Spokane Valley YMCA - YMCA of the Inland Northwest

I will start by saying, I love the YMCA! I took babysitter safety courses through them as a kid, did Camp Reed, and had my birthday party there shortly after it was built in 2000. Now, as an adult, we are members who frequent the gym and child watch, the open family swim, and the rock climbing wall. All of those experiences have been GREAT. AND! Their swim lessons are atrocious. My then 2 and 4 yr kids did lessons a year ago, and are now in classes as 3 and 5 year olds. The classes are mostly run by teenagers. I have no problem with that. That is a great job for a teenager. And also - the Y MUST train their employees to be better teachers. I have watched for many weeks as there is a different teacher every single week for an 8 week session. (This scares my kids when it's a stranger every time!) Teenagers who ask the PARENTS, "What should I do with them...?" Wasting 35 minutes out of a 40 minute class just talking to the kids and swimming around themselves. Starting class 12 minutes late to a 30 minute class. Unacceptable. Most of the classes for levels 1, 2, 3, and 4 have largely looked the same (with a couple of exceptions of exceptional lessons from substitute teachers). That is not encouraging! A swim lesson for "water acclimation Level 1" for a 2 year old should look nothing like "stroke introduction Level 4" for a 5 year old. As a teacher myself, I am BEGGING the YMCA to please train their teachers and raise the bar. As a parent to three little swimmers, I am BEGGING the YMCA to improve the quality of their swim lessons for the safety of my children and the wasted money leaving my wallet.

You guys charge $60 a month for one gym membership but can’t get air conditioning in your gyms? Not only is this dangerous but as a member it makes me wonder where all that money goes. The only thing you guys seem to update (here and there) is workout equipment. Safety and comfort of your members should be your number one priority. Bottom line

I have been coming here for almost a year I think or a year. I don't remember but I was here when Victoria, Brittney and the regular day care workers were here. It was literally family. I felt safe leaving my kids at daycare. Since the new year it has become an utter joke. All of the old daycare staff is pretty much gone except for 3 regulars. Because corporate decided that they couldn't bring their kids in with them anymore. Mind you one was breastfeeding her new born baby. Since then the day care has been a swinging door of workers. Everytime I come in it's some new literally kids they hired. Today we came in to a 16 year old working and one of the life guards covering a shift. Not only is it traumatizing for the parents leaving their kids with utter strangers. Your so desperate for workers your hiring ANYONE. How is that safe for MY kids. Your not filtering anyone out. Not only that but it's traumatizing for the kids. They get attached to kids and then the next time we come in they are gone and it's someone new again. Its this constant swinging door. I dont know what the deal is but it needs to stop now or we are leaving the Y and going to airway heights rec center instead. I don't feel safe leaving my kid here anymore. It's unprofessional and it's not safe or supportive emotionally for the parents or the kids. Its a community gym. It used to feel like I had a village when I came here and now its just strangers. We have since switched to the central Y and it's been amazing.

If I could rate this a 0 I would. They are NOT family friendly. The pool is hardly open for kids even though there are lifeguards all over, I am swimming with them AND my kids can swim full laps. It is ridiculous. They call it “independent exercise time” but don’t allow kids who can swim to do independent exercise. They randomly close childcare without having it updated anywhere online day to day so you go to workout and then can’t because there is no childcare. It is a waste of time. So we can’t do childcare because it’s closed sometimes, we can’t swim because…they say so, and then let me add we can’t do basketball half the time because they have pickle ball in the afternoon for hours. They are SO strict with the mask mandate. My husband and I were the ONLY ones in the gym and doing HIIT workout with our masks under our nose and they came and made us put them over our noses. So if you do go here, get a mesh mask if you plan on breathing hard during your workout so you don’t pass out. But if you are “playing basketball” you don’t have to wear them, it makes no logical sense. Forget “family friendly” gym and start marketing as “geriatric friendly”. Photo is when we weren’t allowed to swim although there were lifeguards…..