Gym Childcare Centers

BAMFMeredith

I had been a member of my local Lifetime Fitness for 2 years, but yesterday I terminated my membership with them following some pretty alarming discoveries I made. My 5 year old was involved in an incident involving another young child, which I won't get into the specifics of, but it really made me wonder "Why were these 2 young children not being supervised???" So I did some digging, with the help of Child Protective Services.

Did you know that gym child care centers are not required under Texas (and may other states) state law to be licensed? This means, that none of the staff members are required to have background checks, or any type of child care training or experience. This also means that the child care center is not required to follow ANY state regulations regarding child:staff ratios, disciplinary action, age appropriate activity and safety standards---nothing. It's basically the same as dropping your child off with a bunch of strangers. After doing some research, the local Gold's Gym and 24 Hour Fitness were both able to state that all of their child care employees had current background checks and were CPR/First Aid trained/certified, and Gold's was more than willing to share background information about child care staff members with me. Lifetime Fitness could not definitively answer those questions. When asked, they replied "I'm not sure" which is particularly alarming because when I signed up for my membership, I was assured that the staff was "highly qualified" and "had background checks" done. I'm currently having CPS investigate whether or not that is true, or if that's just bs they fed me to get my membership.

When looking into a new gym (if you have children and childcare is a deal-breaker) be sure to ask: Is your child care facility licensed? If not, do all child care employees have current background checks? Are they all CPR and First Aid certified? What is your standard child:staff ratio? How are disciplinary incidents handled? For children who are potty trained, where is the bathroom and how accessible is it for all children? Are children monitored when going to the bathroom? Ask to tour the entire childcare facility. You're probably all thinking "duh, I'd ask all these things" but really, you go into an extremely nice facility like Lifetime Fitness, and you're probably going to assume the staff knows what they're doing, it's safe, etc. You can never be too careful when it comes to your babies!

oregonzoo

that's terrifying. Especially considering the money you DO spend at that facility.

I ended up cancelling my membership there a year ago, they treat people like absolute dog crap.

BAMFMeredith

that's terrifying. Especially considering the money you DO spend at that facility.

I ended up cancelling my membership there a year ago, they treat people like absolute dog crap.

Yep. I had a really pleasant experience there up until recently, but no amount of time in a steam room or cardio kickboxing classes in the world are as valuable as the safety and well being of my child.

HotCuppaJo

Wow! Who would ever GUESS that a place like that wouldn't be mandated to have licensed staff members and background checks, etc. Amazing....thanks for sharing!

corn63

Working in a facility such as this, I have first hand experience with this.

Many gyms don't have child care licenses for a few reasons: One being money. It costs a LOT to become licensed and the child:adult ratio is so low, that it would be nearly impossible to staff the child care which would render it useless. Two, it opens them up to visits from DHS and other child protection agencies, which can be VERY difficult for young staff that are just there to hang out with the kids.

Where I worked, all staff had background checks prior to hire and had to be CPR/AED/First Aid certified before even stepping into the room to work in child care. Not all places adhere to this standard.

But this stuff is nothing new. It's been going on for ages.

oregonzoo

that's terrifying. Especially considering the money you DO spend at that facility.

I ended up cancelling my membership there a year ago, they treat people like absolute dog crap.

Yep. I had a really pleasant experience there up until recently, but no amount of time in a steam room or cardio kickboxing classes in the world are as valuable as the safety and well being of my child.

I lost my keys there once. I BEGGED the daycare people to look. They said they did. I only had one pair of car keys. So we SAT around at their gym for three hours, getting dirty looks from everybody at the desk. Having them tell us that it "wasn't there responsiblity" so finally they lock us in an office so that the other members don't have to see my kids(who were at this point going nuts) and they wanted me to call a locksmith.
Just as I was calling the locksmith the daycare lady came in, with the keys. That was my last day there.
NEVER had a moment as a mother I was treated worse.

Lone_Wolf70

I dont think it's the state's job to do this. We can be parents or let the state be our parents. Would YOU trust the state?

tismyhardbody

This is one of the best post i have seen here. So much good info! Thank you for posting this!

2012asv

i love you for posting this. I am going to be signing up in the coming months and this was somthing I was really curious about myself.

Great info.

BAMFMeredith

Working in a facility such as this, I have first hand experience with this.

Many gyms don't have child care licenses for a few reasons: One being money. It costs a LOT to become licensed and the child:adult ratio is so low, that it would be nearly impossible to staff the child care which would render it useless. Two, it opens them up to visits from DHS and other child protection agencies, which can be VERY difficult for young staff that are just there to hang out with the kids.

Where I worked, all staff had background checks prior to hire and had to be CPR/AED/First Aid certified before even stepping into the room to work in child care. Not all places adhere to this standard.

But this stuff is nothing new. It's been going on for ages.

You're right, the problem here is these facilities lure people into total false senses of security to get their business. And most people I've talked to about never thought about it as "leaving your kid with a bunch of strangers" type thing. I know I sure didn't. I was told so many times how they have "highly trained staff" etc, but come to find out---none of that's true. Just stuff they say to sell memberships. Another issue, is even if they're not licensed, they are required by law to report any outcry incident that is inappropriate in nature to the CPS 24 hour hotline...they didn't do that regarding the incident with my child, and then I found out they've NEVER reported anything. That's how I got investigating and how CPS got involved.

I have NO problem with the facility not being licensed, I completely understand the reasons behind it, plus they don't have to be, but to lie about background checks or simply not have them and not have your staff trained properly---that's pretty scary.

BAMFMeredith

I dont think it's the state's job to do this. We can be parents or let the state be our parents. Would YOU trust the state?

