Central Florida Green Guide

We’ve been members of the J. Douglas Williams YMCA Family Center for about two years now.  We took a break for awhile when we thought we were moving, but other than that, the YMCA has been a big part of our lives for quite some time.   I’m really enjoying our family membership and would recommend this particular branch to friends and family because of the following features:

• Well-maintained facility with an outdoor pool that’s open year round, a youth room, a gymnasium, wellness center, and more
• Classes for kids including a “Kids’ Fitness Class” for ages 5 to 9 on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5 and another for ages 9 to 13 on Mondays and Wednesdays
• Organized sports for boys and girls including basketball and soccer (starting at age 3) plus swimming lessons
• A wide variety of group exercise opportunities for adults including Zumba, Yoga, Pilates, and Tai Chi (and even ballroom dancing)
• A positive atmosphere with friendly faces greeting us upon arrival and a focus on having fun rather than on winning during all children’s activities
• An “All Y” membership which means members can take advantage of classes offered at other facilities in the Orlando area
• A safe child development center in which children are engaged in activities such as outside play, story time, and crafts

I’ve been using the child development center since my little girl was an infant and have been happy with the quality of care. However, I should note that I typically do not go at the busiest times simply because I don’t want my little ones in the center when it’s extremely crowded (usually early in the morning or in the evenings).   I feel better about leaving them when there’s a lower adult to child ratio.  

I felt comfortable breastfeeding at our local Y and often nursed Loralei right there in the childcare center before leaving for my workout.  The location of the child development center is good–just a hop, skip, and a jump from the cardio area as well as where the exercise classes take place.  I always had a “no cry” rule which meant that I wanted them to get me immediately instead of waiting the standard 10 minutes if she fussed, and they were always willing to do that.   My kids are older now and enjoy going, but my 5 year old would rather go take Tae Kwon Do or do the Kids’ Fitness Class when I’m working out.  If he has a friend there with him, he goes willingly into the childcare center and always manages to have a good time.  

Since I’ve shared the features I really like about the J. Douglas Williams YMCA Family Center, I should also share the areas in which I see a need for improvement.  I really want to see the team sports implemented in a more organized fashion.  This is hard to do, of course, since they have large numbers of children involved, but I’d like to see things go a little more smoothly during our next soccer season.  I also think that the childcare staff that’s working during the first half of the day is typically better and more in tune with the children than the afternoon staff, but overall, our experience has been good.

When I first joined the YMCA, I thought $93 for a membership was really expensive, but now I realize that it’s a great value for those who use the facilities often.   My kids enjoy visiting the Y with me, so we go a few times a week. I love that I can work on getting healthy while my little ones have fun, with frequent opportunities to exercise.  Getting a little “me” time doesn’t hurt either, especially as a stay-at-home mom. 

At this point, we’ve only tried about half of the activities offered at our local YMCA, so there’s a lot I can’t comment on yet.  However, I can tell you that they have some wonderful instructors on staff who are extremely motivating, and that’s just another reason why I keep coming back each week.  In fact, I’m about to start taking the Zumba class on Friday nights in case anyone wants to join me!

Jan, the editor of the Central Florida Green Guide, is a former public school teacher who is now an unschooling mom. She strives to live naturally–especially when it comes to parenting her two young children. In addition to her work as a freelance writer and homeschool consultant, Jan is a distributor for Juice Plus+ and Usborne Books. Learn more about this crunchy WAHM by visiting her Squidoo lens, Living and Learning… Naturally