The Aquatics Department creates a safe and positive place where youth can have fun and experience caring and develop relationships, with new opportunities to grow and a place to celebrate their achievements. Ensuring children are comfortable in and around water is essential to their safety. Formal swimming lessons reduce the likelihood of childhood drowning by 88%. Various impacts of the Aquatics Program including Club members:

• Becoming knowledgeable in Water Safety
• Gaining confidence in their swimming ability
• Learning life-saving skills in and around the water
• Having accessible and FREE opportunities in the following: Learn-to-Swim Lessons, Swim Team, Water Polo, Lifeguard Training, and Stroke Development Clinics.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago serves thousands of Club members across the City of Chicago. Our goal is for our members to gain valuable skills that they will be able to use for the rest of their life. Our Clubs take a holistic approach and serve each child’s mind, body, and soul. Swimming is a unique activity that can engage toddlers, seniors, and everyone in between which is why it is so important we develop this skill in each of our children, making them safer and building their confidence in the process. We have committed our Aquatics Department to be a life-saving, life-changing, and life-long impact on Chicago’s youth. We provide FREE Learn-to-Swim Lessons, Team Sports, Learn-to-Swim, Lifeguard Training, and access to aquatics facilities.

This program is based on a logical, six-level progression that helps swimmers six years of age and up, develop their water safety, survival, and swimming skills. It is designed to give participants a positive learning experience. The American Red Cross offers this comprehensive, developmentally appropriate swimming and water safety program that teaches youth how to swim skillfully and safely and think and act safely in, on, and around the water.

Level 1: Introduction to Water Skills: Helps participants feel comfortable in the water.

Level 2: Fundamental Aquatic Skills: Gives participants success with fundamental skills.

Level 3: Stroke Development: Builds on the skills in Level 2 through additional guided practice in deeper waters.

Level 4: Stroke Improvement: Develops confidence in the skills learned and improves other aquatic skills.

Level 5: Stroke Refinement: Provides further coordination and refinement of strokes.

Level 6: Swimming and Skill Proficiency: Refined the strokes so participants swim with ease, efficiency, power, and smoothness over greater distances.

Open Swim

An exciting fun way to spend time with friends while staying active and getting comfortable in the water. For many of our members, their first in a pool is with us, we take this as an opportunity to introduce something new and fun to our youth while being safe and helping them feel comfortable in the water at all times.  During Open Swim members may practice their swim skills with 1:1 instruction, race with friends, and so much more! During Open Swim, swimmers must pass a swim test with Aquatics Coordinator before being allowed to swim in the deep end. 

Swim Team

The swim team brings a sense of belonging and provides an opportunity for both boys and girls to be a part of a co-ed team! This program is available after basic lifesaving swimming techniques and follows USA Swimming standards.

• Swimsuits (polyester shorts, one piece, no cut-offs, no cotton t-shirts)
• Towel
• Swim Cap (if your hair is longer than your ears)
• Goggles
• Flip-flops
• Optional: U.S Coast Guard-approved lifejacket

Come back to learn about future events!