Ski lessons might be in the forecast, even if snow isn’t. Youth ski and snowboard programs and indoor childcare programs are accommodating lots of locals and out-of-towners this winter. Deer Valley Resort started its children’s program when the resort opened in 1981, according to Deer Valley Resort Children’s Program Manager Mya Frantti, who said she’s been at the resort for 17 years and has watched the program grow.

“I’ve seen so many kids grow up here and a lot of siblings come through the system,” she said, adding that the indoor and outdoor children’s programs were expected to accommodate more than 1,000 children a day the week between Christmas and New Year’s.

The childcare center is licensed to accommodate up to 142 children, with just more than 500 ski school services and childcare employees combined, Frantti said, adding that when the program started in the 1980s it accommodated about 40 to 50 children with a smaller staff.

Deer Valley Resort

Deer Valley Resort offers indoor childcare programs for infants and toddlers starting at two months, along with several learn-to-ski programs starting at age three in the Fawn Program. The program includes a one hour one-on-one ski lesson with an instructor, with the remainder of the day spent doing indoor projects and activities. Frantti said they started the Fawn program because so many parents requested the ski lessons.

Children ages four and older can enroll in Bambi Club, which offers indoor activities and a ski lesson with an instructor and one other Bambi student. Frantti said at the end of each day, the child receives a progress card from the ski instructor to help the student make improvements.

Reindeer Club offers a day of group lessons for five- and six-year-olds and is open to all-ability skiers. Frantti said each morning the ski instructors talk with students about chairlift safety in Reindeer Club and Adventure Club for seven- to 12-year-olds.

“Safety is our No. 1 goal. That’s something we have to be on top of every day,” she said.

Local children can enroll in Deer Valley Academy, which is offered Monday through Friday and helps children ages two and older socialize at a young age. The program follows a curriculum and also teaches children about movement and music. Older students also take field trips to the Park City Library for story time.

“The thing that sets us apart is that the four- and five-year-olds get a ski lesson once a week,” she said, adding that the biggest benefit for infants and younger children is socialization. The resort also recently established a playground adjacent to the childcare facilities.

“The outdoor playground was the biggest challenge in the children’s programs. Now we have something permanent and year-round,” Frantti said. “Another challenge is keeping up with the regulations the state requires us to have. We’re already planning for next year.”

Canyons Resort

Designed for Utah and Wyoming residents, Canyons Resort offers a locals program for children ages two and older. Canyons Resort Director of Skier Services Barry Stout, said the ski instructors help guide local children through the program each year.

“We have high quality instructors and the kids love them. They go home and tell their parents about how much fun their day was and that’s what gets them to come back,” he said. “And the Canyons is a great playground.”

Canyons Local Team Youth Program is for skiers and snowboarders ages four to 14.

Students ages four through six are grouped with two other students and an instructor, and students seven and older are grouped with four other students and an instructor, according to Stout. The unique aspect of the locals program is that parents can buy a package of four lessons and schedule their child’s lessons on any Saturday or Sunday during the season.

“It allows parents to buy four lessons and then they can pick and choose their lessons based on their schedule. So you don’t miss a session because a child is sick or on vacation,” he said. “It gives the parents a lot of flexibility and allows the student to move around in their ability level if they become more competent as the session progresses.”

This is the second year Canyons will offer a program for six- to 14-year-olds called Canyons Mountain Team. Intended for intermediate skiers and snowboarders, the program is held for five consecutive Saturdays with the first session beginning on Jan. 7.

“You are with the same instructor and group of students for those five Saturdays. We’re going to ski and snowboard into the woods, the terrain park, maybe some bumps. We’re going to go all over the mountain,” Stout said, adding that the locals’ program has grown to several hundred students a week since he started working there during the 1999-2000 season.

Park City Mountain Resort

Park City Mountain Resort offers several weekend programs for local kids during the season. Programs range for children ages three and a half to 15. Several Saturday programs are now full for the 2011-2012 season for children under 6, according to Park City Mountain Resort Skier Services Assistant Sue Clifford, who said these programs have been full for several weeks.

Youth programs still open for enrollment include PC Ride for snowboarders ages seven to 10 and PC Freestyle for snowboarders ages 12 to 15. Clifford said she’s worked at the resort for 24 years and has seen the youth programs expand. There are about 450 ski and snowboard instructors employed at the resort this year.

“There are a lot of siblings that come through the program and they either move on to the Park City Ski Team or go to freestyle. It’s a popular program and the quality of instructors helps as well,” she said. “Another thing that is cool is that we have some employees who are instructors that have gone through the (youth) program itself.”

Snowboarders are required to be able to link their turns before enrolling in the PC Ride program, according to Clifford, who said a “linked turn” means the snowboarder can complete a front side and backside turn. Each group lesson consists of six students and one instructor and includes lessons on all-mountain terrain. She said students are evaluated on their skill level on the first day.

PC Ride and PC Freestyle programs are held on Saturdays for 10 weeks. Both programs begin on Saturday, Jan. 7, and the deadline to register is Friday, Jan. 6. Clifford said the program is for locals, but sometimes the resort gets second-homeowners visiting on the weekends during the season.

Snowboarders interested in the PC Freestyle program have to be strong snowboarders, Clifford said, adding that lessons will be taught across the mountain and in the terrain park.

“We go over the responsibility code with all the students,” she said. “There are seven different codes. For example, looking up hill before you move to another run or where to stop and not stop on a run.”

For more information or to check availability at Park City Mountain Resort, visit www.parkcitymountain.com/winter . For more information about Deer Valley ski lessons or childcare programs visit www.deervalley.com . For more information regarding Canyons Resort youth programs visit www.canyonsresort.com .