Too much screen time and not monitoring what they are doing on their computers. Councellors sharing inappropriate content from their phones (I.e. games and videos not meant for the age group they are supervising). Edible projects are all junk food and sugar.

Safe place where kids can play with their peers.

Double standards, not following your own policy, and counselers that don't respect and communicate with supervisor. Kids get hurt, and the perpetrator gets away with it. Fostering an environment of disrespect, hostility and bullying.

Honestly I am so happy we have the YMCA in our school. BUT I do believe that things need to change. I have so many ideas with add'l cost to parents if needed. I hear so many times that the they get yelled at all the time and i can only imagine how hard it is to control all those kids at that price. I would love to see some really awesome classses they can pick from if they want. ( maybe join on with O'cannary, or yoga for kids, or something with some for an hour for them to take, or something to give them options during the aftercare time. Maybe having a structured homework person to help for kids grade 3-5. We do aftercare but also do BTB which is amazing and my kiddo love it. Maybe have a focus group with parents to help come up with some ideas!

Attitude towards children, individual approach, politeness, consideration, conditions. We like everything!!!

The staff, the activities, the ability to keep my kids off screens after school. So grateful to the YMCA SACC team!

The onsite aftercare staff is FANTASTIC.

However, the administration of our branch is completely chaotic. Parents cannot rely on YMCA aftercare programs to be steady, accessible, and predictable, because childcare leadership cannot seem to create, maintain, or deploy systems that make registration and placement processes understandable and equitable. Every year, there's some new form of chaos in the registration system, and this year was particularly egregious. Deploying a placement lottery for families *already in the system* was a complete failure of critical thinking. It's understandable that one would want to create a new placement system beyond "first to log in" but this lottery program should have been phased in for new students and existing students should have been grandfathered into current placements for the duration of their aftercare experience. What's worse? Not getting something you never had? Or having something you rely on taken away from you? The lottery system put parents in a position of having a program they relied on ripped away from them and scrambling to figure out what comes next. It was utterly nonsensical. Unfortunately, the YMCA essentially has a monopoly in our town, so other options are lacking.

Also, since the changeover to the new website/communications platform, communications has been very messy. We regularly receive emails about events after the events occur. I imagine this is also the source of the registration day meltdown. Probably should consider a different vendor or better training for staff in using the current platform.

Wonderful staff! Truly grateful for all that they do!

The counselors are outstanding and Mr Rafeeq is the best of the best. If he left, we’d follow him whether he went.

The registration system is a disaster and the online platform is so much worse after the upgrade. On site is not super organized or well supervised. Still great hours and friendly staff.

The sign up process for next year was terrible and caused our family immense stress. During aftercare, there was a calendar of activities which never seemed to take place. Multiple times at pick up, the kids were just sitting at a table doing nothing - they had no access to toys, books, art materials. They were told they just had to sit there.

Would love for them to spend more time outside.

The care takers are very nice, funny and engaging with the kids. My daughter comes home telling me all the activities they did for the day and how they make her laugh. I like the variety they get in the activities they do and how they spread positivity and inclusivity. My daughter comes home saying Spanish phrases and sometimes other languages as well.

The staff at the Montrose YMCA Afterschool are incredible! My son is shy and has difficulty communicating which can lead to frustration and tantrums. The staff are all incredibly understanding and responsive to his needs. They come up with lots of activities to keep the kids engaged and having fun. They also seem to have consistent routines and systems so that children understand expectations. I love "Aftercare" days because he comes home happy and tired. What parent doesn't love a kid that falls asleep easily at bedtime?! The program at Montrose is a game changer for our family. My daughter went to Montrose but was never able to get a spot in the aftercare program. Shuffling her to alternative aftercare was so challenging for us since both parents work full time. Thank you for making this program possible and for finding all the right people to run it!!

I feel like this year, aftercare doesn't seem to be as much fun as in previous years. Attendance seems to be a particularly sticky point -- is there any way to improve that process?

I know that when I am working, my child is in a safe, secure place with friends and wonderful caretakers and I am able to focus entirely on getting my job done in time to pick him up and spend time with him. I don't have to have my brain in two places at once; my child is safe and happy and so am I, as a result.

I'd love for more homework time. My kids would be there for a 3-4 hours and have to come home to do their homework, resulting in a really long evening or schoolwork.

My daughter is complaining she doesn't want to go to aftercare anymore. She said all the teachers do is yell and they make the kids sit in silence. Seems to be very different than last year. She said they have to walk around the gym and then sit back down in silence.

We used to love aftercare at bolden with Lisa, diamond and Aleah. Since November when Aleah left it has been a lot of shifts in groups and my daughter reports a lot of yelling at the groups . She also says they no longer have choices for activities and they are forced to sit for 30+ minutes for attendance which at this point in the year seems unnecessary. When we go pick up staff rarely knows who we are as well which speaks to the consistency. We really love the Y and hope that this period is an artifact of transition. We miss all of the former team as well as Ms Natasha who I believe is at Clinton.

I completely understand that the counselors are managing a large group of kids and that keeping everyone safe and orderly can be challenging. I've just noticed that at times there's quite a bit of yelling to get the kids' attention or bring them back in line. I'm wondering if there might be ways to approach those moments in a calmer tone, especially since some children (including those with special needs) may respond better to less emotional or less intimidating communication. A more regulated approach could help model the calmness we're hoping to see from the kids in situations that require it. I do want to say that I really appreciate all the activities you have scheduled that promote calmness and self-regulation — those have been wonderful to see. I truly recognize how much the counselors are juggling. I'm just hoping we can continue leaning into strategies that support both structure and a supportive environment for all learners.

My kids are struggling in aftercare this year. They tell us that all of the kids get yelled at frequently. I get the sense than the yelling extends beyond kids that are causing problems and I think it frustrates kids that are trying their best to behave who still want to have some fun with their friends. Often they all lose privileges because of other kids' misbehavior and it sounds a bit unfair from what I've heard. One of my kids wanted to participate in a dance that was offered as an extracurricular, but then missed a few days with illness and then wasn't even allowed to attend rehearsals after that - or even watch rehearsals her friends were doing in the auditorium. It seemed overly punitive for something that should be fun for the kids. We've really appreciated aftercare for its convenience and reliability. I'm not sure what changed this year but it's become a real struggle for our kids. We've been doing it for a few years and we haven't heard these complaints until this year.

Great place to learn and play. Staff is great!!

Convenient, lots of activities

It is consistent and reliable care

The staff is warm, friendly, and fun. My son always enjoys his time there.