Get your kids in the swim for summer

Last fall, my son asked how long he would have to take swim lessons. My answer? Until he mastered the basic strokes and his teacher felt he was safe in the water.

That can take different amounts of time for different kids. It's been six years of lessons for my son, the last three at Angelfish Swimming in Kirkland, which is owned and operated by Connie Chapin, who gained some fame last year as a recipient of a new house and pool from ABC's "Extreme Home Makeover."

Angelfish offers year-round swimming in a domed pool. The year-round aspect is what sold me -- why have my son take lessons for a month or two, only to lose everything he learned over the fall and winter? Chapin's half-hour classes cost $25 for group lessons of no more than four children, or $50 for private lessons. There's also an annual registration fee of $25.

Seattle Parks and Recreation has lessons at about a dozen indoor and outdoor pools, including Ballard Pool, Meadowbrook Pool and Colman Pool. Some pools offer lessons year round and some only in the summer months.

The two outdoor pools, Mounger in Magnolia and Colman in West Seattle, have waiting lists for many of the swim classes, especially for beginning lessons. Given that the latter is only open for four months of the year, its 28,000 lesson visits in 2007 probably rank it as the most popular pool in the system. The outdoor pools are kept at about 84 degrees, according to aquatics manager Kathy Whitman, but a teaching pool at Mounger is heated to 94 degrees.

Ballard, with more than 42,000 lessons given last year, is the most popular year-round pool. The other popular spots for lessons are Meadowbrook, Rainier Beach and Evans. Visit the Parks and Recreation Web site for each pool's schedule.

The cost for swim lessons is $5.50 per half-hour group lesson for kids four and up. (Low-income kids pay just $2.75 per lesson.) Three-year-olds have a one-to-three ratio of teachers to students and cost $9.

Private instruction is $27 per half-hour, or two people can get a semi-private lesson for $37. If your kids ages 7 to 18 have mastered the basics, they can join Seattle Parks and Recreation's summer swim league, which costs $100 per child ($55 for low-income kids).

Safe N Sound Swim, an indoor swimming program located under the China Harbor Restaurant on Westlake Avenue, charges $18 for each 15-minute, private lesson. They also have an annual registration fee of $30 for each of the first two swimmers in a family. Registration for the summer session is underway, and ends May 31. Summer classes begin June 23.

Another local option for lessons is the YMCA. Typically, lessons are limited to kids older than 5, says Linnea Westerlind, communications director for the YMCA of Greater Seattle.

Lessons are offered at the Auburn Valley YMCA, Bellevue Family YMCA, Downtown Seattle YMCA, Meredith Mathews East Madison YMCA, Northshore YMCA, Sammamish Family YMCA and West Seattle Family YMCA. Some of these may offer classes to younger children, too, Westerlind says.

To participate, you have to be a facility member or a program member. Costs for membership and lessons vary by location. At the West Seattle Y, for instance, a family facility membership is $75 plus $60 per month; a program membership is $70; and the cost for a single class membership is $35. Fees for the swim lessons themselves are $30 for a month of half-hour lessons for facility members and $42 for program members.

In addition to Angelfish Swimming, there are plenty of options for parents outside Seattle who want their kids to be water savvy. In Redmond, check out Strattonwood Swim Club, which offers lessons for $55 per session to nonmembers. The Orca Swim School operates out of the Bellevue Aquatic Center and charges $17 for half-hour group lessons, $25 per person for semi-private lessons and $45 for private lessons.

On Mercer Island, new swimmers can get acquainted with the water at the Stroum Jewish Community Center. No, you don't have to be Jewish to join, but you do have to be a member to take lessons. That membership costs $75 per month. Contact the center for lesson schedules and fees.

If you have a special needs child, the Northwest Center offers reduced-rate swim lessons at several pools around the area, including the Redmond Pool, the Northshore Pool in Bothell and the Carole Ann Wald Pool in Kenmore. Contact the center for rates and locations.

Lastly, if you have a teen who knows how to swim but wants to take it to the next level, check out the lifeguard, swimming instructor and water safety instructor courses offered by the Red Cross. They offer maximum challenge and the potential for your teen to earn money in the future making use of his swimming skills.

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