Twin Lakes Family YMCA — Attraction in Cedar Park

THE ABSOLUTE WORST PROGRAM FOR YOUR KIDS.

YMCA After School Care Incident: My 5 year old daughter attended the YMCA After School Care Program at her Elementary School. We thought this would be great considering the fun activities and our work schedule. One day my daughter came home crying because a boy (who is in the 3rd grade) bullied her. That day, she dressed up as a princess because her teacher loved to do fun things with her class. During the YMCA program, the boy ripped a metal necklace off of my daughter’s neck, scratched her arm, broke her tiara, and pushed her. He also took off her ring and tried to throw it away but one of the other students stopped him. To make matters worse, my daughter told her YMCA supervisors what happened and they did NOTHING. AND, they didn’t witness what happened even though this was under their supervision. I reached out to Ms. Karina (The YMCA After School Program Director) to express my concerns of this matter and she said she would look further into it, i have not heard from her since. This incident happened in May. Luckily, my daughter’s principal acted fast and scheduled a meeting with us to get it all figured out especially since the boy was still a student at The Elementary School. Feeling neglected by the YMCA, my partner and i went to the school ourselves to speak with the YMCA supervisors. The manager, Lauren, basically explained that she was not watching my daughter’s age group and is unaware of what happened. The other supervisor (I forgot her name), was watching over my daughter’s age group but she was not paying attention because she was tending to a child that was crying at the time. I asked her what she did once my daughter told her what happened and she admitted that she did nothing. Her reasoning was because it was my daughter’s friend that told her what happened and that my daughter didn’t tell her herself…..My daughter said because she was in tears…The supervisor then further explained that the boy had mental health issues, was held back in school, and is a loner due to his medical issues and that he is 7 years old. Violation of HIPPA. Mind you, we didn’t ask for that information at all. Furthermore, the supervisor was extremely rude and tried to gaslight my daughter even though there were other kids that witnessed what happened and she ignored them. (This entire conversation was recorded)

YMCA Summer Program Incident: My daughter now is in the YMCA summer program. She loves the activities that they do everyday and it’s perfect for my partner and I’d work schedule once again. On Friday, June 14th, my daughter informed us that a manager on campus by the name of Eric, forced all the kids to say curse words. The kids kept insisting that it was a bad word and that refused to say it. Eric then pressured them again by saying “say it you’re not going to get in trouble.” By this time, all the kids did what he asked except for my daughter. She told Eric that she felt uncomfortable and that it’s a very bad word to say. Eric began to pressure her once again and said “you better say it now. Just say it! You’re not going to get in trouble.” My daughter once again refused, but she felt that something bad would happen if she didn’t do what he said so finally, she said it but she felt horrible afterwards. After, apparently one of her teachers came and told him to go away but that was all that we were told. Another worry is what would’ve happened if her teacher wasn’t there…

This is absolutely unacceptable. I don’t even leave bad reviews because I don’t like being that person but we never received a phone call regarding both incidents that happened. We found out from our 5 year old… I would NOT recommend the YMCA for your little ones. It seems like it’s staffed with a bunch of young adults that don’t take their jobs seriously. for over $200 a week?! For my kid to be bullied and harassed by the people who are under their care is insanity and is extremely discomforting. I don’t know how else to get the directors attention...

Picture this: I want to try this gym out, so I call to inquire about the childcare, and make sure I can bring my one year old daughter. The lady on the phone was very nice, and told me that on Tuesdays and Thursdays, they allow non-members to bring their children for an $8 fee to try out the gym. SO, I wait until Tuesday rolls around, and go up there. Of course, once I get there, I am confronted by a very confused girl who says that's not allowed. I had to explain that I spoke to someone on the phone who told me exactly when to come. I am then treated like an idiot. They decide to let me bring my daughter anyway. Moving on. At first glance, there were two classes that my daughter could go in based on her age. The toddler room was filled with lots of toddlers running around (to be expected, I'm not complaining about that) and an infant (non-walker) room for babies up to 13 months. I express my concerns with my daughter being in the toddler room because she just turned one and cannot walk yet. I am not an overly protective parent, but also don't want my daughter being trampled. The girl at the desk completely agreed and reassured me that the younger-baby room was best for my daughter. All is good and well until I hand my baby over. She starts crying (once again, to be expected), but instead of consoling her, the lady plops her on the ground (in the toddler room, no other adults in sight...I assume the other caretaker was in the back somewhere I couldn't see), and walks back up to the front desk as quickly as she could...clearly in a rush and frustrated that she had to accommodate me, tells me "we have a 15 minute cry limit" and proceeds to check in the next person behind me. I then had to remind her of the conversation we JUST had about me not wanting my baby to be in the middle of the chaos of the bigger kids...all while watching my baby scream her head off at how abruptly she was handed over from her mom and stuck in the middle of the floor with all these kids running around crazy. I get that babies cry, but this was my baby's first time, and MY first impression of the gym day care. The woman did not even make eye contact with my daughter or try to console her in the slightest. Just sat her down as fast as she could and walked away, then makes it clear to me that she's not going to do anything to help soothe her. I am a preschool teacher, and I know you can't hold a baby the whole time, and that's not what I expect. But none of this was ok with me, and I won't be going back. Then, they put my baby in the smaller-baby room, and she cheers up pretty quickly, and I figure I already drove a long way to get here, I may as well work out and not waste my trip. I come get my baby after one hour, and pick her up. She's been sitting in a poopy diaper. I borrow their changing table, am told that she was " just changed" as I clean her (hopefully not TMI, but the poop was drying to her bottom...had been there for a while), and she now has a diaper rash today. WORST childcare...

I don’t normally leave negative reviews, but I feel deeply compelled to speak up about my recent experiences at the gym’s infant daycare. I’ve given it multiple chances, and what I’ve witnessed over the course of three visits is not only disappointing but concerning.

The very first time I was there nursing my son, I noticed an infant silently crying in a high chair—clearly distressed—and not a single caregiver acknowledged her. The staff seemed overwhelmed, and because the baby wasn’t making noise, she was essentially ignored. It broke my heart.

Another time, I arrived to pick up my son and saw the caregiver sitting down on her phone. The moment they were notified I was on my way, she quickly got up, changed his diaper (despite my explicit request to be called for any changes), and handed him over. His face was red, puffy, and clearly showed signs of prolonged crying. I had made it very clear I wanted to be contacted for any needs, especially diapering.

At the time, I was just starting medication for postpartum depression, and I questioned if I was being overly sensitive—but what happened on my final visit removed all doubt. While I was in the room nursing, a staff member casually handed my son’s bottle and teething toy—both from his labeled diaper bag—to another child right in front of me. When I pointed out, “I believe that’s Santi’s,” she said nothing and awkwardly put the items away. No apology. No explanation. Just silence. That is absolutely unacceptable, especially in a space meant to care for infants.

I spoke with the manager hoping for accountability and understanding. At first, she seemed empathetic, but that quickly turned into defensiveness and condescension. When I expressed my concerns, she dismissed them with, “I understand—it’s your first one,” to which I replied, “Actually, this is my second child.”

At this point, I no longer feel comfortable bringing my son here, and I sincerely hope this feedback encourages the gym to re-evaluate their daycare practices. Parents are trusting you with the most vulnerable members of their family....