Kensington Community Aquatic and Recreation Centre is proud to offer swimming lessons with the Y.
For more than 100 years the YMCA has been teaching Victorians of all ages to swim. We're passionate about inspiring children to develop a lifelong love and a positive connection to the water by learning to swim.
Our swimming programs
We offer lessons for infants, preschool children, school-age children and adults.
Learning to swim is even easier with a Swimming Lessons membership, which includes a weekly lesson and access to the pool.
Kensington swimming pool facilities
The swimming pool facilities at Kensington Community Aquatic and Recreation Centre include:
- a heated indoor program pool for swimming lessons;
- a heated 25 metre indoor pool.
Swimming lessons benefits
In Australia, we love catching up with friends and family outdoors. This means that a pool, the beach, a lake or river is never far away – and that's great! However, each year the drowning report shows us that even competent stroke swimmers can get into trouble in the water or tragically lose their lives.
That's why learning to swim is about more than just mastering different swimming strokes. It's also about establishing a lifelong appreciation for safe activity in the water. Our swimming lessons teach vital survival skills and knowledge so that your child stays safe in and around water. These are skills that will benefit your child for life.
With our swimming lessons, your child will:
- develop and refine their swimming strokes;
- learn essential water safety, personal survival and open water techniques;
- understand how to cooperate with and respect others in the water;
- be able to make sensible decisions and solve problems in and around water;
- develop their physical health and wellbeing;
- build their water confidence;
- challenge themselves to build endurance and strength for the sport of swimming.
National Swimming and Water Safety benchmarks
Our Swimming Lessons with the Y program is aligned to the National Swimming and Water Safety Framework.
This means that as children progress through our program, they are also meeting key milestones through the achievement of benchmark skills for six year olds, 12 year olds and 17 year olds, determined by Royal Life Saving Society Victoria.
Accredited swimming teachers
Passionate, professional and industry-qualified, our swimming teachers will empower your child to reach their full potential in and out of the water.
All of our swimming teachers undertake ongoing training and professional development. We invest in them to ensure they lead the delivery of our expertly developed curriculum.
Swimming lesson levels
We offer a range of swimming lessons to suit different ages and abilities – view our swimming lesson programs below.
Wondering what your child might learn as they progress through our program? Take a look at Y Victoria's learn to swim levels.
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Watch Around Water policy information
YMCA Victoria is a Watch Around Water endorsed aquatic safety organisation. Watch Around Water is a set of industry guidelines that outline the minimum supervision requirements of young children at aquatic venues.
We have followed the Watch Around Policy (outlined below) in our centre since 1 September 2019.Children under five years old
- All children must be accompanied into the centre by a person aged 17 years or older and be supervised within arms’ reach at all times in the water.
- All children must wear a pink wristband supplied by YMCA staff to help identify their age while swimming.
- Children will not be admitted without a full fee paying parent/guardian who must also be in the water at all times.
- Groups will not be admitted entry where the number of parents/guardians supervising a group of children under five years exceeds the ratio of 1:2.
Children under 12 years old
- All children under the age of 12 must be accompanied into the centre by a person aged 17 years or older.
- All children must be actively supervised a person aged 17 years or older at all times. The adult must have a clear and active view of the child with no physical or structural barriers between them (this includes tech and devices
- such as mobile phones).
- All children must wear a yellow wristband supplied by YMCA staff to help identify their age while swimming.
- Groups will not be admitted entry where the number of parents/guardians supervising a group of children under 12 years exceeds the ratio of 1:4.
Birthday parties
- All children under the age of 12 must be accompanied into the centre by a person aged 17 years or older and handed over to the supervision of the birthday party leader (staff member).
- All birthday party participants must wear a blue wristband and an age-based wristband (pink or yellow) to identify their participation in a party.
- The adult guardian of the birthday party child must remain accessible and actively supervise the group at all times.
- At the conclusion of the birthday party, children will remain in the supervision of the birthday party leader and supervising parent until physically handed over to their supervising parent/guardian.
For more information visit the Watch Around Water website.
For more information see our swimming lessons FAQs page