With summer just around the corner, the YMCA is now offering private and group swim lessons to keep kids and adults safe this season.

Mary Alice Long is one of the instructors at the YMCA and explains it is important to enroll children early in swimming lessons because kids never know when they will be near water and fall in.

Long tries to approach all the children similarly by teaching them the basics. She begins with babies and teaches them how to float, doggie paddle, blow bubbles, close their mouth under water and roll over on their back. She said at the beginning they can be a little weary because they want to get to know her first, but once they establish a relationship they trust her to help them in the water.

Long likes teaching the kids how to roll over on their back and float, because if they ever get tired the kids will know that is something they can do instead of flailing their arms and tiring out.

The lessons are for people ages 18 months and up, however in order to participate in group swim lessons the child must be three years-old. Private lessons costs $20 per one-hour session or five 30-minute sessions for $50 for members and $80 for nonmembers.

If your child would like to do it with their friend, group swim may be a better option. There are five kids per group and it costs $45 for members and $65 for nonmembers. It consists of four 30-minute sessions for two weeks.

The YMCA is currently in the middle of their fourth session, but offer four others. Session five is June 4-14, Session six is June 18-28, Session seven is July 9-19 and Session eight is July 23- August 2nd.

Long encourages everyone to consider giving their child lessons.

“It is a skill they can use the rest of their life,” she said. “If they learn at a young age, they have all the time to grow and improve.”