Watts Family Maryvale YMCA

★Myles Cunningham

So, I went in with a one-week pass and informed the front desk that I had a pass, then she said, "Yeah, you can use it", but didn't bother telling me where to go, so I ended up walking around outside, in an attempt to find where, then I left because it's too hot for this. Start hiring more competent people. This is absurd.

★★★★★Areli Antezana

I am so forever thankful with this specific branch. I got to finish my GED thanks to a program offered here 6 years ago. Today, I got my bachelor’s degree and it is all thanks to my former instructor who was so patient with me despite me knowing very little English back then. Stevan Romero was my case manager and he was great too, very caring despite his workload.

★★★★★Jessica Jess

Wish I could give 100 stars , the team here really deserves it ! All the employees have always been kind and respectful. The events they host including sports really helps the youth in this community. It has been an amazing experience for myself and my children . That you guys for all that you do

★★★Sandy

The workers are all pretty nice. The gym has just about everything you need. It’s not big. For family membership I would say is cheaper than other gyms. The childcare workers for the gym aren’t that great except for Laura. I avoid going on days they are there.

★Gustavo Ochoa

I am extremely disappointed with my experience at this YMCA location, especially regarding the actions—and inactions—of the director, Dustin. His conduct has been unprofessional, dismissive, and lacking the empathy that is absolutely necessary when working with families, especially those going through difficult circumstances like housing insecurity. Rather than approaching situations with understanding and care, Dustin tends to deflect accountability and dismiss parent concerns. Instead of leading by example, he appears to prioritize defending his staff—some of whom he seems personally close to—over addressing real issues and ensuring the needs of families and children are met. It’s very clear that mistakes have been made under his oversight, but he refuses to acknowledge them or consider how a lack of adequate staff training may be contributing to ongoing problems. On a separate but related note, I had a deeply upsetting experience involving my three-year-old son just days before we were dismissed from the program. My son came home with a visible scratch on his face, and no one at the YMCA reported it to me or offered an explanation. On another occasion, I arrived to pick him up and found him completely soaked in urine—left in that condition with no apparent effort to clean or comfort him. These are basic childcare standards that were simply ignored. Rather than support us in navigating these incidents or trying to understand my son’s needs, the staff—and ultimately Dustin—seemed to come together and decide my son was a “problem.”And created the narrative around incident reports that even happened in two different areas at the same time which is concerning how staff came together to weave out the nuisance my son had 2 full days in a different section and thats the reason I stated they didnt want to deal with him.In truth, they just didn’t have the proper training to work with children who might require a little more patience or individualized attention. Instead of working to improve or accommodate, they seemed to take the easier route—keeping only the children who are easiest to manage and effectively weeding out the rest. Every child is different, and every family has a different story. A childcare facility like the YMCA should embrace that, not shy away from it. From the moment I enrolled my son—through contact with billing and placement into a program I was never fully informed about—it was clear there was poor internal communication. One staff member would say one thing, another something else. At one point, the director even blamed the front desk staff for misinformation, yet still managed to imply that I had made the whole story up. It was hurtful and unacceptable. Despite asking multiple times for a refund due to these serious concerns—and the fact that we were facing homelessness at the time—my request was ignored until finally acknowledged. I do appreciate that the refund was eventually granted, but the amount of stress and struggle leading up to that point was unnecessary. The YMCA as an organization has a long-standing reputation for supporting families, and I truly believe in its mission. However, this particular branch is falling short—not because of the YMCA’s values, but because of leadership that is failing to uphold them. Dustin, as a director, should be retrained or reassessed in his position. The entire staff needs better training to handle a range of child behaviors and family circumstances with compassion, professionalism, and care.