Registration Procedures

Swim lesson registration will now be accepted by mail, walk-in, fax, phone or online to best accommodate varying schedules of our users.

Registration is now open for both residents and nonresidents and will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis by all the methods listed above. You may assume your enrollment is verified if you do not hear from the Park District. We will contact you only if we cannot accommodate your request or the class does not meet minimum enrollment.

Sea Lion Aquatic Park's specially trained swim instructors teach many levels of classes that will build your child's confidence as well as his/her swimming skills.

General Swim Lessons are available to children and adults ages 5 & up, and Tot Swim Lessons and Parent Tot Water Orientation provide instruction to children 5 & under. Students will be placed in a level that best suits their swimming ability on the first day of class and then proceed to more advanced classes as skills are completed.

For a more personal experience, we also offer private and semi-private swim lessons. Please refer to the Swim Lesson Level Descriptions and program descriptions for more information.

All participants should meet in the concession area for a brief orientation to the program. The first day of swim lessons is very busy with mandatory water testing to insure that the proper level of instruction is provided for each participant. We appreciate your patience with this process. We ask that you come with a clear idea of which level you would like your student to be tested. Below you will find descriptions of the various levels offered at Sea Lion Aquatic Park. Please use these to guide your choice in testing level. If there are any questions please see the Swim Lesson Coordinator.

The descriptions of the 2016 swim lesson levels can be found below. Please take note that the level names have been changed since last summer; however, the order of skill progression has remained the same.

Level 1 - Water Exploration

Orientation to an aquatic environment, supported floating and kicking on front and back, alternating arm action, and basic water safety rules.

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Level 2 - Primary Skills

Concentration on exploring deep water, front and back glides (unsupported), and safety practices. Additional focus on back crawl (at least 5 yards), as well as the ability for the child to turn over front to back and back to front.

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Level 3 - Stroke Readiness

Increase swimming skill competency with a goal to swim a short distance without breaks, fundamentals of elementary backstroke, exploring deep water, introduction of dives from the side of the pool, and treading water with secondary focus on practicing safety and rescue skills.

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Level 4 - Stroke Development

Develop confidence and competency in strokes beyond preceding levels with a goal to swim 25 yards without breaks. Introduction of breaststroke and sidestroke, deep-water bobbing, diving from the side of pool from stride and standing positions, and turns at the wall.

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Level 5 - Stroke Refinement

Continue refinement of front crawl, back crawl, elementary backstroke, breaststroke and sidestroke. Introduction of butterfly and surface dives, alternate breathing, swimming under water, and open turns on front and back. Swimming distance is further increased from Level 4.

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Level 6 - Skill Proficiency

Develop maximum efficiency and endurance for strokes, flip turns, tuck and pike surface dives, alternative kicks for treading water, as well as introduction to approach stroke and throwing rescues. Swimmers should be ready for competitive swimming after the completion of this level.

Sea Lion Aquatic Park Swim lessons are determined based on the impact Lisle’s weather has on the safety of our students and instructors. Cancellations will be made if thunder or lightening is spotted in the area, and under certain circumstances for rain in the area. Rain based cancellations are based on lifeguards’ ability to perform their job.

Please call the Daily Pool Update (630-964-3410 ext. 2, 2,2) 30 minutes prior to your lesson time for more information on cancellations for the day. 

Sea Lion Aquatic Park Swim lessons are determined based on the impact Lisle’s weather has on the safety of our students and instructors. Cancellations may be made if the weather is below 68 degrees according to the National Weather Service. We understand that the weather may feel cold at or slightly below 68 degrees, but we will still attempt to hold lessons. Refunds will not be given if lessons are being held but you choose not to send your child due to weather related issues. In the event that the temperature falls too low and you are wondering if we will be holding lessons, I encourage you to call the Daily Pool Update: 630-964-3410, ext. 2, 2, 2. This information will be updated each morning as well as throughout the morning if there are any changes to the original update.

For information on lesson cancellations, please call the Daily Pool Update (630-964-3410 ext. 2, 2,2). If you have any additional questions, please contact one of the Swim Lesson Coordinators. Their contact information is below.

Laura Cavazos
Phone: 630-353-4308
Email: lcavazos@lisleparkdistrict.org

We love parents, but...With your child's best interest in mind, parents, guardians, and siblings of participants are asked to remain in any of the facility's grass areas located near the concession stand, behind the adult deck or up on the sun hill next to the splash pad during instruction.

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The sand play area is open daily during swim lessons for use by swim lesson parents and their other children not enrolled in lessons. Please note, all participants must exit the park before open swim begins.

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The tot pool and other park pools are not open during swim lessons.

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Completing a session of swim lessons does not insure passing that level automatically. There are standard requirements set for each level that must be completed. If a participant is not successful in passing he/she will be required to remain in that level until all requirements have been met. It is very common for a student to take a level for more than one session especially if that level was completed the previous summer. Levels 2, 3, and 5 are particularly challenging.