Iron Mountain YMCA expands day care swim lesson program to include three-year-olds

IRON MOUNTAIN, Mich. (WLUC) - Three-year-olds at the Northern Lights YMCA in Iron Mountain are now learning to swim. The day care swim lessons traditionally started when children are four, but aquatics director Anna Briseno extended the program.

“We had the opportunity to. We have the open pool space and the staff to extend it to our three-year-old classroom,” Briseno said.

Swim lessons are once a week on Mondays. This is the third week of the three-year-old’s lessons. Briseno said she has already noticed improvement.

“These kids were extremely nervous to even come in this room, it is so big,” Briseno said. “The pool has a lot of water. It is a lot to look at. We want to teach these kids that it is safe.”

Briseno said it varies with each child with how quickly they become comfortable with the water. During the lessons, instructors will help the children float on their backs, get their faces wet and learn to kick their legs to swim.

“We are here to teach them these new skills to not only become comfortable in the water but to enjoy the water,” Briseno said.

Briseno said the earlier children are exposed to water, the more comfortable they will be.

“We are in an area that is filled with lakes and water. It is important to get these kids this life skill. This is something they learn, and they never lose it,” Briseno said.

Briseno said every child has improved so far and she looks forward to continuing to teach the children to swim.

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