MIDDLETOWN, N.Y. – With funding provided by New York State Governor Kathy Hochul as part of her statewide New York Swims initiative, SUNY Orange will be offering community learn-to-swim classes for the first time since the pandemic, and will also provide additional certification courses this Fall.

The College will use the $65,000 it received to begin running three American Red Cross certified courses--including water safety instructor training, lifeguard training and learn-to-swim--at its pool in the Physical Education Center on the Middletown campus. Fees for the courses are $50 for the learn-to-swim, $100 for the lifeguard training and $150 for the water safety instructor training.

The state funding is allowing the College to greatly reduce the rate it is charging students for the courses. The grant also covers the costs of swim supplies (manikins, diving bricks, rescue boards, life jackets, fitness boards, spine boards, backfloats, swim belts, foam noodles and more), allowing SUNY Orange to offer these programs for the first time since the onset of the COVID pandemic. Additionally, the College is hopeful that the tremendous affordability of these courses will help address the dire need for lifeguards and swim classes in order to enhance water safety in the community.

Students who successfully complete the certification courses will also be given preferential placement as the College needs to hire both lifeguards and swim instructors to run additional learn-to-swim courses in the future.

The lifeguard training course’s pre-assessment is scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25, with class sessions planned for Friday, Sept. 27 (4 to 9 p.m.); Saturday, Sept. 28 (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and Sunday, Sept. 29 (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Participants must be at least 15 years old of age on or before the final scheduled session. They must also pass the prerequisite swimming skill evaluations by completing a swim-tread-swim sequence without stopping to rest.

A water safety instructor training course will begin on Oct. 4, with a pre-assessment scheduled for Sept. 28 from 1 to 3:30 p.m. The five-session course will hold classes on Friday, Oct. 4 (4 to 9 p.m.); Saturday, Oct. 5 (8 a.m. to 1 p.m.); Sunday, Oct. 6 (Noon to 5 p.m.); Friday, Oct. 18 (4 to 9 p.m.) and Saturday, Oct. 19 (8 a.m. to Noon). Cost is $150. Students must be Level 4 certified; be at least 16 years of age on or before the last scheduled session; be able to swim 25 yards freestyle, backstroke, front & back crawl and breaststroke; and swim 15 yards butterfly.

Learn-to-swim courses will run from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on the following Saturdays: Oct. 26; Nov. 2, 9, 16 and 23; and Dec. 7, 14 and 21.

For more information, contact Dr. Sheila Stepp, chair of the SUNY Orange Movement Sciences Department, at Sheila.stepp@sunyorange.edu or (845) 341-4242.