Swimming pools are difficult to avoid this time of year, especially if you’re under the age of 12. Birthday parties, summer camps and family vacations are just a few places where little ones will inevitably encounter the oversized bathtubs. If your kids aren’t experienced swimmers, make sure they are prepared for the pool this summer by enrolling them in swim lessons at one of our neighborhood swim schools.

Dolfin Swim School is a family-owned business that has been around for 40 years. The school teaches several swim levels, starting at “Baby Dolfin” for children ages 3 months-2.5 years. The school’s first priority is to teach water safety, beginning each level’s first class by teaching swimmers to “get back to the wall.” Classes are taught by Red Cross certified instructors at the indoor, heated pool of the Embassy Suites Dallas/Love Field Hotel.

Emler Swim School, going on its 36th year of teaching, uses what it calls “the industry’s most effective swim curriculum”, SwimScript. Continually updated with new techniques, the curriculum is applied to the school’s four programs (waterbabies, aquatots, beginners and swimmers) that consist of a total of 18 levels. The instructors are professionally trained in first aid and CPR and teach four different kinds of lessons: group, semi-private (two students taught by one instructor), private (one-on-one instruction) and on-demand (personalized schedule for busy families). Want to test the waters before registering? The school offers two free classes: “Bathtime Babies”, where parents are taught how to use bath time with their babies for socialization and bonding, and “Waterbaby Orientation”, designed to acclimate babies to the school’s facilities while educating parents about water safety and swim goals.

Infant Aquatics’ method is to teach “survival swimming” — the ability to float and breathe for an indefinite period of time, regardless of the water’s depth. Every instructor has more than 100 hours of in-water training and education in child development and behavior. Dallas Infant Aquatics instructor and ex-lifeguard Bev Steinfink has taught at the school since 1986. Steinfink has trained more than 20 swim instructors and is the author of a training manual.

The newly renovated indoor pool at the Bachman Lake Recreation Center follows the Red Cross Learn to Swim program, which progresses from complete beginner to swim team or lifeguard/swim instructor ability. The pool offers classes for all levels, starting at the “Parent-Child Aquatic Program” for children ages 6 months-2 years.

The pool at Walnut Hill Park provides training for children of all ages. Classes are taught by American Red Cross certified instructors and consist of eight lessons for each two-week session. Levels range from parent-child and preschool to adult, and classes are $30 for each two-week session.