2025 Sunday Cook College Session 1 - Lesson Information
Our next session starts January 12, 2025! The session includes 9 lessons on Sundays at the Rutgers Cook-Douglass pool. See the flyer at the link above for info, or register here.
SWIM LESSON LEVEL SELECTOR GUIDE Use this guide to choose which level to register for.
(Note: if this is your first time participating in a program with the Raritan Valley YMCA, we recommend coming to 144 Tices Lane, East Brunswick to register in person. For subsequent sign-ups, we recommend using the online registration via the button above.)
Swim lessons at Raritan Valley YMCA help swimmers of all ages improve their skills. Whether you’re an absolute beginner learning basic water skills, or preparing for competition-level swimming, Raritan Valley YMCA swim lessons boost your in-water abilities and safety knowledge. Classes are taught by caring YMCA instructors. Class participants are divided into skill levels and class sizes so the instructor can provide proper instruction.
The Raritan Valley YMCA aims to address health disparities within the disabled community through environmental and systemic organizational change, creating a fully accessible aquatic facility, appropriate programming, and comprehensive staff training, to teach swimming and water safety to ethnically, racially, and ability-diverse learners. YMCAs are national leaders in aquatics programming, yet there is a lack of awareness, accommodating classes, and certified instructors to teach the national training course: Swim Instructor Teaching Techniques for Disability and Diversity of Ability. To tackle this problem, we will research and gather input to design an outdoor instructional pool facility with water and play features that accommodate people with disabilities, including but not limited to those with physical disabilities, limited mobility, developmental disabilities, and emotional and mental disabilities. We will include the disabled community and their caregivers through focus groups, interviews, and leadership roles. Similarly, we will engage in a comprehensive staff training program with our partner, Raritan Bay Area YMCA, the State YMCA Alliance, and the National YMCA. 
Together we will remove bias and misconceptions to produce effective programs and facilities. Using policy, systems, and environmental change methods, our work will become long-lasting, and a true model for other organizations to implement their inclusive swim programs.
Teaching proper water safety knowledge is also a core part of our aquatics mission, in addition to swimming skills!
USA Swimming Foundation partner!
REGISTRATION INFO: Class registrations are on a first-come, first-enrolled basis. A current YMCA membership is required. Full payment of class fees is required upon registration. Cash, credit/debit cards, and personal checks (made out to Raritan Valley YMCA) are accepted. Register in person at 144 Tices Lane, call 732-257-4114 (credit card only over the phone), or register online.
REFUND POLICY: A full refund will be issued if a member withdraws 7 days before the first class. If a member withdraws from the program after this date, no refund will be issued. Memberships are non-refundable.
"Kareem started here at Sunday swimming lessons and ended up at a national championship swim meet. We are so lucky to have found this program and have coaches and instructors who inspire our kids every day to be better than the day before. They taught them so much and went beyond to care for the swimmers. Their encouragement and constant motivation pushed them to heights I never thought possible. I hope The YMCA program inspires more future champions as it has inspired our four kids over the past 10 years. You’re awesome!"
[Pictured: swim team member/swim lesson instructor Kareem. Top: as a swim lesson student, 2015. Bottom: as a competitive swimmer, 2019.]
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