Registration Guide
Swim Lessons and Children's Programs (Ages 0 – 12)
Each September, we refresh our Swim Lesson program schedule to ensure we are working to meet the needs of families in our community. This schedule refresh means that all participants will be required to re-register if they are interested in continuing in programs, and gives an opportunity for new participants to join.
Throughout the year, we offer members the convenience of registering for programs at any time, with programs continuing year round. Registration is available online through your member portal and in person at any of our Health and Wellness locations. Participants must have an active YMCA of Three Rivers membership (not on hold) to register for programs.
Swim Lessons
Once participants have registered for their weekly group Swim Lesson, the registration will automatically be repeated for the entire session. Each annual session begins in September and continues until August of the following year. Members can register at anytime throughout the year, space permitting. Participants will remain registered in their chosen program day/time until they choose to change/cancel their class, progress to a more advanced program, or are removed if they miss three classes in a row without notifying us. Classes will automatically be cancelled during break weeks and holidays.
Children's Programs
Our team is currently working to make some changes to how we offer land-based Children's Programs to ensure our programs are convenient, accessible, and meeting the needs of families in our community. Beginning September 2024, all land-based Children's Programs will register on a week-to-week basis. Please see below for more information about these changes.
September 2024 Swim Lesson Registration
Important Dates
Please see below some important dates for the Fall 2024 to Summer 2025 session of swim lessons.
Registration will be available online through your member portal, beginning on the dates listed below. Staff will also be available in-person at our Health and Wellness locations to assist families in completing their online registration, or to complete registration for those who do not have access to online registration. We encourage families to register online, if they are able, to help streamline our registration process, and we are making further improvements to our system this year to ensure a smooth online registration process.
Click here to watch a video message from our team regarding the upcoming program registration.
Monday August 19, 2024 — Fall 2024 program schedule available for members to view online.*
Thursday Sept 5, 2024 (11:00 a.m.) — Registration opens for group swim lessons. Log in to your Member Portal
Tuesday September 10, 2024 (11:00 a.m.) — Registration opens for private swim lessons.
Monday September 16, 2024 — Fall 2024 to Summer 2025 swim lessons begin.
December 23, 2024 to January 5, 2025 — Break weeks, no swim lessons.
Monday January 6, 2025 — Swim lessons resume.
March 10 to 14, 2025 (March Break) — Break weeks, no swim lessons.
March 17, 2025 — Swim lessons resume.
June 23 to June 29, 2025 — Break week, no swim lessons.
Monday June 30, 2025 — Swim lessons resume.
August 24, 2025 — Last day of Swim Lessons — new registration required to continue in September 2025.
Statutory Holidays — Programs will be cancelled on all statutory holidays.
*Please note that while we strive to offer all the programs on our original schedule, some changes may be made after this date to reflect our capacity to offer all programs.
Changes to Land-Based Children's Programs
Beginning September 2024
This fall, we are making some changes to our program offerings in an effort to ensure our programs are convenient, accessible, and meeting the needs of families in our community.
Recreational Children’s Programs
Beginning in September 2024, all recreational children's programs will be registered on a week-by-week basis. This means that members will have the convenience of choosing which programs to attend each week through drop-in bookings.
A children's membership includes unlimited land-based recreational programs such as Kids Zone, Play Gym, and Y Sports, as well as unlimited recreational swim programs such as Open Swim and Family Swim — you can register for as many as you would like each week!
Registration for recreational children's programs opens 7 days in advance of each program at 8:00 a.m. through your member portal.
Learn more about our recreational children’s programs.
Value Add Children’s Programs
In addition to the unlimited recreational programs available with your child’s membership, we’re offering members the option to add value add programs to their membership. These programs may vary by location and can include Racquetball and Squash Court Bookings and Lessons, Play Care, and more! To access these programs, participants will need the corresponding value add applied to their membership for a small additional bi-weekly fee. Visit the membership desk to have value adds applied to your membership.
Registration for value add programs opens 7 days in advance of each program at 8:00 a.m. through your member portal.
Learn more about our value add programs.
Specialty Programs
These multi-week programs may vary by location and require registration and the payment of a sessional fee at the beginning of the program. We are planning to add Children’s Strength Academy as a specialty program beginning in October 2024. More information about the registration process for this program will be announced in the fall. In future, more specialty programs may be added to our program offering.
Learn more about our specialty programs.
Skill Based Programs
Beginning in September 2024, we will no longer be offering ongoing skill based programs (soccer and basketball) for children ages 6 to 12. This decision was made after reviewing data including attendance and participation records and responses from our member surveys. This data indicated families are looking for more convenient program offerings to meet their changing schedules. We’re developing our children’s program schedule for the fall with this data in mind and are excited to offer more capacity and flexibility in our program offerings through this improved program model.
If your child is a soccer or basketball fan, or just likes to stay active, we encourage you to check out our recreational children’s programs including Active Kids and Y Sports, where children will explore a wide variety of sports, games, and activities to develop physical literacy for life. Remember, these programs are included unlimited in your child’s membership — you can register for as many as you’d like each week for no additional cost!
Private Swim Lessons
Private swim lessons are offered in a one-to-one format or as semi-private (groups of two or three – participants must be at a similar skill level and sign up together as a group). Small ratios and flexible times make private lessons a great way to complement your weekly group swim lesson or provide the extra attention needed to achieve you or your child's swimming goals. All classes are 30 minutes long.
Private Swim Lessons are offered in four sessions throughout the year:
Fall (September to December) — Registration opens Tuesday September 10, 2024 at 11:00 a.m.
Winter (January to March) — Registration date TBA
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Spring (April to June) — Registration date TBA
Summer (July to August) — Registration date TBA
Participants must register for the entire session. Payment for the full session fee must be made at the time of registration. Refunds will not be issued for missed classes.
Locations: A.R. Kaufman (Kitchener), Chaplin (Cambridge), Guelph, Stork (Waterloo), and Stratford.