Our Mission

Charles River Aquatics is committed to helping children develop life skills through swim lessons. Our objective is to provide an atmosphere conducive to development and personal growth for individuals of all ages. We teach water safety, foster sportsmanship and fair play and demand respect for others in the class and in the larger community, while instilling in our participants a love for the sport.

Teaching Philosophy

Charles River Aquatics is designed to introduce children (ages 3 and up), to the thrill of learning how to swim efficiently and promoting a healthy lifestyle through aquatic activities.

Charles River Aquatics differs from other lesson programs because we are dedicated solely to the teaching of swimming through proper technique. Swimming is a sport to be enjoyed for life and proper technique

reduces the risk of injury,
increases water safety, and
creates a competitive advantage to those interested in racing.

Our instructors are thoroughly trained in our philosophy and techniques, and our Aquatics Consultant, Harvard Women’s Swim Coach Stephanie Morawski, keeps the program up to date on the latest technologies and stroke teachings. Charles River Aquatics is truly one of a kind!

To meet Charles River Aquatics' staff, click here.

Teaching style at Charles River Aquatics:

We start by getting to know each other and gaining your children’s confidence in us and our instruction. We teach your children to trust the water and help them conquer any fears they may have.

Skill progression is the best way to teach swimming. Each of the six levels build upon the skills learned in the previous level, and we use repetition in our classes to reinforce the skill set acquired previously. Unlike many programs, improvement is not charted by having swimmers simply cross the pool in any fashion; instead, our goal is to form good habits that will lead to both short term and long term success in the pool.

Each level is associated with a color, and the goals of each level are designed to motivate the student. Upon completion of a session, the swimmer will receive a Charles River Aquatics' report card completed by the instructor. This lists all the skills covered and which ones were completed. Once a child can satisfactorily complete all of the skills listed in the level then she/he is offered a ribbon in the color of that level. If a swimmer does not complete all of the skills, which is quite common, a participant ribbon will be given. We hope the swimmer will focus on the feedback provided on the report card by the instructor and improve on those skills in the next session so she/he will progress to the next level. Each goal gives the student the opportunity to achieve success. From these successes come self-esteem based on the student's own accomplishments.

Establishing the correct body position and kick are essential in teaching the progression of proper swimming technique. Our instructors will work with the students on balance, buoyancy, correct head position and proper kick BEFORE we add in the arms. Our goal is to instill good habits from the beginning. With our progression, swimmers acquire skills for proper technique instead of merely surviving for short periods of time in the water.

We want your child swimming with his/her face in the water. While we teach safety techniques in floating and treading water, we do not encourage "dog paddle". Holding one’s head out of the water is inefficient, tiring and, therefore, unsafe for prolonged swimming. An exhausted swimmer is a dangerous swimmer.

Only instructional flotation devices such as barbells, noodles, and kickboards are used during instruction. We want your child to become comfortable in the water and know his or her own limitations.

Have additional questions? Visit our FAQ page.

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