Encore Gymnastics

★Carolina Topliffe

I brought my daughter to Encore gymnastics class, and she was so excited to be there. Sadly, Mary-Anne Bellante, the director, discriminated against my high-functioning autistic daughter. She informed me that my daughter needed to be in a special class after the first day even though my daughter is in cheer and has been in other gymnastic classes without any issues. She told me the following: "Your daughter had to be in a different class for kids with autism" even though I requested that she be placed in a higher level class. She has never had to be placed in a special class, so this leads me to the conclusion that Mary-Anne is unwilling to give my daughter a chance. "Your daughter is not following directions" As teachers and coaches, Camilla, the coach, needs to have better control over expectations and management. Also, this was my daughter’s second class. In addition, Camilla expressed that my daughter was really excited and that my daughter will be more calm once she attends more classes. I asked her when the class for autism is, and she stated 2:30 or 3:25. This does not work with my schedule because I am a teacher. Once again, my daughter has always been able to join other kids without being placed in a "special" class. I told her that I wanted to keep my daughter in her current class and asked what would happen if said no to the other class. She told me that my daughter "would not be part of this gym." I replied "So you are telling me that my daughter can't be part of the class because she has autism?" She replied, "it's not about being autistic, it's that she is different." Mary-Anne literally told me that she does not want her in her class because she is different. As stated previously, my daughter can and has been able to successfully be a part of normal classes without any issues. This is very upsetting, and I believe it is important for all parents to know about this situation.

★★★★★Shannon Warner

Encore in Walnut Creek is THE best place to host a kid's birthday party if you want an stress-free event with an all-hands on crew to assist almost every aspect on the party day. We've hosted multiple parties here for our son as and attended quite a few parties and the kids always leave here having a blast and asleep in the car afterwards. From arrival, the crew helps with unloading and getting kids onto the gym mat. The gym time is well staffed and the kids got to rotate across a variety of fun activities. Bonus for parents - we get to observe from upstairs and get a rare moment to catch up uninterrupted while multiple staff members lead the gym activities. The staff even helped me set up our train decor and when I arrived to help downstairs, all I had to do was add candles to the cake! Coach Eric is the best and his crew really shines and makes our parties memorable and stress free each time. Thank you Encore, we'll be back!

★★★★★Lexie Bewley

Erik and his team did AMAZING with our kiddo crew! We had 18 children who were hyped up and ready to party and they kept them organized with ease! (God bless ‘em 😅) lol it was so much fun and the ladies who were helping and organizing the room decor and pizza handing out and juice opening, you know, all the important stuff, did awesome and were so patient with the kids. 10/10 experience with no stress for us. Parent viewing area is a plus as well, feels like the VIP area of a club and we were able to bring coffee and donuts. Thanks again for making this awesome!

★★★★★JamesDeanNewman

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Encore Gym in Walnut Creek Shadelands is an absolutely fantastic venue for a birthday party! We celebrated our little guy's fourth birthday here, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. The staff did an amazing job keeping the kids busy and active the entire time, moving them from one fun and engaging activity to the next. From jumping and climbing to bouncing and running around, the kiddos had an absolute blast! One of the standout features was how accommodating the staff was. They were incredibly helpful and took care of everything, which made our party planning so much easier. I also appreciated the preferential parking for the parents of the birthday child—it made dropping off decorations and food for the party room a breeze. The energy in the gym was contagious, and it was such a joy to see all the kids smiling and having the time of their lives. If you're looking for a place to host a birthday party for your little ones, Encore Gym is the way to go! We had a wonderful experience and will definitely be back for future parties. 5/5 stars for parties, and some of our friends totally agree!! Certainly worth looking into!!

★★★★★Cass Mac

This is an amazing gymnastics center. All age tumbling and skills classes. Dance. Camps. Clinics. Parents Night Out. Rock walls. Foam Pit. Trampolines. And super fun birthday parties can be had here. They have multiple specialty performance acro teams for all ages and skill levels. They perform multiple times a year at various events around northern CA and have a big showcase at the end of each season at the gym for the community. It's a really big event and it's so entertaining to watch. They even have a special team that travels internationally every 4 years to Gymstrada that's held at a different destination around the globe. Coaches are all amazing people who truly care about your kids and building life-long skills and confidence to take with them and utilize long after their time at the gym has passed. Setting goals, accomplishing them, and having fun while doing it is engrained in every child. I can't recommend this place enough for anyone who is looking to have a healthy active sports activity, join a team, casually attend, or want to learn all things gymnastics! It's a great work environment, too. If any kiddos out there are looking for part-time work! They accept applications and will train! It's a great summer job for teens! Great experience if interested in working with the youth!