Our family has been part of the South Mountain YMCA ECLC for decades, and now our grandson attends. We love the strong sense of community, the opportunity to make new friends, and seeing dedicated staff members who have been there for 20 to 30 years.

The teachers and staff are all so loving and caring for the children. It warms my heart to drop off my kid every day knowing he's getting all the love and attention.

The Y has become a second family from The 2s program to aftercare - the staff goes above and beyond - my kids love it

We have loved everything about our Y experience. The staff members are very caring and our children have always been happy to go there. We have seen them learn and grow so much at the Y. It's a warm, friendly, nurturing place. We also love that almost all of the staff members who were there a decade ago with our oldest child still work there now that our youngest attends. The ability to maintain consistent staff speaks to the quality of the program and workplace for adults and the children who attend benefit from having experienced teachers.

Untimely and unorganized communication.

Being a Y family has positively impacted each member of our family, espcially our children who have excelled in their social, emotional and early learning and development. We truly believe we have found a strong supportive community base in being involed with the South Mountain YMCA.

The South Mountain YMCA has the best creative curriculum; I love that the children are learning while having fun. Also, the staff are welcoming from the time you walk in the door and as you walk throughout the building. My children have blossomed here, and I am grateful for the staff members that brightened their days and grew their minds.

Great teachers

We feel our child is safe and well cared for

somewhat more structured daily activities. more music/singing.

My child is not in preschool so I don't know why I'm getting this survey.

The teachers and the times the centre is open

Warm environment, diverse student body and teachers

More support at the administrative level - I've had several incidents where I've had to follow up multiple times to get support on something or I've been contacted several times to submit a form I already submitted.

First of teachers get a 10/10! I've been a bit disappointed with communication mainly from higher ups either with responding to my messages or just communicating regarding class changes. I also felt like the response to the snow was really poor. We walk and I am still not able to use the sidewalk on the Jefferson side which makes it dangerous trying to navigate with a 2 year old. I would drive but there is never any parking it's absurd.

The teachers are caring, the facility is clean, bright, happy and a great place to learn

Hours

As a mom of two boys who have been at ECLC for the past three years, I really can't imagine these early years anywhere else. We've always felt that our boys are not just looked after, but truly known and loved. Their teachers care for them as if they were their own children and every day when we walk through the doors of the ECLC for drop off and pickup, it feels like a family atmosphere. We've watched our boys grow in confidence and kindness, and they've formed such genuine friendships along the way while learning new skills that they're more than excited to tell us about when they get home! We're so grateful for the communication and support of the ECLC. It been such a special part of our family's life, and we are incredibly thankful for the staff and teachers that look after our boys.

You can tell how much the teachers pour into their students and are truly invested in their learning experience and growth. I also love the creative lessons that give our child new language and encourage thought.

Caring teachers

In general, I think the YMCA provides a loving and nurturing environment for the kids. However, both of my boys have been placed in very crowded classrooms that seem to have a disproportionate amount of boys to girls. When the boys get rough, it's very quickly brushed off as "boys will be boys", but really they are just acting like normal toddlers/preschoolers regardless of gender. The result is very noticeable though. The boys are ending up really rough and the behavior is out of control. The teachers look exhausted and I believe to my fullest that they are trying their best, but a classroom of twenty 2.5-3 year olds, even within ratio, is chaotic. Ideally, smaller classroom sizes, even if it means less people attending the YMCA ECLC would benefit the children and staff. I also strongly feel that the YMCA should have more closures for holidays, such as MLK Jr. Day and Juneteenth. I appreciate that the Y allows the staff to take off because they deserve those days off. It does put the parents in a tricky situation of keeping our kids home those days or sending them in with strangers.

It feels like family. We have been supported, not just our daughter, as our lives have shifted and morphed over the last 2 years. I genuinely don't know what we would have done if I didn't have the peace of mind that my little girl was thriving. It has become an incredible source of community to us in our time of need and we will be forever grateful to the entire staff.

The teachers and administrators, diversity, curriculum, activities. Teachers go above and beyond!

There are times where I have seen less than 4 teachers in the room which is slightly concerning given the # of children in the class and their age.

Teachers and the community!

Our kids feel safe and happy there and the teachers are all kind and wonderful!

