When you choose Chicago Blue Dolphins for your child, you’re choosing the most innovative children’s swimming program in Chicago.
We know that’s a bold statement, but we stand firmly behind it because we:
- Use gold-standard teaching methods.
- Conduct classes in our cutting-edge Swim Studio for faster, more precise learning.
- Incorporate a mix of smaller, Endless pools and full-size pools that build swimmer fitness and teach a full range of swimming and water safety skills.
- Use games, imagination and fun drill names like “Hot dog!” and “Superman arms” to keep learning fun yet effective.
- Apply technology, such as instant video playback, for faster learning.
We’re extremely proud of the fact that our methods; our positive, patient and fun delivery; and our technology builds better swimmers because the children clearly understand what they’re supposed to do and how to do it.
What Levels of Classes Do You Offer for Kids Ages 4 to 12?
In these classes, your child will focus on:
- Becoming comfortable and relaxed in the water.
- Learning the basics of aquatic breathing (bubbling).
- Becoming self-sufficient with floating, gliding, kicking and doing elementary strokes on the front and back.
- Learning to float for longer times and with more control.
- Learning the basics of freestyle and backstroke, including body rotation, arm motion, and kicking.
- Rolling to get air without losing body position or momentum.
- Learning the basic body positions and leg action for breaststroke and butterfly.
In these classes, your child will focus on:
- Becoming comfortable and relaxed in the water.
- Learning the basics of aquatic breathing (bubbling).
- Becoming self-sufficient with floating, gliding, kicking and doing elementary strokes on the front and back.
- Learning to float for longer times and with more control.
- Learning the basics of freestyle and backstroke, including body rotation, arm motion, and kicking.
- Rolling to get air without losing body position or momentum.
- Learning the basic body positions and leg action for breaststroke and butterfly.
In these classes, we will work with your child to develop a rhythmic form of freestyle and backstroke. The classes focus on:
- Building up to at least 30 strokes of freestyle with rhythmic breathing and better mastery of fundamental positions.
- Building up to at least 30 strokes of backstroke with good balance, over-water recovery, side-to-side rotation and timing.
- Learning the foundations of the breaststroke by adding the arm stroke and learning basic timing.
- Building up to at least 10 strokes of breaststroke with good pull-breathe-kick-glide timing.
- Completing at least 5 strokes of rhythmic butterfly with at least 1 breath.
Once young swimmers graduate from Intermediate 2, they can join the Chicago Blue Dolphins Swim Team, where we continue to refine their swim strokes and also introduce key skills for racing, such as dives, turns and streamlining.
- Building up to at least 50 strokes of freestyle with rhythmic bilateral breathing, better arm stroke and kick, and speed/tempo changes.
- Building up to at least 50 strokes of backstroke with good balance and rotation, smooth timing, better arm stroke and kick, and speed/tempo changes.
- Learning competition-ready versions of breaststroke and butterfly with smoother, longer strokes
- Building up to at least 20 strokes of breaststroke with proper timing and forward extension.
- Completing at least 10+ strokes of rhythmic butterfly with at rhythmic breathing.
What Can You Expect from Our Kids Learn-to-Swim Classes?
Our classes run on a set 4-5 week session. Your child will focus on learning a particular set of skills during that period. At the end of the period, we will evaluate your child and either promote her to the next session or refine the current set for another session. We will send you and evaluation at the end of the session providing specifics on your child’s progress.
- Most of our Beginners will be comfortable in the water, swimming on their fronts and backs, able to roll for air or call for help, and starting the process of learning the competitive strokes.
- Children at the intermediate level will make a major progress in learning the high-quality competitive strokes to enjoy on vacations or pool parties, to pass a camp swim test, or to prepare for a swim team. After the initial 3 session period, you will continue on a month-by-month basis.
The monthly tuition for our Preschool, School Age, and Intermediate programs is provided in the table below. For parents who want to speed up the learning process, we offer a 7% discount on tuition for additional weekly classes you book (e.g., the second class is at a 7% discount).
