TAKING THE PLUNGE : Swim Schools Can Turn Your Kid Into a Fish

Have you noticed your 2-year-old begging you to extend the bath time?

Perhaps it’s time for swimming lessons.

Swim schools flourish in the San Fernando Valley, where summertime temperatures often are 25 degrees higher than in other parts of Los Angeles. Many schools have parent-child programs that will introduce an infant or small child to the joys of water with the parent’s help.

“Avoid swim schools that use scare tactics,” advises Rebecca McCain, aquatic and youth specialist for the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Red Cross. She emphasizes that children should never be pressured when learning to swim.

McCain cautions parents to avoid schools that guarantee to “waterproof” a child within a definite time period. “If you find your child is not enjoying it, take them out, they’re not ready,” McCain said.

Red Cross-Certified

Swim schools are not required to hire certified instructors, but McCain recommends choosing those with Red Cross-certified instructors on board.

Following is a list of area swim schools. Parents who are shopping around for the right school may observe lessons at all locations.

Lucile Cowle’s Swim School in Burbank specializes in teaching children who fear water, and thus have facilities geared to that group. One of the school’s two heated indoor pools is just 3 1/2 feet deep.

Three instructors are certified to teach disabled children.

“When kids fall into a pool, they see a far wall and think that’s the wall they have to swim to,” said Stephanie Nelson, school co-owner. “We teach young children to turn around and swim back to the nearest wall.”

For children aged 6 months to 5 years, 10 quarter-hour private lessons are offered for $82. For youngsters 6 and over and adults, 10 half-hour lessons cost $142. Lessons, which begin June 23, are offered in a series on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, or on Tuesdays and Thursdays or on Saturdays only.

Parents may join their children in the pool on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays for a free, supervised practice session from 2 to 3:30 p.m. The school is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturdays. 1619 Peyton Ave., Burbank, 91504. (818) 848-7206.

Jim Herrick’s Swim School specializes in instructing beginning swimmers in the dog paddle before other strokes are taught. All nine instructors are CPR-certified, and many have Red Cross certification.

Ten 20-minute private lessons cost from $100 to $140, depending on the instructor. Semiprivate lessons (two students and one instructor in a half-hour lesson) cost from $150 to $210. Advanced techniques, such as diving and racing starts, are taught in the school’s two heated outdoor pools. Children as young as 18 months are accepted at the school, which opened in 1969.

Home instruction is available. The school is closed in December, January and February, and is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. 11846 Kling St., North Hollywood, 91607. (818) 508-1155.

Jed Heller’s Home Pool Instruction has taught swimming at students’ home pools for 13 years.

All 15 instructors are Red Cross-certified and instruct children as young as 3 months. “We use a very gentle approach,” said owner Jed Heller, who has taught swimming for 25 years and holds a master’s degree in child development psychology and physical education. “There is no forcing, no dunking and no surprises.”

Series of 10 Lessons

Heller offers a series of 10 lessons: 15-, 20- and 30-minute classes, which cost $10, $13 and $19 each.

The school instructs from June 5 through Sept. 2 and is open from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and on Saturday mornings. 14720 Oxnard St., Van Nuys, 91411. (818) 994-6300.

Crest Swim School , which is part of Woodcrest Private Elementary in Tarzana, has six instructors who teach year-round.

“Mommy & Me” swimming classes are offered children 6 months old to 2 years. A set of five lessons costs $30 and is held Wednesday mornings.

Private lessons, taught from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., cost $140 for 10 half-hour lessons, and $100 for 10 20-minute lessons. Instructors, who teach all levels of swimming in the school’s indoor pool, are Red Cross certified. 6043 Tampa Ave., Tarzana, 91356. (818) 345-3002.

Iris Ryker Swim School teaches a “gentle conditioning method” of swimming for children 7 months and up.

Private, Group Lessons

Ten instructors, all CPR-certified and some of them Red Cross- certified, teach both private and group lessons in the school’s heated, outdoor pool. Private lessons cost $75, $88 and $115 for a series of nine 15-, 20- or 30-minute sessions. Semiprivate lessons for two children are $79 for nine half-hour lessons. Group lessons cost from $61 to $70 for nine half-hour lessons, depending on the number of children in the group.

