Ymca Summer Camp

My children have attended summer camp and the after school program at Haskell YMCA since kindergarten and now my son is in 5^th grade. This speaks to my satisfaction with the site.
The present Director, Deserai, is a qualified professional with years of experience with children. She has established a structured, safe and loving environment for both my son, 10 and daughter, 7. She is open to suggestions and feedback from parents. She keeps me posted on how my children’s day went after school and expresses any concerns she observes in their health or behavior. I feel comfortable and have peace of mind knowing they are supervised and cared for when they are at the site.
My children enjoy the homework time, snacks and activities after school, holiday potlucks, field trips in the summers, but most especially the bond and comradery they form with the staff and other children while learning about the 6 Pillars of Character: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring and Citizenship. My children look forward to going daily. Sometimes when I pick them up after school, they say, «Awwww, I wanted to go to the Y…»
The only reason I did not give a ⁵⁄₅ is due to the turnover of directors. Sometimes, directors and staff leave for various reasons such as new job opportunities but I’m hoping the present director who has been there for quite some time now, stays for many more years to come. I believe strongly in continuity in the leadership.
I am grateful for the effort and patience Deserai and her staff has placed into the children and would highly recommend any parent to try out Haskell Ymca, I am certain you will be satisfied!

Let me start by saying that we love the YMCA. We are members of the North Valley YMCA and it is a fantastic center. That’s why when we were looking for a summer camp for out 5 ½ year old, we immediately thought of the YMCA day camp. I picked up the pamphlet and was delighted when I read the description:
«DISCOVERY CAMP:
For Kids entering Kindergarten — 2^nd Grade
For our young campers, a summer at the Y will be unforgettable. Kids will be active and engaged throughout the summer with our full-​day, theme-​based curriculum to capture their attention and build a love for learning. Add the fun of field trips, enrichment classes and water days, and parents will be thrilled with the stories their children will share each day. Having peace of mind, knowing that your little ones are cared for in one of our licensed facilities makes it even better.»
Sounds great, right? WRONG.
Note that this review is specific to the program held at Haskell Elementary.
I dropped my child off daily and there were kids playing on the colorful rug and they all seemed happy. But at the end of the day I would ask her how things went she would simply say, «fine.» That was it. Each morning she would plead «do I HAVE to go to camp today?»
After a few weeks, I volunteered to go on the field trip to the California Science Center. The description in the pamphlet for this week of camp and the field trip sounded amazing:
«Destination: B-​15 — the Iceberg that is bigger than Jamaica! (week 4: 7÷16−7÷20) Over on B-​15, scientists are hard at work studying the phenomenon of a glacier this size. And, as he always does, Dr. Wicked has interrupted their work and stormed through the work stations after hiding our pillar of citizenship somewhere on this giant Iceberg. Join us as we help the scientists with their research and Captain Character find our pillar. It will be cold, so make sure you dress warm!
Children will learn about global warming, protecting the environment, people, and scientists living on glaciers, arctic animals, migration of these animals from glacier to glacier. They can also experiment with temperatures and ice. TRIP (DISCOVERY: Science Center «
I expected that there would be an organized field trip to the Science Center complete with a conversation about global warming and at the very least recycling. Instead, I found myself on a bus with 30 kids and 2 counselors. When we got to the Science Center, they herded the kids off the bus. After eating a snack on the steps out front, they lined the kids up and took them into the building to go the bathroom. One counselor stood at the door of the ladies room ushering kids in and out. The other counselor stood at the end of the line of 30 kids keeping them «in line.» I offered to help but it was a good 10 minutes before the counselor took me up on it. I was then moved to the front of the line to watch the kids and make sure they went to the back of the line when they came out of the rest room. I know that dealing with 30 kids on a field trip is difficult. So why were there only 2 counselors there?
Next, they herded them back outside to wait in line for the IMAX movie. We stood in the heat for at least 15 — 20 minutes. I kept wondering when the counselors were going to tell the kids what the movie was about and how it applied to the weeks’ focus. They never did. The kids had no idea what they were going to see. After the movie, again, no discussion of the themes or anything. They just herded them through the building and out to the park to sit in the grass and eat lunch.
There was another round of bathroom chaos followed by what I can only describe as insanity. The counselors led the kids into exhibit after exhibit giving them no time to see or do anything. There was no organization, no plan and no interaction with the kids other than to yell at them to move along. If you have ever been to the Science Center you know that it is packed with hands on exhibits. These kids were constantly told to keep their hands OFF and move along. It was ridiculous. I finally understood why my child was so blasé’ about camp.
I spoke to another parent who had the same experience on the 2 field trips she went on. We both felt totally ripped off. We had sent our kids to this camp with promised of enrichment and education. The pamphlet says: «You’ll discover a safe, high quality summer camp where children will learn, grow and play.» What I got was my child playing on the playground all day while the counselors sat on benches monitoring from a distance.
I finally decided to pull my child out of the camp when I heard her singing a song laced with racial slurs. She learned it on the playground at camp. How did those counselors not hear these kids singing this song? It may seem like a harmless kids song, but when you listen to the words it is appalling and those counselors should have picked up on it and stopped it. But they didn’t.
I will not be sending my child back there.