that participant from all wait lists.