Preschool (Ages 4-5) — 30 Minute Classes
Class | Tuition Per Month |
Preschool Beginner 1 | $138.00 |
Preschool Beginner 2 | $138.00 |
School-Age (Ages 6 Years & Up) — 30 Minute Classes
Class | Tuition Per Month |
School-Age Beginner 1 | $138.00 |
School-Age Beginner 2 | $138.00 |
Kids Deep Water Skills 1 1 | $138.00 |
School-Age (Ages 6 Years & Up) — 50 Minute Classes
Class | Tuition Per Month |
Intermediate 1 | $205.00 |
Intermediate 2 | $205.00 |
Advanced 1 | $205.00 |
Advanced 2 | $205.00 |
Kids Deep Water Skills 2 | $205.00 |
In addition to tuition, there is a non-refundable $20 annual membership fee to cover insurance and safety costs. If you continue on with us beyond one year (and we hope you do), you’ll be charged the membership fee on each anniversary.
If you withdraw your child from class within the initial three session period, you will be assessed a $25.00 cancellation fee. For more details about withdrawing from a class, see “Disenrollment from Automatic Tuition Renewal” on our Policies and Procedures page.
Not sure if a group class or private lessons are better for your child? Contact our office to schedule a 25-Minute Skills Evaluation. Our instructor will run your kiddo through a series of exercises to determine her current skill level and then will give you an overview of the skills progression that best matches her skills and goals.
Lesson Type |
25 Minute Single | 25 Minute Five Pack | 50 Minute Single | 50 Minute Five Pack |
Skills Assessment | $50.00 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Private | $75.00 | $356.25 | $145.00 | $688.75 |
Two Swimmers (Per Person) | $49.00 | $232.75 | $98.00 | $465.50 |
Three Swimmers (Per Person) | $37.50 | $178.13 | $75.00 | $356.25 |
In addition to tuition, there is a non-refundable $20 annual membership fee to cover insurance and safety costs. If you continue on with us beyond one year (and we hope you do), you’ll be charged the membership fee on each anniversary.
In addition to charging you for the first month of tuition, we will also charge you a non-refundable $20 annual membership fee to cover insurance and safety costs. If you continue on with us beyond one year (and we hope you do), you’ll be charged the membership fee on each anniversary.
If you withdraw your child from class within the initial three session period, you will be assessed a $25.00 cancellation fee. For more details about withdrawing from a class, see “Disenrollment from Automatic Tuition Renewal” on our Policies and Procedures page.
If you see a SIGN UP button next to the class name, there is space available and you can register online. Please note that we only allow online registrations for the Level 1 classes. If you would like to register for a more advanced class, schedule a make-up, or put yourself on a waiting list for a class that’s full, please contact our office.
Please note that we ask that you initially commit to 3 sessions of classes (~ 12-15 weeks) when you sign up. You will only be charged for the first month when you register online with the other two months charged on the second and third months after your class start date. You can cancel within the 3 month period, but you will be charged a $25.00 early cancellation fee.
After receiving your online registration and payment, our office will charge you an additional non-refundable $20.00 for our annual membership fee to cover insurance and safety costs. If you continue on with us beyond one year (and we hope you do), you’ll be charged the membership fee on each anniversary.
See “What is the Cost for Group Classes” above for more details on tuition and membership policies.
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How Do I Register?
If you see a SIGN UP button next to the class name, there is space available and you can register online. Please note that we only allow online registrations for the Level 1 classes. If you would like to register for a more advanced class, schedule a make-up, or put yourself on a waiting list for a class that’s full, please contact our office.
Please note that we ask that you initially commit to 3 sessions of classes (~ 12-15 weeks) when you sign up. You will only be charged for the first month when you register online with the other two months charged on the second and third months after your class start date. You can cancel within the 3 month period, but you will be charged a $25.00 early cancellation fee.
After receiving your online registration and payment, our office will charge you an additional non-refundable $20.00 for our annual membership fee to cover insurance and safety costs. If you continue on with us beyond one year (and we hope you do), you’ll be charged the membership fee on each anniversary.
See “What is the Cost for Group Classes” above for more details on tuition and membership policies.
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