Oakland YMCA
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Oakland YMCA
Sept 2002
I am seriously thinking about joining the Oakland YMCA. My main
reason is to get my 2.5-year-old into swim classes, which I
enjoyed as a child and I think he'll enjoy them. At a tour on
Friday, 9/13, though, I found the Oakland Y had even more to
offer than I had thought. Plus, they're having a special where,
if you join by 10/31, you get a huge list of discounts & free
things.
If you're a current member, what do you think of the Oakland Y?
The childcare situation seems good. Any feedback on that,
esp. for a toddler? What about the Friday 'family nights'? Anyone
considering joining soon?
Also, I'd love a workout partner or just a friendly face, someone
to know as I visit the Y.
Thanks!
Jennie
Hi,
We have been members of the Oakland Y since our son (now 22
months) was 3 months old. It's not glamorous, but I like the
Y, and work out there about twice a week. Our son likes the
childcare (usually two adult women work in the mornings and
some afternoons and more teenage types work most afternoons and
Saturdays), especially ''Pin'' who works weekday mornings. The
childcare is never too crowded.
My husband has been taking our son to the Y swim classes on
Sat. mornings for 16 months. ''Water appreciation'' is a more
apt name for what they do in class, but our son loves the water
and has had a lot of success on vacations in pools and in the
ocean, so we credit the swim classes for that.
The Y has some good aerobic and Pilates classes and
a ''kindergym'' on Saturday mornings for toddlers (basically,
it's one of the raquetball rooms outfitted with padded
equipment and slides for crawling and tumbling).
I think it's a good value and our son enjoys it too!
Laura
My husband has been a member of the Oakland Y for a couple of
years. Automatically, our kids are members too. Though I am
not a member, I take the kids there. Our whole family enjoys
the Y very much. The children's classes are very good. The
facility is comparable to a high end private club. They have
special programs throughout the year, too. The Friday family
nights are fun, especially if you have friends who are also
members. The childcare is a good value and they have Saturday
morning programs for school age children. I highly recommend it.
Naomi
Hi,
We belong to the downtown Oakland YMCA (Broadway and Grand).
The family membership is about $100 and the initiation fee is
reasonable, I think. If you're a Kaiser member (which I am),
it's really cheap--$35, I think.
They have a moderately sized weight room with free weights and
machines--I used to belong to Club One in City Center, and the
Club One facilities are a lot better, but it was getting to be
too expensive.
The Y has daycare ($1/hour, or something like that) that is
quite good, and spinning classes (can't vouch for them).
Good luck!
Michael
Oct 2006
The messages on this topic on the website aren't recent. I wanted to find out from
parents of infants who are using the Oakland YMCA childwatch and/or the Berkeley
YMCA childwatch what their experience has been. I have a 4 month old and have been
thinking about joining.
What have you liked/disliked? In particular, how have you seen staff respond to babies
who are crying or experiencing separation anxiety? Can someone explain the role of
volunteers in the childwatch and whether that's at both Oakland and Berkeley.
Thanks in advance
Julie
We are members of the OAKLAND YMCA and love it there, so we thought for sure
we'd leave our baby there while we exercised. But, after watching the women
who ''take care'' of the babies/children in their child care center, I was not
happy about the level of attention being given. There are 2 doors to the
childcare center. Sometimes they leave the door open on the side where people
enter the YMCA. Usually, there is only one person in the room and that person
does not seem to keep any kind of close watch on the kids (she actually looks
like she's catching up on paperwork).
I have seen them call parents on the loudspeaker when children cry. The care
is very cheap (I think $2 an hour), but in this case, it seems you get what
you pay for.
Very disappointed Y user
I used to bring my toddler to the Oakland Y for evening childwatch but I took
him out because the lady who handles it in the evenings is very short-tempered
and he was never happy there. A lot of parents like her, but I was not pleased
with her cranky attitude and the way she was always telling the older kids
''stop it!'' ''sit down!'' ''cut that out!''
anonymous Y member
Nov 2003
Re: Gym with Infant Care
My friend was very happy with the child care at the Oakland
YMCA on Broadway.
Rebecca
Re: Racially mixed swim club around Oakland (Sept 2004)
Have you tried the Oakland Downtown YMCA on Broadway (between
23rd & 24th). They have great swim classes and have a very
diverse group of kids, adults, etc.
Hope this is helpful
Re: Swim Lessons for 6-y-o in Oakland (Apr 2004)
The Oakland YMCA in downtown Oakland has a huge pool and lots of
different swim lessons for different ages of children.
Love to swim
Re: Swim class for 6-month-old (Nov 2002)
I took my six month old son Bradley to the Oakland Y for a few
lessons. The goal at this age is to get them comfortable in the
water. The teacher advised that kids will become proficient
swimmers by the age of 3 if you actively work with them. The
American Assoc. of Pediatrics recommends against swim lessons
for infants. Appears their are differing points of view about
making the kids too comfortable around water without the
supporting skill set to ensure their safety.
Laura
Re: Swim class for 6-month-old (Nov 2002)
The Oakland YMCA has ''Skip'' swim classes for 6 months to 36
months. The next session is October 21 - November 23. The classes
are either twice a week or once a week on Saturdays. They are $18
for once a week or $36 for twice a week classes; for non-members
(you pay a $35 annual fee & are excluded from general use of the
facilities) it's $27 or $54.
Unfortunately, I can't direct you to a website; last I looked,
they had *very* little info online. You can get a tour by just
dropping by, though! Please drop me a line if you do sign up; I
think we'll be in the next class and would love a 'swim class
partner.'
Jennie
Re: Swim Lessons for a 1st grader (April 2003)
The Downtown Oakland YMCA has classes that fit your requirements.
http://www.ymcaeastbay.org/Downtown/down_programskids.html#swim
It looks like your son would be a Polliwog, and there are several
classes offered on Saturdays from 9:35 till after 12. The next
session starts soon. You can pay a yearly facility fee to be able
to just sign up for swim lessons.
Happy Y member
From: Linda
My son takes lessons at the Oakland Y, which has an ongoing program. The
lessons are good. Once or twice a week. You have to join for $35, and the
lessons are $37.50 for twice a week. All sorts of different times. Parking
is not bad. The Y is at 23d and Broadway, easy to get to. Parents watch
from a "window" above the pool.
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