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Throughout central and eastern Maine, YMCAs and YWCAs will provide many quality recreational and educational programs for children starting this September.

According to Sandy Welsh, the administrative assistant at the Piscataquis Regional YMCA in Dover-Foxcroft, weekly swimming lessons will start Sept. 10. The lessons, which will see participants divided into different skill levels, will begin at 3:30 p.m. five days a week.

Some YMCA programs, including floor hockey and gymnastics, will take place at Central Hall, while Little Stars Soccer (children ages 5 to second grade) and Elementary Youth Soccer (grades 3 to 6) will play on Saturdays at a school field.

A Tot Gym Program for children ages 3 to 5 will meet weekly at the YMCA.

From September through the end of October, children in grades 3 to 5 can play flag football twice a week in a league that will meet at the fairgrounds.

The Youth Basketball Association for grades 3 to 6 will start playing in November. Teams from this association will play against teams from Charleston, Guilford, and Monson. Little Bitty Basketball for children in kindergarten to second grade will be held Saturdays starting in November.

Welsh said that the YMCA would offer dance classes for ages 4 through high school. These classes, which will meet Fridays at the YMCA, will be supported by the River City Dance Co. from Bangor.

Terri Riggio, the administrative assistant at the Camden Area YMCA, said that swimming lessons for participants “six-months-old right up to adults” would begin Tuesday, Sept. 4.

As with the swimming lessons offered in Dover-Foxcroft, those offered in Camden will see participants placed in classes according to skill levels. The lessons will take place twice a week after school or on Saturdays and will run in eight-week cycles.

Camden-area children can participate in an after-school gymnastics program once or twice a week, Riggio said. “School’s Out,” an after-school child-care program for children in grades 1 to 5, starts each day “as soon as the kids get here around 3:15 and runs until 5:30,” according to Riggio.

Students ages 11 to 15 can use the weight room at the YMCA, Riggio said.

At the Down East YMCA in Ellsworth, Program Director Elizabeth Tracy looks forward to the organization’s first autumn in its new building.

The YMCA has established an after-school program for children ages 6 to 12. Running from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 Monday through Friday, this program will see the children using the YMCA’s pool and gymnasium.

Throughout the fall, the YMCA will routinely offer swimming lessons, a teen swim, and a youth open swim at its pool.

Tracy said that certified instructors would provide lessons for beginners through advanced swimmers. The teen swim is limited to children ages 13 to 17.

Youth gymnastics will be offered to children ages 3 to 13. The YMCA will sponsor a fall soccer program and, from time to time, will serve as the site for teen dances. After-school sports for children ages 9 to 17 will include volleyball, badminton, and basketball, and a teen open gym will feature tennis, ping pong, basketball, volleyball, and floor hockey.

The teen open gym will be open for young people ages 13 to 17.

“We’re excited about the programs we’re offering this year,” Tracy said. “We’ve offered many programs in the past, but we never had a building of our own. It will make a big difference.”

Robin Gorsline from the Bangor-Brewer YMCA said that a child-care program called “Before and After-School Adventures” would be available for children ages 6 to 13. Participants can be transported from their schools to the YMCA by 3:30 p.m. to enjoy each day’s particular theme and to learn social skills and decision-making skills.

According to Gorsline,”Before and After-School Adventures” switches to a full-day format when schools are closed during school vacations, storm days, and teacher workshops.

The YMCA will sponsor various family-based programs, including volleyball marathons, pool tournaments, and story-telling contests.

Beginning Tuesday, Sept. 4, children in kindergarten through grade 5 can register for a soccer program that will start Sept. 22 and run until Nov. 3. Participants will play soccer at the YMCA’s Sports and Fitness Center at 67 Taft St. (Bangor International Airport).

Youth basketball will start in December and run through February 1991.

Starting in September, swimming lessons for “ages 6 months and on up will be available here at the Y,” Gorsline said. He pointed out that school-age children would take lessons during the week after school. Some children will join the YMCA’s synchronized swim team or competitive swim team.

Children ages 11 to 14 can use the YMCA’s weight room after being trained how to properly use the equipment. Those children who plan to lift weights or use other equipment must be accompanied by an adult, Gorsline said.

At the Bangor-Brewer YMCA, Administrative Assistant Susan Hall said that “we have a full calendar of events for the fall.”

The Y-Works Before & After School Program, which will start Sept. 4, runs from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily. Participants are taken to and from school and enjoy such activities as field trips, swimming, arts and crafts, and cooking.

For the aspiring young dancers in the family, the YWCA will offer a pre-ballet program for children ages 5 and 6, youth jazz dance for children ages 7 to 10, and dance performance for children ages 9 to 12. Karate lessons will be available for three experience levels, including beginner.

At the YWCA’s gymnasium, children ages 6 to 12 can participate in youth instructional basketball and two skill levels in gymnastics. The YWCA will sponsor Y-Teen Clubs for girls in grades 6 to 8.

With two pools under one roof, the Bangor-Brewer YWCA features swimming lessons for all levels. Any child aged 6 or older can take Red Cross swim classes. The YWCA offers a children’s swim from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The children’s swim runs from Sept. 10. to Nov. 3.

Besides providing programs for young people, The YWCA has added an aerobics class for teachers. The class will be held each Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. , starting as a beginner and then graduating to advanced beginner, intermediate, and finally swimmer.