‘Dive’ into fall fun!

Registration is now open for fall swim lessons and aquatic leadership programs 

Swimming isn’t just a summer activity – you can enjoy it all year long! Registration is now open for Vaughan residents looking for swim lessons and aquatic leadership programs at vaughan.perfectmind.com. Registration for non-residents opens on Tuesday, Aug. 26.

Programs start on Saturday, Sept. 20 at all Vaughan community centre pools. Vaughan’s fall swim courses include programs for:

• parents and tots
• preschoolers
• teens
• adults

Aquatic leadership programs

Aquatic leadership programs provide a fun and challenging progression of lifesaving training programs, which can lead to prestigious part-time jobs as a City swim instructor or lifeguard. Here are a few program highlights:

• Vaughan Lifesaving Club: a competitive sport program recently established by the Canadian Lifesaving Society.
• Three bronze medal awards (Bronze Star, Bronze Medallion and Bronze Cross): designed for swimmers between the ages of eight and 15 years old.
• First-aid certifications: focused on the practical ABCs of lifesaving.
• Lifesaving and swim instructor training: allows individuals to teach and evaluate the three swim patrol programs and the bronze medal award programs, among others.
• National lifeguard certification: the Canadian industry standard for working as a lifeguard.

Interested in becoming a swim instructor or lifeguard in Vaughan? Check out the City’s Aquatic Leadership brochure (PDF) which has a Leadership Progression Chart outlining the path to becoming a Vaughan swim instructor and lifeguard.

Special interest programs

Check out the City’s special interest programs this fall! Highlights include:

Fitness Swimmer: Beginner or Advanced (for ages eight to 13 years old)

• Based on training principles and practices, including interval training, sprints and distance swims, candidates will set their own goals, design workouts and learn to use pace clocks and timers to reach their target zone.

Optimal Diving (for ages seven to 18 years old)

• Dive Ontario’s Learn-to-Dive program is nationally recognized. Classes are taught by Canadian Amateur Diving Association-qualified instructors. This program teaches progressive skills, poise, confidence and safety. Prerequisite: participants must be comfortable in the deep end and able to tread water for one minute.

Vaughan Lifesaving Club: (for ages eight to 16 years old)

Vaughan Lifesaving Club: Masters (for ages 18 years old and above)

• Lifesaving Society coaches train swimmers in five individual lifesaving events (obstacle swim, tow with fins, lifesaving medley, throwing accuracy and object support) and two team events (obstacle relay and medley relay). Athletes participate in the National Junior Telegames and end the competition season at the Provincial Championships in June 2026. Prerequisite: Swimmer 4 or Teen/Adult 2 Swim.

Vaughan Lifesaving Sport (for ages eight to 16 years old)

• This program is comprised of five fundamental levels (an obstacle swim, tow with fins, lifesaving medley, throwing accuracy and object support), plus two team events (obstacle relay and medley relay). A friendly swim meet is held each session, and participants compete in the Junior Telegames competition as well as provincial championships in June 2026. Prerequisite: Teen/Adult Swim 2, or Swimmer 4.

Visit vaughan.ca/swim to browse swim lessons and aquatic leadership courses and head over to vaughan.perfectmind.com to register. 

The online registration system is available 24-7 and features enhanced search filters, allowing you to sort by level, location, date and time. If you require assistance creating an online PerfectMind account, call Service Vaughan at 905-832-2281, email rec@vaughan.ca or watch this short informational video. 

Fall recreation programs 

Registration for fall recreation programs opens at 7 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 21 for residents at vaughan.perfectmind.com. Registration for non-residents opens on Thursday, Aug. 28. Programming begins Saturday, Sept. 20 at all community centres, the City Playhouse Theatre and the Vaughan Studios & Event Space. Highlights include:

• Family (parent and child): toddler crafting, toddler playtime, toddler painting, toddler mindfulness, toddler dance, family ballroom and Latin dance (NEW!) fitness, sports and musical jam sessions, infant massage, cooking and baking, Zumba, bootcamp for new parents, Pilates for new parents, learn to skate, archery, badminton and learn to play tennis.
• Preschool: visual arts, arts and crafts, cooking and baking, fitness, mindfulness, karate, taekwondo, kinderdance, Vaughan Dance, performing arts, STEM (engineering, robotics, coding), learn to skate, learn to play hockey, Vaughan Sports and Vaughan Playschool fall programs (French, Italian, math, reading and writing, and science).
• Children: drawing, sketching, arts and crafts, multi-art (NEW!) painting, cooking and baking, French, Italian (NEW!), money smart, poetry, spelling, chess, circuit training, mindfulness, health counselling (NEW!), karate, taekwondo, Bollywood dance (NEW!), ballet, hip-hop, ukulele, guitar, piano, theatre, glee club, cartoon computer animation, game development, robotics, 3D modelling and printing, artificial intelligence and machine learning, STEM (engineering, circuit design, coding), web development, hockey, skating, archery, ball hockey, basketball, soccer, volleyball, baseball, gymnastics, multi-sport, pickleball, squash, tennis and table tennis.
• Youth: cooking and baking, money smart, email etiquette, public speaking, resume building and interview skills, fitness, taekwondo, guitar, theatre, skating, archery, basketball, badminton and computer programming.
• Adult (ages 18 years and older): painting, watercolour, Zumba, qigong, tai chi, high intensity interval training (HIIT), SpinFit (NEW!), group personal training, Queenax, weight and muscle training, Pilates, yoga, movement for desk workers (NEW!), back health (NEW!), social connections (NEW!), ballroom dancing, belly dancing, Bollywood dancing, Cuban rumba (NEW!), jazz (NEW!), hip-hop fusion (NEW!), Latin dancing, line dancing, styling for dancers (NEW!), guitar, theatre, skating, archery, multi-sport, racquet sports (badminton, pickleball, tennis), volleyball sports league and ice hockey sports league.
• Older Adult: Zumba Gold, DanceFIT, ArthritisFIT, ChairFIT, OsteoFIT, SeniorFIT, SpinFIT, qigong, tai chi, muscle conditioning, yoga, chair yoga, Pilates, social connections (NEW!), line dancing, smartphone basics (NEW!) and pickleball.
• Inclusion: cooking and baking, life skills and social development, social club, math (private), reading and writing (private), music (private), skating, baseball (NEW!), wheelchair basketball (NEW!), gymnastics, multi-sports, and the Vaughan Enriched Day Program (vocational skills, social games, swimming and fitness centre access).
• Special events and workshops (holiday celebrations): Paint Your Own Pottery, Hand-poured Candle Décor (NEW!), Halloween ‘Screams in a Box’ Film Making, Halloween Happenings, Deck the Gingerbread House, Santa Claus is Coming to Town and Seasonal Sweets.
• Special events and workshops (life skills and social development): Home Alone, Dinosaur Dig, Princess Party, DIY Winter Wreath and Fall Fun (arts and crafts).

View the full list of programs in the Fall Recreation eGuide at vaughan.ca/recreation.

About RecAssist
RecAssist is the City of Vaughan’s fee assistance program, designed to ensure residents of all incomes can participate in active-living opportunities and experiences. Qualified recipients receive financial support to participate in a wide range of recreation programs at community centres and other City facilities across Vaughan. For information about making a donation or applying for RecAssist, visit vaughan.ca/RecAssist, email rec@vaughan.ca or call 905-832‑2281.

To learn more about Recreation Services and stay informed about new programs and special promotions, sign up for the Recreation Services eNewsletter and follow the official channels on Facebook and Instagram.

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