Brian JonesDrowning is one of the leading causes of accidental death for children. Out of the 1,109 drowning cases reported in Canada between April 2011 and April 2023, 79.6% involved infants and children aged 9 years or younger.
So, no, swimming isn’t just a fun pastime. And it certainly isn’t something you should wait until adulthood or adolescence to learn.
If you’re a parent or an adult who didn’t get the chance to learn how to swim, now is the best time to dive in. We’ve already rounded up the best swimming lessons in Edmonton to help you get started.
Check them out now, and you might prevent a future accident from happening!
- K & K Swim School
- True Blue Swim School
- British Swim School at Windermere
- William Lutsky Family YMCA
- Booster Juice Recreation Centre in Terwillegar
- O’Leary Fitness And Leisure Centre
- Mill Woods Recreation Centre
- Edmonton Keyano Swim Club
- Boonie Doon Leisure Centre
- The Meadows Community Recreation Centre
- Jamie Platz Family YMCA
K & K Swim School
– Media credit: kknatation
Address: 16615 109 Ave NW
Contact Details: +18773507946
Operating Hours:
- Sunday – Thursday: 9:00 AM – 8:00 PM
- Friday – Saturday: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Admission Costs: $$
K & K Swim School is a well-established and well-known private swim school in the city. It’s famous for a good reason because they’re known for their personalised lessons and great facilities dedicated to kids (in case you’re a parent enroling your kids).
They have one-on-one lessons for all ages (from babies to adults). This allows their instructors to focus on each student’s pacing and comfort level.
Also, we like that they offer swimming lessons for both beginners and advanced swimmers looking to perfect their strokes (those competitive ones).
Pro Tip:
- K & K Swim School’s baby and beginner classes fill up fast, so make sure to book ahead to get your preferred schedule. They drop their registration dates early, so monitor their social media pages!
True Blue Swim School
– Media credit: trueblueswim.ca
Address: #110, 5637 Riverbend Rd NW
Contact Details: +17808005505
Operating Hours:
- Saturday & Sunday: 8:15 AM – 5:30 PM
- Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM, 3:30 PM – 8:30 PM
- Thursday: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM, 3:30 PM – 8:30 PM
- Friday: 3:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Admission Costs: $$
True Blue Swim School is another kid-friendly, private learn-to-swim school founded by Aussie partners Jason and Arnold, both well-experienced swimmers.
They have small class sizes and multiple instructors. This setup ensures each student receives enough attention and correction during every lesson.
Accepting kids as young as 6 months, True Blue Swim School has comprehensive programs that your kids can enrol in. Plus, the pool is warm enough for kids not to feel cold, helping them stay focused and relaxed through the lesson.
Pro Tip:
- Set up your online family account ahead of time if you plan to enrol your kids. With this, you’ll get quick registration once a slot opens.
British Swim School at Windermere
– Media credit: bssedmonton
Address: 6025 Andrews Way
Contact Details: +17806700247
Operating Hours: Monday, Wednesday, & Friday: 4:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Admission Costs: $$
British Swim School at Windermere offers lessons for kids as young as 3 months old.
They stood out to us because their philosophy revolves around water safety. Since swimming is a life skill, instructors prioritise building confidence and survival skills first. This helps students develop awareness to stay safe in and around water.
On top of that, we find their class size favourable, especially for beginners. Their water-acclimation and survival programs have a maximum teacher-to-student ratio of 4:1.
enrolment is flexible too. They don’t run on fixed seasonal sessions. You can enrol anytime – just need to spot availability carefully.
Pro Tip:
- Since their pool is inside the hotel, you need to be a registered member first to access the pool. They don’t have drop-in classes or general pool access.
William Lutsky Family YMCA
– Media credit: ymcaedmonton
Address: 1975 111 St NW
Contact Details: +17804399622
Operating Hours:
- Monday – Friday: 5:30 AM – 10:00 PM
- Saturday – Sunday: 7:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Admission Costs: $$
William Lutsky Family YMCA is a health and fitness centre with a gym and pool areas.
For their aquatics and swimming centre, they have a main pool and separate smaller pools solely for instruction.
What’s unique about this centre is that it offers parent-and-tot classes for infants and toddlers. This is ideal if you want to bond with your kids while having fun at the pool.
They have flexible lessons too, ranging from group and private lessons to drop-in classes. You can either get a membership for unlimited access to their facilities or just get an all-access day pass or public swim, depending on your preference.
Pro Tip:
- They occasionally offer membership promos, so make sure to check for them when signing up for a membership.
Booster Juice Recreation Centre in Terwillegar
– Media credit: edmontonreccentres
Address: 2051 Leger Rd NW
Contact Details: +17804425311
Operating Hours:
- Monday – Friday: 5:30 AM – 10:30 PM
- Saturday – Sunday: 6:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Admission Costs: $$
Booster Juice Recreation Centre in Terwillegar has an impressive aquatic centre.
They have an eight-lane saltwater pool, diving platforms, and a leisure or wave pool. The lazy river and spray features make the swimming lessons even more fun for kids too!
Aside from the facility, they also got nice swimming lessons. They have registered aquatic programs ranging from preschool to youth and adult programs, covering all ages.
