Starting after the first of the year, you can have your child get involved in a couple of unique swim programs at the Door County YMCA. The new parent/child adaptive swim lessons are designed for children three to 12 years old with special needs and help parents and their children learn water safety skills. Competitive Swimming Director Mike McHugh says the program has parents in the water working with their children while the instructor teaches the skills.

The 45-minute parent/child adaptive swim lessons are scheduled for Saturday mornings at 9:00 o'clock from January 4 through February 15.  

McHugh says another activity in the pool this winter at the Door County YMCA is the Wisconsin River Swim Challenge.  The 15-week challenge is for beginners or advanced swimmers at least nine years old.  They swim lengths of the pool that equate to six miles or 12 miles, respectively, after completing the challenge.  He says the participants swim through the pool using fins, kickboards, snorkels, aqua jogging or just regular swimming.  Each swimmer will track their miles poolside starting January 2 and receive a free t-shirt when turning in their map by April 24. 

You can find more information on the parent/child adaptive swim lessons and the Wisconsin River Swim Challenge at the Door County YMCA website.