I would recommend the ECLC for any age groups. The teachers are so caring and attentive. I am always impressed when I drop off and pick up!

The YMCA daycare has helped us feel truly included in this community. We are immigrants, and this has meant the world to us. We will always be grateful to the entire team.

Sloth classroom teachers are some of the best people i've met! My daughter is so lucky to spend time in their class. She gets mad when I come early to pick her up. Support staff is also wonderful, kind and reliable.

Great program, professional organization

We love our experience at the Y! The teachers and support staff are so warm and friendly. My son always feels happy to be there, and sometimes asks to stay later! I like when free play and free drawing is encouraged over more prescriptive art projects which I think he's getting more of now. He likes having a job in the class and take pride in this. My only concern is that I wish toys and food treats weren't used as much as incentives.

Great staff, diversity , my kid loves going to school every see her teacher and friends

It's a little unclear how staffing ratios, especially in the before and aftercare portions of the day at the ECLC are being handled. Often it seems like there are not enough teachers to students in the transitional periods of the day, and I think parents would appreciate some clarity on how that is being managed and what the rules are.

The teachers and staff are all so caring, attentive, friendly. Our son is thriving at the Y- eager to go and comes home smiling and happy.

I love their kindness, enthusiasm, readiness, patience, care and love they show to all the kids and families. They make sure they show undivided attention to all kids without exception, and they are extremily friendly even to family members. And let's not forget about their prompt organization (very organized facility from the moment you enter the main door to the going to pick up your child). Facility is safe and clean as well.

The school is a warm and welcoming environment and the teachers really care about our kids in a way that makes me feel like my child is safe and enriched every time he goes to daycare.

I love the warm community of families and staff at the South Mountain Y. It's right in the center of town with a beautiful river running behind the school, very picturesque and tranquil. My son loves the school and is doing very well there. I love how the kids get to spend so much time outdoors. The teachers are very attentive to their needs and engage them in interesting projects.

The community, events and the teachers!

Kind, caring and amazing crew!

Simply the best. Best teachers, best community, best parents.

All four of our children have gone through the South Mountain YMCA and we couldn't have asked for a more loving environment for them to learn and grow with their peers. We consider the Y teachers an extension of our own family, and our kids have been so prepared to start kindergarten. We are so grateful!

My child gets way too much candy at the school. It seems like they are eating candy at school at least once a week sometimes as much as three times a week. We try to reasonably limit sugar intake and getting candy at school doesn't help. Also, we don't have a good sense of what they are learning at school. A suggestion - perhaps we could get a not from the teachers at the beginning of the week describing what the kids will be learning. That way we can supplement in the evenings or over the weekend. I would love to get more photo updates. We get one a week on average and at least one photo daily would be preferable. I would love a daily report on naps. I usually have to ask. This is valuable information as it informs bedtime.

Everyone seems happy and my child is always safe to

I feel like not all classrooms are equal when it comes to emotional support and education for the kids, specifically at the preschool level.

Love the YMCA! It's closes so much less than other daycares in the area. It's a little more expensive but worth it!

The ECLC has such wonderful, caring teachers that truly love our children like their own. We love it! It creates a wonderful community, and we feel so lucky that we are a part of it.

It would be great to receive more frequent and detailed feedback from our daughter's teachers on her progress and learning. I understand this is challenging probably due to class size, and she only attends 3 days/week. But still as a parent I would love to feel more like my daughter's learning and growth is being paid attention to and cared for, because generally it feels like we pick her up and drop her off, and all seems to go well but there isn't much in-depth involvement or sense of community yet.

My daughter has really liked attending the South Mountain Y for daycare, she truly loves her teachers and the teachers are very engaging with me which I appreciate! Communication has also been great!

Great caring staff

I really appreciate the caring and professional staff at the ECLC, you guys create a nurturing and safe environment for my children. The learning activities are enriching, promoting both intellectual and social development. My toddler comes home singing & dancing every night. I also value the communication during pick up & drop off, keeping me well-informed about my children's progress. The facilities are clean, organized, and child-friendly. I do wish I could see more photos through out the week on Tadpoles. Overall, ECLC meets my needs in terms of flexibility, location, and convenience, and I'm happy with the care and attention my children receives. The Ymca - ECLC is apart of my families village.