Did you know the YMCA offers financial assistance for
memberships? I recently received a flyer in the mail with this information and
thought I’d go check it out. I had always assumed the Y cost a small fortune to
join, especially since the one by us has a pool and offers childcare.
Turns out, not only do they have some great programs, many
of which are included, but their membership fees are pretty comparable to other
area gyms. Years ago, (we’re talking more than 10 years here) I had a
membership to Club One, subsidized through my employer at the time. Their
enrollment fee back then was something crazy like $300, and my monthly
membership was $65 if I remember correctly. After doing research into other
gyms in the Peninsula area, I’ve been hard-pressed to find too many gyms that
charge less than $60 or so a month. Well, for an individual membership, the
YMCA charges a pretty reasonable $90 enrollment fee and $70 a month. Wow. If
you account for inflation, the Y membership is much, much cheaper. For a
two-parent family membership, kids included, enrollment is $150 and the monthly
fee is $108. The family membership includes ALL dependents living at your
address under 24 years of age. So if you have one kid or six, you can all use the
facilities. They also have discounted rates for seniors, teens, and college-age
adults.
So onto what membership includes. You get full use of the
facilities, which house a lap pool, family pool, full workout room with weights
and cardio machines. You have access to something crazy like 200 classes a
month, FREE childcare, up to two hours per day while you work out (which
includes enclosed outdoor play time for the kids). They also have all sorts of
additional and some included programs like kids dance classes, swimming classes
and youth camps.
This place is also crazy family-oriented like no other gym
I’ve found in my area. As long as kids pass a safety test, they’re allowed to
work out in the weight/cardio room at age 8. They also offer a number of parent-child
exercise classes, and special family pool time.
If the
membership fees are out of your budget, and let’s be honest, if you’re reading
this, you probably don’t have an extra $70-100 a month to spend on working out,
just ask for a financial aid application at the front desk. You can apply for
assistance with gym costs or for things like the youth camp programs. I’m not
sure what the income cutoff is, and I would assume it probably varies by where
you live. To check out your local YMCA facility, see their website.