“I put an emphasis on instructors who have a strong swimming background,” said owner Iris Ryker, who coaches a U.S. swim team at her school. “I like to hire instructors who have been trained in swimming from 7 or 8 years old. They have patience and dedication.”

Ryker’s school, which opened in 1986, instructs year-round and is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. 9825 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Chatsworth, 91311. (818) 709-5588.

Daland Swim School has 22 instructors, all Red Cross- and CPR-certified, who teach children as soon as they are able to walk.

A “Parent & Me” program is held at 10:30 a.m. Saturdays and 11 a.m. Saturdays for children 6 months to 3 years. The half-hour sessions cost $20 for four lessons or $10 each lesson.

Private lessons, which cost $64 for eight 20-minute sessions, are held twice a week. Group lessons, with five children, cost $45 for eight 40-minute sessions, and are held twice each week in one of the school’s two heated outdoor pools. Instruction is available year-round. Hours are 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. 135 East Wilbur Road, Thousand Oaks, 91360. (805) 495-5210.

Canoga Park Swim School has taught private and group lessons for 21 years, specializing in beginning swimming for children 1 through 7.

Cost $72

Six half-hour private lessons cost $72. Nine semiprivate half-hour group lessons (three children) cost $81. The school’s two instructors are Red Cross-certified and teach in an outdoor, heated pool.

Private home lessons are available within a five-mile radius of the school, which is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. 7839 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Canoga Park, 91304. (818) 346-3035.

The West Valley Family YMCA offers a 20-minute parent-child class from 10 a.m. to noon and from 5 to 7 p.m. each weekday. A program of six classes costs $20 for YMCA members and $25 for non-members. YMCA basic membership, which is used as a registration fee for classes, is $13 a year for adults and children.

Lessons for children aged 3 to 5 cost $29 for members and $37 for non-members for six 25-minute sessions. Lessons for older children are held twice a week in spring for three weeks and four times a week in summer for two weeks. A set of 40-minute lessons costs $33 for members and $41 for non-members.

All the YMCA’s 20 instructors are Red Cross-certified and teach in a heated, outdoor pool year-round. Summer session begins June 26. 18810 Vanowen St., Reseda, 91335. (818) 345-7393.

The East Valley Family YMCA features a glass-enclosed, indoor pool with a roof that opens electronically.

Several Groups

The organization’s 10 Red Cross-certified instructors divide their students into several groups ranging from non-swimmers to advanced swimmers. Lessons for “polliwogs,” “guppies,” “fish,” “minnows”, “flying fish” and “sharks” cost $25 for eight half-hour classes. Non-members pay $50. YMCA basic membership is $32 per year.

Morning, afternoon and evening lessons are available Mondays and Wednesdays, Tuesdays and Thursdays or Saturdays only.

A half-hour “Baby Skippers” class for children 6 months to 3 years old is held at 9:30, 10 and 10:30 Saturday mornings, and at 10 and 10:30 on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

Private and semiprivate 25-minute lessons are given by appointment only and cost $10 for private and $7 for semiprivate lessons. The group’s “Blue Marlin” swim team competes with other YMCA leagues in the area.

New sessions begin June 5 and June 26. 5142 Tujunga Ave., North Hollywood, 91601. (818) 763-5126.

The Los Angeles city Recreation and Parks Department offers group lessons for children beginning July 3. The lessons cost $10.25 for 10 half-hour sessions and are held Mondays through Fridays. All levels of swimming are taught in the department’s 15 outdoor Valley pools.

Parent-child classes also cost $10.25, and are held at various times, depending on the pool.

Children 7 and older may join swimming leagues that are divided into synchronized swimming teams, water-polo teams, dive teams and skin-diving teams. “It’s really a good deal, because a child can join a team and swim all summer long for only $3,” said Lynn Fontana, the department’s office manager.

Pools are in Sun Valley, Granada Hills, Pacoima, Canoga Park, Woodland Hills, North Hollywood, Northridge, Reseda, Panorama City, Sylmar, Van Nuys and Tujunga. The department is at 6911 Laurel Grove Ave., North Hollywood, 91605. (818) 989-8859.