Behind the Scenes at Ramah Boston: Swimming

(This was sent by email to enrolled families on 5/27/26)

If there is one thing we hear from parents more than almost anything else when they’re deciding whether to send their child to Ramah Boston, it’s this: “Tell me about your swim program.” Swimming is one of the primary reasons families choose us — and we take that trust seriously.

Two summers ago, we made the decision to stop running a “good enough” swim program and build something exceptional. We piloted the SwimRight Method last summer, refined our approach, and came back stronger. We’re proud to say that this year, other camps in our area are following our lead and bringing SwimRight to their programs too. We were first — and we did the hard work of figuring out how to do it right.

Meet SwimRight — and the Man Behind It

Our swim program runs on the SwimRight Method, a curriculum developed by Lenny Krayzelburg — four-time Olympic gold medalist and one of the greatest swimmers in American history. Over more than 20 years, Lenny developed a structured, safety-first approach to teaching kids to swim that has now reached more than 45,000 children worldwide.

We were thrilled to bring this program to Ramah Boston, and even more thrilled that Lenny wanted to share a personal message with our families. Take a moment to hear from him directly:

Most swim programs teach strokes first. SwimRight teaches survival first.

Before your child learns freestyle or backstroke, they learn to back float — the single most important skill in the water. It keeps them calm, breathing, and in control if they ever fall into water unexpectedly. A panicked child won’t have the coordination or composure to swim a stroke — but a child who knows how to float on their back has a fighting chance.

From that foundation, every skill builds deliberately on the one before it. SwimRight uses nine clearly defined levels — from Splashers (brand new to the water) all the way through Flyers (all four competitive strokes) — compared to the five or six levels most programs use. More levels means kids experience real, visible progress more often, which keeps them motivated and builds genuine confidence.

How Placement Works

On the first day, every camper is evaluated by one of our instructors. The process is quick, friendly, and designed to feel comfortable — not like a test. Based on what your child can demonstrate that day, they are placed in the level that matches their current ability.

A few things worth knowing:

• Your child may place differently than you expect. SwimRight’s standards are more specific than many other programs, so a child who was at a certain level elsewhere may land differently here. That’s not a setback — it’s precision.
• It’s completely normal to start lower than last summer. Most kids don’t swim regularly between summers, and skills naturally fade with time away from the water. With consistent practice, kids typically move up quickly once those foundational skills come back.
• Kids move up when they’re truly ready — not based on age, time, or who their instructor is. Every level has clear, specific skills that must be mastered before advancing.

Tracking Progress: The Swimstr App

You don’t have to wonder how your child is doing in the water. SwimRight uses the Swimstr app, which lets you see exactly which skills your child is working on and which they’ve mastered. Our instructors aim to update it daily — we recommend checking it once a week for the clearest picture of your child’s progress.

Our Instructors

Every SwimRight instructor goes through a standardized training and certification process — covering the full curriculum, drill progressions, and teaching standards — before they ever work with campers. Regardless of which instructor your child works with, they’re receiving lessons from the same proven, consistent framework.

And if your child is nervous or anxious in the water? Our instructors are specifically trained to handle that with patience. We start where your child is comfortable. There is no pushing, no dunking, no forcing. Most fearful kids gain real confidence within just a few sessions when the experience feels safe and supportive.

We want to be honest with you: a few weeks of camp won’t turn a beginner into a confident swimmer overnight. Swimming is a skill, and like any skill, it takes time and repetition to truly learn. What we can promise is that every single day your child is in the water, they are building real skills the right way — with safety as the foundation and confidence as the goal.