The best part is they have long daily hours, making it easier to fit swimming lessons into your busy schedule.
However, since it’s a community-run centre, expect that lesson levels and schedules may shift. It’s best to check their updated schedule before attending.
Pro Tip:
- Their after-school or weekend swimming lessons fill up quickly, so make sure to book early.
O’Leary Fitness And Leisure Centre
– Media credit: chrisnielsenyeg
Address: 8804 132 Ave NW
Contact Details: +17804425311
Operating Hours:
- Monday – Friday: 6:30 AM – 9:00 PM
- Saturday – Sunday: 6:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Admission Costs: $$
O’Leary Fitness and Leisure Centre is another community-run centre offering registered swimming lessons for everyone, including kids. They cater to toddlers, teens, and adults.
It has a main pool and teaching pools with waterslides and a dive tank, allowing instructors to combine serious swimming with fun or recreation.
Plus, pools are well-maintained and warm, so swimming lessons are very comfortable.
It’s one of the centres we’ve found to be very family-friendly, with a great aquatic centre and flexible schedules.
Pro Tip:
- Combine lessons with family swim times to make the experience more enjoyable for your kids. They have public swims, so might as well take advantage of it.
Mill Woods Recreation Centre
– Media credit: holytrinityecsd
Address: 7207 28 Ave NW
Contact Details: +17804425311
Operating Hours:
- Monday – Friday: 5:30 AM – 10:00 PM
- Saturday: 7:00 AM – 9:00 PM
- Sunday: 7:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Admission Costs: $$
Mill Woods Recreation Centre offers structured swimming programs for children. You can either enrol them in drop-in swims, lane swims, or their aquafit.
But it’s the Star Patrol and Lifesaving Society Junior Lifeguard Club that really makes this place stand out. These programs go beyond just swimming skills. Instead, they also focus on rescue techniques and valuable life skills.
They go beyond just helping kids too. They also offer women, girls, and transgender inclusive programs!
Pro Tip:
- Note that most of their child programs have prerequisites, so make sure to get your kids assessed before enrolling!
Edmonton Keyano Swim Club
– Media credit: edmontonkeyano
Address: 9100 Walterdale Hill NW
Contact Details: +17804329448
Operating Hours: Monday – Friday: 10:00 AM – 6:30 PM
Admission Costs: $$
Edmonton Keyano Swim Club has multiple locations in the city, so finding a spot near you shouldn’t be hard.
They have summer camp, junior development, and performance programs. This makes them a very welcoming club, whether for beginners or more advanced swimmers.
Their swimming lessons are very structured and focused. Every swimmer gets personalised attention, so learning is a lot easier!
Pro Tip:
- They only accept kids aged 6 and above!
Boonie Doon Leisure Centre
– Media credit: entuitive
Address: 8648 81 St NW
Contact Details: +17804425311
Operating Hours:
- Monday – Thursday: 6:00 AM – 9:00 PM
- Friday: 6:00 AM – 12:00 AM
- Saturday: 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM
- Sunday: 7:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Admission Costs: $$
Boonie Doon Leisure Centre is another crowd favourite since its modernisation. It’s a public recreation and aquatic centre, where you can find almost every fitness activity.
With the recent rehabilitation, the facilities have significantly improved. They’ve upgraded their pool systems and water quality, making it a more comfortable place for both casual and lessons.
Speaking of lessons, they offer lessons for kids and parent-and-tot classes. They also have private lessons for kids as early as 4 years old!.
Pro Tip:
- Parking here can be challenging, especially after-school hours, so it would help if you arrive a bit early.
The Meadows Community Recreation Centre
– Media credit: gimenezfam1143
Address: 2704 17 St NW
Contact Details: +17804425311
Operating Hours:
- Monday – Friday: 5:30 AM – 10:30 PM
- Saturday – Sunday: 6:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Admission Costs: $$
The Meadows Community Recreation Centre is a 234,419-square-foot facility that offers sports and recreation activities under one roof.
They have drop-in activities for lane swim and public swim. Meanwhile, for swimming lessons, they offer programs ranging from an aquatic day camp to preschool and child programs.
They also have SwimAbilities programs made for kids or individuals with physical or cognitive limitations.
Facility-wise? The pool is big, so they get to hold more classes than other schools. There’s also a separate pool for kids and two other pools for adults.
Pro Tip:
- There are vending machines around the area that kids will love, but we recommend bringing snacks since that’ll be cheaper.
Jamie Platz Family YMCA
– Media credit: ymcaedmonton
Address: 7121 178 St NW
Contact Details: +17804819622
Operating Hours:
- Monday – Friday: 5:30 AM – 10:00 PM
- Saturday – Sunday: 7:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Admission Costs: $$
Jamie Platz offers three private lessons (30 minutes) for kids who need one-on-one coaching. If your kid is still in the beginner stage, this private swim lesson is ideal.
We really love the structured progression of levels here. Instructors start with basic water comfort and safety, then move on to more advanced strokes before heading out for lifesaving programs.
The flexibility of lessons is also worth noting here. You can either enrol your kids in a group lesson or just casual swims.
Pro Tip:
- This centre really gets crowded, so we recommend arriving early to help your child feel calmer and more prepared before their lessons.
