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Banner Emler
Banner Emler
Kids (age 4+) 4 levels
Level 6 Level 7 Level 8 Level 9
Level 6
age 4+ years

Level 6

Age: 4+ 30 Min Class Student Teacher Ratio: 4:1 Adult Participation: No
None

No prerequisites are required for this class, making it an ideal starting point. Children will acquire skills such as kicking for a distance of 15 feet, holding their breath for 10 seconds, familiarizing themselves with our "Jump, Turn, Swim" safety method, and initiating the learning of backfloat and freestyle arms.

Level 7
age 4+ years

Level 7

Age: 4+ 30 Min Class Student Teacher Ratio: 4:1 Adult Participation: No
Kick 15ft through water 10 second breath control Comfort with floating on back and front

In this class, children will independently master swimming with freestyle arms for a distance of 20 feet. They will also progress in refining their "Jump, Turn, Swim" safety skills while perfecting front and rollover breath techniques.

Level 8
age 5+ years

Level 8

Age: 5+ 30 Min Class Student Teacher Ratio: 4:1 Adult Participation: No
Freestyle swim 20ft independently Independent front and rollover breath

This class focuses on skill advancement. By completing Level 8, your child will have acquired the ability to swim with freestyle arms and perform elementary backstroke for a distance of 30 feet. Additionally, they will commence learning essential techniques such as treading water and incorporating side breaths while swimming.

Level 9
age 5+ years

Level 9

Age: 5+ 30 Min Class Student Teacher Ratio: 4:1 Adult Participation: No
Freestyle swim 30ft independently with rhythmic side breathing

In this advanced class designed for 5-year-olds and older, participants will master swimming competitive freestyle and backstroke across the entire width of the pool.

What’s Your Level?

Use our specialized assessment tool to determine what swim lessons level your child should be enrolled in.

how-our-levels-work

Our Specialized Curriculum

We offer 11 distinct levels, each tailored with unique milestones for progression. Every child begins at the level that aligns with their age and skill set, advancing as their instructor provides milestone updates.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do parents do during a swim lesson?

You're welcome to wait in the observation room during lessons or in a chair on deck near your child’s class. Please do not leave the facility during lessons. For safety, parents are asked to keep their eyes on their child at all times before, during and after the swim lesson.  No one is better at keeping a watchful eye on their child than a parent.

How does my child move up from one level to the next?

Each swim student’s progress is evaluated by an Emler manager every four lessons, or once a month. As your swimmer meets the goals of their class, we will update you on their progress. Once they pass all of the goals of their class, we will promote your swimmer to the next level!

Why does my 4+-year old who has never done lessons before start at Level 6, and not at Level 1?

Level 1 is specifically for our infants who are learning how to swim. As a 4+-year-old, your child needs to be in an independent class (non-parent participation) with other children their age to see the most progress.

How long will it take my 4+-year old to learn how to swim?

Every swimmer is different, but 99% of all students learn to swim alone within the first 4-5 months they are enrolled at Emler. Our award-winning curriculum along with our nurturing environment accounts for such a high success rate. Your child will be evaluated by an Emler Manager once a month, or every four classes, to identify if your child needs extra assistance to reach their swim goals.

What types of training/certifications do your instructors have?

Emler Instructors are required to complete online curriculum training and pass an exam in order to continue with in-water training. If passed, our instructors will complete 30 hours of in-water training beside one of our certified veteran teachers, complete an intensive In-Water Orientation course, and must pass an in-water assessment before teaching classes of their own. Emler instructors also participate in several H2O (Huddle 2 Optimize) Meetings a year. These meetings include new teaching techniques and safety improvements. EAPs (Emergency Action Plans) are also practiced regularly by each shift of teachers, so Emler instructors are ready for an emergency.

What is Clothesline Day?

Three times a year, our swimmers come to class with clothes on top of their bathing suits. Students will start class by practicing their "Jump, Turn, Swim" safety skills to experience the sensation of being in the pool fully clothed. We want them to get real emergency experience in a safe and nurturing environment so they can increase their confidence in getting back to safety.

What is “swim out for prize?”

We teach with toys in our 3-year-old classes. At the end class, each swimmer will swim out to a final prize that they get to take home with them!

How do you reward my child for hitting milestones?

We celebrate your swimmer’s milestones in a few different ways. We’re big fans of high fives and celebratory clapping at Emler—which always brings smiles to the faces of our swimmers! We also give hand stamps, ribbons, and do other fun celebrations to let our swimmers know they are doing a great job.

What is Boat Safety Day?

Three times a year we teach children about boat safety. Your swimmer will learn how to yell for help, put on, swim, and float in a life jacket, and other lifesaving skills. These classes are fun for children because they get to sit in a blow-up boat and experience something different while also learning important skills.

Will my child have the same instructor every week?

We do our best to have the same teacher in class every week because we know it is important to build trust and comfort. However, we do periodically have substitute teachers in class if your current teacher had a planned vacation, isn’t feeling well, or other unforeseen reasons. Don’t worry, though! All of our substitutes go through the same training as your assigned instructor.

Why are you teaching my child to breathe with their head up instead of to the side?

We teach a gradual progression of 4 different types of breathing in our Kids levels. Those 4 will be a front breath, a rollover breath, a rolling breath and a side breath. We believe it is important for children to be able to learn multiple ways of breathing when they are swimming.

Why does my child wear fins in class?

Emler incorporates fins during swim lessons because they assist in the improvement of body position, and they enhance propulsion through the water. The younger the swimmer is, the more important kicking correctly is.

Why do you take away fins as the weeks go on?

Each semester, students are introduced to new strokes and longer distances than they have swum before. Utilizing fins near the beginning of a semester will give extra propulsion so the students can accomplish new strokes and longer distances. As the students become more proficient in swimming, we remove one fin and eventually both fins to ensure they master the techniques.

When will my child learn how to tread water?

We introduce treading water in Level 8.

Why is my child being taught to rollover on their back while swimming?

We teach children to do a rollover breath so they know how to breathe if they ever get tired while swimming.