Aquatics

Ages 6-17 months

SKIP

For our littlest swimmers, SKIP is designed to introduce babies, toddlers and their parents to the aquatic environment. This class will help parents learn realistic developmental expectations, introduce basic aquatic safety to parent and child, and provide a fun and positive first experience in the water. SKIP will help children with basic motor skills, as well as introduce them to a water environment without fear. Skills include blowing bubbles, floating on front and back, kicking on front and back, social interaction through songs, and basic aquatic safety knowledge for parents. This is a fun class that will help prepare your child for future swim classes!

As children progress in SKIP classes, they also learn basic paddle stroke, kicking on front and back, floating on front and back, voluntary submersions, climbing into and out of the pool unassisted, jumping in from side of the pool, and safety tips for parents. A portion of each class will focus on parent independence. Your child will spend a little time with our instructor to ease the transition between parent/child classes and our preschool levels.

Ages 3-5 years

PERS

This class is designed for the preschooler. Children participate without parents and work on floating on front and back, kicking on front and back, bubbles, putting face in the water, basic paddle stroke, pool safety, boating safety, and water adjustment. Patient instructors work to create a positive experience for these little swimmers. There are no prerequisites for enrollment, other than age.

As children progress in PERS classes, they also learn rotary breathing, backstroke development with proper technique, and elementary backstroke. There is also continued work on treading water, deep water swimming, basic diving, floating, endurance, and pool safety.

Ages 6-12 years

Polliwog

Designed for the school-age beginner who has little or no experience. Emphasis is placed on water adjustment, kicking on front and back, basic paddle stroke, floating on front and back, basic backstroke, and pool safety. There are no prerequisites for enrollment other than age requirement.

Guppy

This level is for school-age advanced beginner that can swim 15 feet on their own but need to work on their freestyle technique. Rotary breathing will be introduced, as well as a more advanced technique for backstroke and elementary backstroke. Participants will work on floating on front and back, treading water, deep water swimming, pool safety, and introduction to diving.

Minnow/ Fish

For children who can already swim 1 length of the lap pool (25 yards) with freestyle, backstroke, sidestroke, and breaststroke. Proper rotary breathing technique will be stressed, and participants will be introduced to butterfly in addition to refining all the strokes.

Lifeguard Training is also available at your local YMCA of El Paso branches. Contact your specific branch for class prerequisites.

 

Arts

 

   

 

Day Camp

 

 

While our fees are based on the cost of providing each program, we believe that all children should have an opportunity to experience summer day camp.

While participants are expected to pay their fair share, when Strong Kids financial assistance dollars are available, the YMCA will assist any family or individual who wishes to participate but who may have difficulty affording the fee.


**Click below to download Day Camp For All Rates**

Healthy Kids Day

 

Community

The YMCA believes we all need a place to belong -- a place where we genuinely care about one another, share in decisions, treat each other with respect and pull together for a common cause. YMCAs bring together people from different walks of life in an environment where all can feel comfortable. They are natural incubators for ideas to help solve community problems. They get things done by working with other neighborhood groups and organizations.

For more specific information, contact your local El Paso YMCA Branch.

 

 

Family

 

 

Serving families has always been at the heart of YMCA work. As the needs of families change and become more complex, many Ys are assuming a greater role in helping families navigate social, economic and educational challenges.  YMCA programs differ from neighborhood to neighborhood, but the fundamentals remain consistent nationwide – YMCA programs and services are designed to ensure that every family can build stronger bonds, achieve greater work/life balance, and become more engaged with their community. The support provided by YMCAs helps families learn, grow and thrive --- together.

Health and Wellness

 

 

YMCAs have led community-based health and fitness for more than a century. Research continues to support the approach to health that YMCAs have taken since 1891 when Luther Gulick proposed the red YMCA triangle as a symbol of a person's "essential unity -- spirit, mind and body" each being a necessary and eternal part of man.' Participation in Y health and fitness programs offer opportunities for friendship and community, a sense of well-being, self-confidence, and improved mental abilities and cognition -- not to mention the obvious benefits of healthy hearts, lungs, bones and muscles.

Ys believe exercise and health education are important for people of all ages, incomes and abilities. The government agrees that all people can benefit from good health and wellness programs.

Adult programs include strength training, walking, personal fitness, exercise for beginners, yoga, tai chi, and group exercise including aerobics, martial arts exercise, studio cycling, and much more. The list of YMCA Health and Fitness programs and services goes on and on.

Youth programs include preschool movement, youth fitness, teen fitness and kids' gyms. YMCA Day Camp programs incorporate health and fitness, too.  YMCA Healthy Kids Day is a free, fun-filled day of activities designed to promote healthy kids in spirit, mind and body. YMCA Healthy Kids Day community-based events celebrate making fitness fun, and introduce kids to an array of YMCA programs that teach healthy behaviors and healthy ways to play.

Older Adults

 

YMCAs are for people of all ages, abilities and incomes. They count older adults as some of their most loyal members. At YMCAs, older adults have a chance to keep active and grow in spirit, mind and body. New friends and new opportunities add joy to life, and the Y also gives seniors a chance to share their time and talents with others, such as children and teens.

Programs for older adults include:

• health and fitness
• swimming classes
• volunteer and service-learning

Sports

  

A mainstay of YMCA offerings for young people, Y youth sports programs fill kids' discretionary hours with positive activities and caring adult attention. Coaches -- often volunteers, including many parents -- emphasize teamwork and cooperation over winning at any cost, developing good values over developing the next superstar.

