YMCA of the Greater Tri-Cities

★SilentEcho

I’m very concerned about how my daughters are being treated by this staff member. It feels like they are being singled out. She told my daughters they were not allowed to swim unless they wore T-shirts over their swimsuits. They’ve attended this program for years, and this has never been a rule. In fact, other staff members told her that wasn’t an actual policy and asked her to stop enforcing it. More recently, she called me to say my daughter wasn’t allowed to skate because of the clothes she was wearing and made her sit out. When I arrived to pick up my children, I witnessed her speaking to my daughter in a disrespectful and condescending manner. She appeared visibly frustrated with her over a craft activity. As soon as she realized I was watching, her attitude changed immediately. I don’t feel comfortable with the way my children are being treated. I expect them to be treated fairly, respectfully, and consistently, just like the other children in the program.

★★★★★Shannon Franklin

My daughter loved her experience at the YMCA, where she attended for two years. The teachers truly empowered her to do her best and face challenges with confidence. They were quick to address any of my concerns as a parent and provided regular updates whenever I asked. The lessons were thoughtfully planned to create meaningful, high-impact learning through hands-on projects. Ms. Paige and Ms. Julissa were especially impactful—my daughter still talks about them and her friends from the YMCA even a year later. When my daughter had to miss preschool graduation because we were out of town, they didn’t hesitate to celebrate her with her very own graduation party before we left. It was incredibly special and so thoughtful. We are truly grateful for the care, support, and learning she received there.

★La Kyma Saldana

Teachers are very rude, treat your children like garbage. Grab your kids by the hoods of their sweaters, scream at them, put them down and make very unacceptable comments. Such as “hug your mother before she leaves, she may not return to pick you up if there’s an accident or something.” When staff are confronted they gas light you and make you look like the problem as a parent. When you call and speak to supervisors or program directors they too give you attitude, argue, and don’t listen to the concerns you have about how your children are treated. They get paid every month for your children to be in this program and they feel they need to mentally, physically, and verbally abuse your children. And do nothing to rectify the affliction that they have done. Today I asked to remove my children from this joke of a program, as well and contacted the state of Washington to report this abuse. If you are experiencing these issues with YMCA staff please report it to the state of Washington childcare line. This program should not be an approved state paid program if they are going to be abusing children.