I'm not asking the state to do anything, I don't mind that they don't require licensing, I was just drawing attention to that fact because a lot of people don't know that.

The issues I was more alarmed about were the fact that these facilities are misrepresenting themselves to parents.

tismyhardbody

I dont think it's the state's job to do this. We can be parents or let the state be our parents. Would YOU trust the state?

This post has nothing to do with the state being parents to our children. It has everything to do with facilities representing themselves as something they are not though. I venture to say that 99% of parents do not know the information in this post.

Kerri_is_so_very

All terrific points! I think also it is good to consider how visible the center is, how frequently the staff changes (we typically have the same ones week in and week out, changes only every now and then). Ours also do not assist with diaper changes or potty breaks. If they need a diaper changed they'll page you. I think it's a good idea to cut a work out short now and then and pop in unexpected from time to time etc. I belong to the Y and I know they do a pretty good job screening, but honestly I have never asked what their policy is. I am going to now that I'm curious, but I've never had any issues and we've been using it off and on for more than 7 years.

tashjs21

This is a great post! My gym uses the "trained" staff as a selling point but we stopped taking our daughter when we realized that it was basically 1 person watching over them and not even doing a good job at that.

We had taken her when she was a baby and I decided not to take are back when we picked her up and she was still sitting in her car seat all the way in the back of the room with older kids poking at her.

We brought her when she was older and could walk thinking she would be better off that way. Nope, when I picked her up another little girl was following her around watching over her and came over to us and told us a little boy had hit my daughter. The childcare worker knew nothing about it. That was it for me. Now we go to the gym at different times while the other one stays home with her.

ninerbuff

Don't get too much in a huff. It's more important about how you feel about the staffing than the licensing. Licensed doesn't always mean good. There are lots of licensed day care people out there. I'd rather leave my kid (which I did) with unlicensed Disney staff counselors than the licensed day care in my parents town.
Easiest clue IMO...........if the place isn't clean, bolt.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

tashjs21

I dont think it's the state's job to do this. We can be parents or let the state be our parents. Would YOU trust the state?

It didn't seem to me that the OP was saying anything about the State doing anything. :huh:

BAMFMeredith

Don't get too much in a huff. It's more important about how you feel about the staffing than the licensing. Licensed doesn't always mean good. There are lots of licensed day care people out there. I'd rather leave my kid (which I did) with unlicensed Disney staff counselors than the licensed day care in my parents town.
Easiest clue IMO...........if the place isn't clean, bolt.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

That's the thing. This center--impeccable. Beautiful, looks amazing. The staff seemed great. Seemed being the key word here. I'm not concerned about the licensing of the facility, but I AM concerned about the misrepresentation of what the staff provides and how qualified/trained they were. It's just important to ask ALL questions, even when you don't think you need to. The fact that this facility is/was SO nice, it made me feel comfortable enough not to ask all the questions. I wish I had.

tashjs21

Don't get too much in a huff. It's more important about how you feel about the staffing than the licensing. Licensed doesn't always mean good. There are lots of licensed day care people out there. I'd rather leave my kid (which I did) with unlicensed Disney staff counselors than the licensed day care in my parents town.
Easiest clue IMO...........if the place isn't clean, bolt.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

That is true, there are licensed daycares here that I would not leave my kid with at all.

My gym has a high turnover rate, which was another red flag for me.

HealthyWarrior

I have been doing daycare in my home for 2 years now and I am NOT licensed. I follow the guidelines of only being allowed 3 children in my care at a time per state law. I have no desire to become licensed. To me its just a hassle. I am CPR and First Aide certified and I have my BCI check done. I did that all on my own. Being licensed doesn't make you or your facility better at all. How many times on the news have we seen LICENSED daycares in trouble for hurting children or even worse??? I think its great these points are all brought up and to everyones attention. Children are a precious blessing and I know I wouldn't leave my children with just anyone. Kudos to you mom for checking up at your gym to find out the horrifying news that the staff doesn't have background checks or have cpr training. Such a shame.

Monkeymomma05

Don't get too much in a huff. It's more important about how you feel about the staffing than the licensing. Licensed doesn't always mean good. There are lots of licensed day care people out there. I'd rather leave my kid (which I did) with unlicensed Disney staff counselors than the licensed day care in my parents town.
Easiest clue IMO...........if the place isn't clean, bolt.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

That is true, there are licensed daycares here that I would not leave my kid with at all.

My gym has a high turnover rate, which was another red flag for me.

I had my daughter in a daycare for 2 months before I was able to switch her to another one. The original daycare she was in had to close due to divorce by the owners so I had to find a new one. The one she was in for 2 months was a christian daycare connected to the church building and had license and certifications and the bells and whistles so I thought 'what's there to worry about?' About 3 weeks there when I started dropping her off in the mornings she would cry and beg me not to leave her there, I spoke with the teachers and the administrators and they said they would help her with the transition. They also had a webcam in the room she was in so I would log in and keep it on at my desk throughout the day, it only covered half of the room and I spoke to the administrators about that too. 2 weeks after that she was coming home filthy and would cling to me when we would leave. It took me 2 more weeks to finally find another daycare that was accepting new kids in her age group and another week because I had to wait for the new month with the new daycare.

This place had all the requirements and even bonus to me was connected with the church. Come to find out later that a lot of people have had problems with that daycare and I am not the only one who had those problems. The new daycare that my daughter is at is fantastic and she has been there for the past 4 years.

danasings

Soooooo many reasons why I won't join a gym, and this is one of the main reasons. I know they are not certified, and I know no one is watching the kids. It takes a lot of time and $$$ in California to get that certification. My neighbor belongs to 24 Hr Fitness and his observations were enough for me.

I'm so sorry that happened to you. I hope your child is all right. Take care.