YMCA Youth Super Sports is the YMCA's new progressive youth sports program that combines the marvelous philosophy of past YMCA youth sports programs with new program concepts. Based upon a games approach to teaching skills and coaching sports, it consists of three components:

• YMCA Rookies, a noncompetitive, developmental program for 4- to 7-year-olds that prepares them to participate successfully in YMCA Winners and YMCA Champions.
• YMCA Winners, the YMCA's unique, values-based competitive sports program for youth 8 to 16 years of age.
• YMCA Champions, an innovative awards program for youth in YMCA Winners, recognizing their achievement in and through sport. Coming soon.

Each practice session contains a team circle related to character development that focuses on one of the four values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility. Through the games approach, the kids learn the sport by participating in practice sessions and games. This helps them to develop their skills quicker and have a lot more fun.

 

Basketball and volleyball, both YMCA inventions, are popular youth programs, as are baseball, softball, T-ball, soccer and progressive gymnastics. Other local options range from traditional sports like tennis and football to such newer inventions as ice hockey, floor hockey and dodgeball. Many YMCAs offer options for adults, too.

 

   

Military

 

Families of Deployed National Guard and Reserve

• Families of Guard/Reserve personnel who are deployed for a minimum of six months.
• Deploying service members are eligible for YMCA memberships with their family for three months pre- and post- deployment.
• Families are eligible for the duration of the deployment, not to exceed 18 months (which includes service member three months pre- and post- deployment).
• Memberships are renewable in six month increments contingent upon use
  MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL REQUIREMENT: 8 VISITS PER MONTH (PER FAMILY or FAMILY MEMBER)
• Minimum length of membership is six months.
• Active Duty Title 10 Only (Title 32 personnel not authorized due to funding restrictions)

Registration

•1.     A copy of deployment orders and a military ID card must be presented when applying for YMCA membership.

•2.     Download the eligibility form and take it to your local participating YMCA.

Active Duty Assigned to Independent Duty Locations Authorized only for those commands who have no access to free fitness equipment and are not receiving funding for fitness memberships at any location

Eligibility

Each Service has a point of contact who will approve requests.

• Independent Duty commands must fill out one request for all interested command personnel
• Request must be signed by Commanding Officer and sent to Service POC for approval prior to going to the YMCA

Family members are included in YMCA membership for Independent Duty personnel.

• Membership will be authorized in six month increments contingent upon use 
  MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL REQUIREMENT: A MINIMUM OF 8 VISITS PER MONTH (PER FAMILY or FAMILY MEMBER)
• Approval letter and military ID card required to be presented for YMCA membership
• Active Duty Title 10 Only (Title 32 personnel not authorized due to funding restrictions)

Single service members at approved IDP locations: (See note)

• May opt to join private fitness facility vice the YMCA
• Must come to a consensus on private fitness provider
• Limited to a maximum of $50 per month. Any fee over $50 will be the responsibility of the service member.
• Registration fees are the responsibility of service member
• ASYMCA will negotiate membership fees
• Membership will be authorized in six month increments contingent upon use (A MINIMUM OF 8 VISITS PER MONTH)
• Approval letter and military ID card required for private fitness facility membership

Contact a Military OneSource consultant for your Service approval information at 1-800-342-9647.

Note

Married service members have the option to be included in the Private Fitness memberships but family members cannot be included. Family members are only included in the YMCA membership because there is no additional cost.

Download the Independent Duty Eligibility Request Form

Download the eligibility form and take it to your local participating YMCA.

 

Relocated Spouse of Deployed Active Duty Personnel Eligibility

 

• Must have physically relocated away from the installation during spouse deployment
• Deployment must be for a minimum of six months
• YMCA membership authorized in six month increments for a total of 12 months contingent upon use (A MINIMUM OF 8 VISITS PER MONTH (PER FAMILY or FAMILY MEMBER)
• A copy of deployment orders and military ID card must be presented when applying for YMCA membership
• Active Duty Title 10 Only (Title 32 personnel not authorized due to funding restrictions)

Ready to Go?

Download the eligibility form and take it to your local participating YMCA

Community Based Warrior in Transition Unit (CBWTU)

CBWTU's are regional commands established throughout the country to provide command structure and support to military members who have been injured and have been sent home to complete rehabilitation and recovery.

The YMCA membership eligibility has been extended to include Wounded service members and their families (spouse/child only) assigned to a Community Based Warrior in Transition Unit (*see note). These memberships will be issued in six month increments for the duration of the contract as long as the Service member is assigned to a CBWTU.

Any Wounded service member with a current set of orders assigning them to a CBWTU will be eligible regardless of the length of time left on their orders (no six month minimum required). Renewal will be the same; as long as the service member has current orders assigning them to a CBWTU they will be able to renew their YMCA membership (they MUST meet the 8 visit minimum monthly requirement).

These members assigned to a CBWTU will also be eligible for Respite Child care at any approved, participating YMCA that offers child care services. Respite child care is available to children up to age 12 for 16 hours per month, per child.

*Note: CBWTU staff members are not eligible as most have access to free fitness at a nearby installation or on site. For those CBWTU commands that are at a remote site not near an installation or have no access to free fitness, the command can apply for IDP membership. .

 Registration

Download the eligibility form and take it to your local participating YMCA.