YMCA of Dekalb County

Very bad experience with taking my child to the daycare - they call it an early learning center.... the teachers sit there on their cell phones and ipads all day while the kids play. Before I took my child there I heard very bad reviews in the community for the daycare and even had other daycares tell me not to take my child there. I did not listen and went anyways. Was the worst experience ever. The have a high turn around rate with daycare staff, there is not a preschool learning program, they are extremely lazy and do not properly care for the children with helping them use the restroom, washing hands, changing clothes, getting ready for nap...etc. My child hated going everyday and would tell me really mean tactics the teachers would use to threaten them and blame them instead of taking charge and being a role model & leader for the children. The staff is very awkward, they never acknowledge you when you drop your kid off or pick them up - they never talk to you and just look down or away when you try to say hello we are here this morning, or bye for the evening. The staff does not show much actual affection or care for the children. They are simply a pay check and that is it they could care less about your child. I don't know about anyone else but to be paying the ridiculous price they charge I want someone to take care of my child, teach them, love them, respect them, and actually pay attention to them. more

Nice big pool, good classes and cardio machines, adequate strength equipment. I love the staff! I have read some critical reviews of the Y. I will admit that if you are a serious weight lifter you may need more than what they provide. But for what they have, it is a great price and it is adequate for a normal person's needs. more

Good: big, clean pool. Newer cardio machines. good prices.. Bad: Swim teams dominate the pool from oct to march. Lockers and showers are not clean. Main St is unusable, North has too few weights.. Improvements: Get rid of main and double the size of north. Build a new big free weight area in North. Have more classes in North.. Other: Need four locker rooms instead of two. Cleanliness is a big problem for locker/shower areas. Main is a dump and the Y cut off Ashley and Garrett locations, you need to focus on North Street locatin. Hire more help esp. janitors.. more

LIke any YMCA, there are many activites for kids. The pool is clean and regulation size. They also have basketball and club sports. For adults, the fitness classes are excellent. The instructors are high quality. The fitness center includes a nautilus circuit, dumbbells, a cable tower, a chin/dip station, and many new cardio machines. Great value. jeff more

The locker room and showers are clean, and that is a step up from most Ys or clubs. They have new cardio equipment, a kids' workout area, and some great classes. The staff are very dedicated and know members by name. Great value for a good price. They do have some free weights at the Main st. location. I will admit that if you are a serious powerlifter, the free wt. area needs a rack and some benches and plates, not to mention an olift platform. However, if you want a good workout with friendly people, it is beyond adequate. more

This place is great if you want a place for kids. Basketball, swimming, family fitness center including kid-size weight machines and a martial arts game. If you are a single adult or young married, pass on it. The Y is a bad atmosphere. Too many folks with incessant talking. Too few machines at peak times. Very poor free weight area, mostly bad machines. You can get a workout, but too much aggravation! more

This gym is good for a basic workout, reasonable price. Employees are dedicated. They teach some great classes that are free to members. They could use more free weights and better machines like Hammer- the matrix, magnum, and lowest-line nautilus machines are the pits. No power rack for serious lifters Pool is open too few hours because of staffing issues, and swim teams dominate the pool for much of the year. Overall, better than av. for a Y, but they could make better use of what they do have. Esp. the pools. more

Good: Three locations, many classes free for members, two clean pools.. Bad: Junky weight machines, broken treadmills, dirty locker/shower areas, people who start fights over nothing. Not enuff free weights!. Improvements: Pool at Main st. branch should be fixed. Need to keep same janitors and one head of facilities for more than one month. Much better cleaning, esp. with MRSA and H1N1 around.. Other: Half of each Y is kids only space-that is a rif-off. Get Hammer Strength and get more free weights. More and better cardio machines- fix the machines you have now. More and better employees. Too many kids run around unsupervised- too much swim team crap. I don't pay good money so that schools that could build their own pools can have multiple swim teams!. more

With locations in Auburn, Ashley, & Garret, this is one of the best and affordable gyms around. They have current exercise machines, with the best up-to-date classes on everything from jazzercise to swimming lessons. They offer classes for lifeguarding, First Aid, CPR... a whole host of opportunities to enrich our lives! more