Each color level within the Noonan curriculum corresponds to the level of comfort and safety in the water for students of that level.
BLUEsignifies a new or recent introduction to the water. Students at this level are between the ages of 2 and 3. Because of their age, they are not ready to swim without an adult present. We recommend constant adult “touch supervision” when in and around water.These students may have some swimming experience and may have participated in our Splash Babies program but are still between the ages of 2 and 3 years old. It may also be their first ever introduction to swim lessons or swimming in general. Because all students at this age are still learning how to be safer in the water, our class sizes for blue students are capped to a maximum of 2 children in the water with their instructor.
In Blue classes, instructors will focus on great attitudes, following direction, comfortable submersions, assisted floats and short unassisted glides. As students gain confidence in these skills of our Blue 1 sublevel, we will encourage more independence on floats, glides, roll-overs and jumps in our Blue 2 sublevel. We will also introduce kicks and encourage proper body position for future stroke progression at this level.
BLUE is a beginner swimming level.
REDrepresents stop, for safety. We recommend constant adult “touch supervision” when in and around water.
These swimmers are aged 3 and above. They are beginners with little to no swimming experience. They may still exhibit fear in the water and a reluctance to put their face in the water, or go underwater (with or without assistance).
In RED classes, instructors will focus on comfort in the water and participation with great attitudes. We will develop comfortable submersions, assisted floats and short unassisted glides as the swimmers progress through our Red 1 sublevel. These swimmers continue as beginners in Red 2, but can glide 2 feet independently and are comfortable with submersion. We will work on independence with floats, glides, jumps and roll-overs. We will also begin to refine kicks and encourage proper body position for future stroke progression at this level.
RED is a beginner swimming level.ORANGE Represents danger. These swimmers do not yet swim long distances independently and we recommend constant adult “touch supervision” when in or around the water. If “touch supervision” is not being used, we recommend use of a Coast Guard approved PFD when swimming with your child. PREREQUISITES: These swimmers are 3+ or have graduated from our BLUE or RED level. They can independently perform the following skills: back and front float, glide a minimum of 3 feet and jump and return to the wall. We work on increased independence with floats, glides, and roll-overs. We also focus on proper body position and streamline in ORANGE 1. We will then focus on building strength, confidence, streamline kicks, and in-line kicking with unassisted breathing in ORANGE 2.
Orange Is an intermediate swimming level.
Yellow Is an intermediate to advanced swimming level.
GREEN Signifies a SAFER child in the water; this child can swim a basic freestyle. However, all children need to be supervised when in and around the water, we recommend constant adult supervision when in and around the water. PREREQUISITES: Students must be able to swim 20 feet of freestyle with side breathing and a basic backstroke. We focus on increasing strength, endurance and technique for freestyle and backstroke, in addition to developing breaststroke and butterfly. Green is an advanced swimming level.
GOLD is our level aimed at preparing students for the swim team. At this level, we prepare children for the intensity of the swim team with a focus on stroke refinement, flip-turns, proper starts, and endurance. Gold is an advanced swimming level.
SPLASH BABIES is our parent-and-child class for infants starting at 6 months old. These lessons focus on water comfort, safety skills, and bonding, all through songs, games, and gentle instruction. A parent or caregiver is required in the water with the child. Splash Babies is available for students 6-36 months, however we recommend our Splash Babies begin to transition into blue upon reaching 2 years of age.
LEVEL DETERMINATION
Is your child under 2 years old?
- Yes → Splash Babies
- No → Continue
Is your child between 2 and 3 years old?
- Yes → You can enroll in BLUE, which is a non-parent and me class. You can also enroll in SPLASH BABIES, which is a parent and me class.
- No → Continue
Is your child comfortable putting their face in the water?
- No → RED
- Yes → Continue
Can your child float on their back unassisted for 5 seconds?
- No → RED
- Yes → Continue
Can your child jump in the water from the edge of the pool and return to the wall unassisted?
- No → ORANGE
- Yes → Continue
Can your child swim with their eyes IN THE WATER for 6 feet?
- No → ORANGE
- Yes → Continue
Can your child roll to their back while swimming to get a breath?
- No → YELLOW
- Yes → Continue
Can your child take a proper side breath while swimming?
- No → YELLOW
- Yes → Continue
Can your child swim basic freestyle and backstroke for 20+ feet?
- No → YELLOW
- Yes → GREEN
Can your child swim all 4 strokes (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly)?
- No → GREEN
- Yes → GOLD