Learn to Swim

Welcome

Hello, friends of Learn to Swim at the University of Minnesota, and welcome to the 2011-2012 swim year! Learn to Swim works hard to provide individuals with a solid foundation of water safety knowledge and skills. Nearly 30 student employees work for Learn to Swim to provide for participants' needs and requests in the process of 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 2010-2011 year. These changes include:

• Sunday evening lessons in St. Paul from 3-6 in addition to Minneapolis lessons from 4-7!
• NEW Parent/Tot 2 class for children ages 2 to 5 years old
• We are "going green" with the registration process and the scholarship applications. Effective for Fall I 2010, Learn to Swim will no longer be accepting mail-in registrations or scholarships; everything can be done online through links on this site and through email correspondence.

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 2011-2012 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]

Parking

If you would like information on parking at the Minneapolis and St. Paul locations, please contact the office at (612) 625-3794 or lts@umn.edu. If you would like to purchase a parking pass, you must contact the office one week in advance of the start of the session.

Note that lessons in the University Aquatic Center (Minneapolis-East Bank campus) will meet every day in the south landing stairwell. You can gain entrance to this stairwell through the blank white doors near the parking lot that sits between the Aquatic Center and the Radisson.

Registration Dates

Registration for classes can be done online. For more information about online registration, visit the online registration page or contact the LTS Program at (612) 625-3794 or lts@umn.edu.

Future Registration Dates

• Fall I: August 19, 2011
• Fall II: October 14, 2011
• Spring I: January 2, 2012
• Spring II: February 24, 2012
• Summer: April 27, 2012

FALL 2 CLASSES FOR 2012 ARE CURRENTLY BEING PLANNED.

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.

2011-2012 Scholarship Deadlines:

• Fall I – August 12, 2011by 5pm
• Fall II – October 7, 2011 by 5pm
• Spring I – December 14, 2011 by 5pm
• Spring II – February 17, 2012 by 5 pm
• ALL Summer Sessions – April 20, 2012 by 5pm

Scholarship Applications Must Include the Following:

• Completed application form (please email lts@umn.edu if interested)
• Letter from parent/guardian
• Letter of reference from friend or relative

Scholarships will be reviewed by our committee and an email will be sent to you stating whether you have received a scholarship or not. The money will be credited to the account stated in the application . 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.