New YMCA swim program at Taylor Elementary concludes with a splash

NEW BEDFORD — When second grader Nyla Walker first heard that she would be taking swim lessons at the New Bedford YMCA with her classmates, her feelings were mixed.

“I was excited, but also nervous, because I don’t know how to swim all the way,” Nyla said.

Nyla said she learned to swim in the deep end during an eight-week pilot program at the Y, and, like some of her fellow students, enjoyed jumping off the block. 

From April 10 to June 12, the YMCA conducted swim lessons with second graders at William Taylor Elementary during their school day. Funded by New Bedford Public Schools, 36 second graders took the bus to the Y, where they spent an hour in the water — 30 minutes in swim lessons taught by instructors, and then 30 minutes of free swim. 

“Confidence is how we will always measure success in swimming,” said Tara Pacheco, executive director at the YMCA, adding that understanding water safety and basic rules is another measure of success for students.

Pacheco hopes to teach every child in New Bedford how to swim. She said she wants to expand the school partnership so that every second grader can learn basic water safety and reduce their risk of drowning.

In addition to the pilot program with Taylor Elementary, Pacheco said that typically 450 to 500 children of all ages participate in each cycle of eight-week evening swim sessions throughout the year. But the pool isn’t crowded during the day, which is an opportunity for more students.

“If we can keep offering swim lessons during the school day for kids in school, that would help us be able to fulfill our mission of teaching every kid to swim,” Pacheco said. 

Pacheco said she also noticed that students were “more apt to rise to the occasion” since they were learning alongside friends and peers they were already familiar with.

Principal Rafaela DeFigueiredo Spence said first graders also participated in two sessions and third graders participated in one session to maximize the opportunity for as many students as possible. Each student received a certificate and a $20 voucher for swim lessons at the Y. 

The program concluded with a showcase open to parents on June 25, where students demonstrated the skills they learned. Some staff members, including DeFigueiredo Spence, got in the water with their students. 

“I like having time to learn how to swim more and have time to play with my friends,” said Macy Roy, another student. She said she feels more confident in her swimming abilities after completing the lessons. 

“Now that I can swim better, I can do more things in the water,” Macy said, adding: “One thing I learned is how to stay up in the water without holding the wall.”

Laiba Rahmany, another Taylor student, said she learned how to float on her back, which was one of her favorite things to do in addition to jumping off the block.

DeFigueiredo Spence said that many students were apprehensive about getting in the water at first, saying there was some fear and “a couple of tears.” She was able to attend six of eight sessions and the showcase, and said she saw significant improvement throughout the duration of the program.

“There was huge, huge progress made in those eight weeks, not just skill wise, but in confidence,” DeFigueiredo Spence said in a phone interview.

Sara White, aquatics director at the YMCA, said the majority of second graders wore life jackets on their first day of lessons, and by the end more than half didn’t need to wear them during their free swim time. Life jackets are worn by children until they are able to swim across the shallow end and roll over on their back to take a breath.

In collaboration with Sen. Mark Montigny’s children’s fund, the Y provided every student at the Parker School, a preschool center in New Bedford, with “puddle jumper” floaties. Instructors also visited all 21 classrooms at the school to give lectures on water safety during May, National Water Safety Month. 

“Every child in Greater New Bedford who wants to swim will be afforded the opportunity to do so,” Montigny said in a written statement provided by his legislative director, Audra Riding. “I am determined to ensure that every child in my legislative district has full access to enriching opportunities like swimming, sailing, music, art, sports, and recreation.”

On June 27, families at Parker were invited to bring their children and participate in a free swim session. About 35 students and their families attended, said Pacheco, of Parker’s roughly 270 students. 

“Ideally we’d love to get 100% of our kids and families here in the future,” said Ellyn Gallant-Bland, Parker’s principal. “For our first event, I think that went really, really well.”

From 2017 to 2019, the YMCA collaborated with the Alfred J. Gomes Elementary School to provide swim lessons during the school day for third graders.

“The earlier you can expose children to water safety, the better,” said Gallant-Bland, who previously facilitated the swim program at Gomes when she was principal there. 

DeFigueiredo Spence, the Taylor principal, said she believes students of all ages should learn to swim, but that for lessons during the school day, second grade is the right age range because they are more independent, can dress themselves and follow multi-step directions. 

DeFigueiredo Spence said she hopes to continue the program with next year’s second graders.

Najeba Rahmany, Laiba’s mother, said that her younger daughter is starting kindergarten this year at Taylor Elementary.

“She keeps telling me, ‘Am I going to have swimming class?’” she said.

Email Kiva Bank at kbank@newbedfordlight.org