Our Mission

The mission of Central Adult Learn-to-Swim, Inc. is to teach Louisville-area adults to swim for free. Located in West Louisville at Central High School, we are the sole provider of barrier-free access to adult swim lessons and aquatic fitness programming. We believe every adult should at a minimum know how to be safe and comfortable in the water and at a maximum learn to swim and utilize swimming as a lifetime fitness activity.

In April 2018, we recognized a complete absence of equitable, no-cost swimming opportunities for adults and received a grant from the Swimming Saves Lives Foundation (SSLF) to start our program. We have taught over 500 adults to swim and feel safe around the water and have over 2,000 people on a waiting list.

In April 2019, 144 people fatally drowned in the United States: 93 were adults (USA Swimming Foundation). That same month, our nonprofit taught 70 adults to swim, free of charge.

When an adult doesn’t know how to swim, children in their household have a 19 percent chance of learning themselves. Our program has far-reaching benefits: when we create safe swimming for adults, we create safe swimming for children. 

Despite our success, graduates still lack access to aquatic facilities. In West Louisville, there are no public options without membership. We offer weekly practice opportunities, continued education, and Aqua Zumba. Our programming ensures year-round access and opportunities for this community of swimmers.