Kids Swim Lessons at The Vanderbilt Club
The Vanderbilt Club offers year-round kids swim lessons for local families in Norwood and nearby communities.
Our American Red Cross-based kids swim lesson program is designed to help children develop water confidence, learn proper swim skills, build water safety habits, and feel safer in the water. Lessons are structured, supportive, and age-appropriate, with a focus on helping each child grow at the right pace.
For younger swimmers, learning through games and fun activities helps keep lessons engaging while also supporting water safety, comfort, and early independence in the pool. For older or more advanced swimmers, lessons may focus on stroke technique, endurance, water safety, and skill development.
Whether your child is a beginner, nervous in the water, or ready for the next level, The Vanderbilt Club has swim lesson options to help them keep improving with the overall goal of building independence in the water.
Small Classes & Individual Attention
One of the biggest strengths of The Vanderbilt Club swim lesson program is the small student-instructor ratio. Smaller classes allow instructors to give each child more attention, correction, and support during lessons. This helps swimmers stay engaged, practice more, and build skills with better guidance.
The Vanderbilt Club offers American Red Cross-based swim lessons designed to help swimmers build strong water safety skills and proper swimming technique.
This matters because swim lessons are not only about moving through levels. They are about helping children become safer, more comfortable, more capable, and more independent in the water.
Our instructors follow a structured teaching approach, so swimmers can build skills step by step. Children are not moved forward just to move them along. They progress when they are ready.
For parents, this gives peace of mind. You know your child is learning in a program that values safety, skill, patience, and real improvement.
2:1 STUDENT-TEACHER RATIO! OUR BEGINNER CLASSES, PRE-K THROUGH LEVEL 1 UP, OFFER THE LOWEST STUDENT-TO-TEACHER RATIO IN THE AREA!
These smaller groups help make lessons more personal, especially for younger swimmers who need extra support and encouragement.
Swim Lessons Registration Steps
Choose the Right Swim Level
Before registration opens, review the swim level descriptions to help choose the right class for your child.
If you are not sure which level is best, email Robin at swim@vanderbiltclub.com before booking classes. This is recommended before registration opens so you can be ready when the portal goes live.
Create Your Profile Account
New swim families must create a profile account before registering for swim lessons. First, create a profile for yourself, then click at the bottom of the page to add/create profiles for your child/children under your account.
Click the Member Portal button below to create your profile account.
Watch for Registration Opening
Swim lesson registration opens online about two weeks before the start of each session.
When registration opens, the Swim Program Manager will send an email announcing that registration is now open.
Register Through the Portal
Once registration is open, log in to your profile through the member portal.
Go to “Programs & Services,” then choose “Program Registration.” Before booking classes, make sure you select your child’s name in the “program for” area.
You can then use filters to select class levels, available days, and available times.
Email Questions to Robin
Please send swim lesson registration questions to Robin at: swim@vanderbiltclub.com
Refunds, Credits, and Make-Up Policy
Refunds or credits are provided if The Vanderbilt Club cancels a swim session or class.
Make-up classes are offered only when The Vanderbilt Club cancels a class. Drop-ins are not available.
No refunds are given once the session starts.
Weather and Cancellation Policy
Swim lessons will run as scheduled unless the Swim Program Manager sends a cancellation notice.
If lessons are canceled because of weather or unforeseen circumstances, notices will be sent by email or text from the Swim Program Manager.
Please check your email and text messages for swim lesson updates.
KIDS SWIM LEVELS AND CLASS DESCRIPTIONS
Waterbabies / Tots
Waterbabies and Tots is a parent-and-child class for young swimmers, typically ages 6 months to 3 years.
This class focuses on water comfort, safety, front and back floating, rolling, bubbles, gentle water movement, and early confidence in the pool.
All swim lesson levels include age-appropriate self-rescue and water safety skills.
Level Pre-K Beginner
Level Pre-K Beginner is designed for young children, often around ages 3 and 4.
This level focuses on water safety, comfort, front and back floating, rolling, forward and backward movement in the water, going under, and mouth and nose bubbles.
All swim lesson levels include age-appropriate self-rescue and water safety skills.
Level 1 Beginner
Level 1 Beginner is often a good fit for children around ages 5 and 6 who are learning basic swim skills.
This level builds on beginner water safety and comfort. Swimmers work on floating, rolling, going under, bubbles, forward and backward propulsion using basic equipment with minimal support.
All swim lesson levels include age-appropriate self-rescue and water safety skills.
Level 1 Up Advanced Beginner
Level 1 Up is for swimmers who are able to float on their front and back by themselves and go under the water.
This level introduces front crawl, rotary breathing, modified backstroke, rolling, and treading. Swimmers continue building confidence while learning more independent movement in the pool.
All swim lesson levels include age-appropriate self-rescue and water safety skills.
Level 2 Intermediate Swimmer
Level 2 is for swimmers who are ready to work on stronger basic swim skills.
This level focuses on safety, front crawl or freestyle, backstroke, floating, rolling, and treading. Swimmers begin developing more control and comfort in deeper water.
All swim lesson levels include age-appropriate self-rescue and water safety skills.
Level 3 Competent Swimmer
Level 3 is for swimmers who are ready for more advanced skill work and longer swimming distances.
This level includes survival stroke, breaststroke, sidestroke, front crawl or freestyle, backstroke, floating, and treading. Swimmers work toward stronger technique and endurance.
All swim lesson levels include age-appropriate self-rescue and water safety skills.
Level 4 Advanced Swimmer
Level 4 focuses on stroke improvement and endurance.
Swimmers work on the four competitive strokes: freestyle, butterfly, backstroke, and breaststroke. This level is designed for children who are ready for more technical instruction and full-lane swimming.
All swim lesson levels include age-appropriate self-rescue and water safety skills.
Levels 5 and 6 Swim Team Drills
Levels 5 and 6 focus on stroke refinement, endurance, and swim team-style drills.
Swimmers continue improving technique, stamina, and confidence in the water. Level 6 usually requires completion of Level 5 before joining.
All swim lesson levels include age-appropriate self-rescue and water safety skills.
Dive In Today!
Robin Ostrander
Swim Program Manager
If you are looking for swim lessons in Norwood, MA, The Vanderbilt Club would be happy to help you learn more about current options.
You can view the swim lesson schedule, create your profile account, check registration details, or contact Robin with questions about kids group swim lessons and upcoming sessions.
Our goal is to help swimmers build water safety skills, learn proper technique, feel more comfortable in the pool, and grow toward greater independence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The Vanderbilt Club offers year-round kids group swim lessons with small class sizes, structured instruction, and level-based swim skill development.
Weekday lessons run Monday through Thursday 3:30 PM to 6:30 PM. Saturday and Sunday lessons run 10:00 AM to 2:45 PM.