Palm Desert Aquatic Center offers swim lessons and financial aid for families

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ)- As temperatures rise across the Coachella Valley, more families are heading to pools, lakes, and beaches.

At the Palm Desert Aquatic Center, swim lessons begin as early as just six months old and continue all the way through teen years.

Palm Desert Aquatic Center offers financial assistance options, including YMCA based aid and county-funded grant programs through First 5 Riverside County for qualifying families.

David Keyes, the manager of the Palm Desert Aquatic Center said "when it comes to swim lessons, swim lessons end up being a life skill that you're teaching a child, and they carry that lesson for the rest of their life."

Alani Navarro, the aquatics coordinator said "since we've started our first five program last summer, our enrollment has skyrocketed.. double of what we had in previous summers, especially those under five years old. "

Instructors say the goal is not just the technique, but the confidence in the water.

Navarro talked about a specific instance with confidence, "He would, you know, run out of the pool every single time, start crying to his parents. After like a week of trying and trying, he finally got in the pool and he loved his instructor" said Navarro.