Watts Family Maryvale YMCA

About

Membership-only recreation center featuring a gym, pool, and basketball court, plus youth programs.

The Watts Family Maryvale YMCA features aquatic facilities, including a lap pool and a splash pad. While specific pool temperatures are not publicly listed on their website, YMCA pools are generally heated to comfortable temperatures for year-round use, accommodating various activities such as swim lessons, lap swimming, and recreational play.

What are people saying (AI review summary)? The reviews for this YMCA location present a mixed picture, but highlight significant concerns, particularly regarding its leadership and childcare services. Many reviewers commend the general workers as nice and note the gym is well-equipped and offers good value for family memberships. Positive experiences are also reported for summer camps and youth basketball programs, with staff described as friendly and organized at the Maryvale location. However, a predominant theme of severe disappointment surrounds the director, Dustin, who is repeatedly described as unprofessional, dismissive, and lacking empathy, especially when dealing with families facing difficult circumstances like homelessness. Complaints against Dustin include his perceived deflection of accountability, refusal to acknowledge mistakes, prioritizing the defense of staff (some of whom he may be personally close to) over family needs, and contributing to poor internal communication. Childcare services also receive strong criticism. While one reviewer praises a specific worker (Laura), others detail deeply upsetting incidents, such as a child returning with an unreported scratch and being left soaked in urine. Reviewers allege that staff, under Dustin's oversight, labeled children as "problems" rather than providing necessary patience or individualized attention, possibly due to inadequate training. Issues with the refund process and misinformation were also noted. Finally, one review raised concerns about a GED teacher who inappropriately displayed political content (supporting Trump and Kyle Rittenhouse) during class, especially in a predominantly Hispanic/Latino environment. Overall, while the YMCA's mission is valued, multiple reviewers feel this particular branch is failing to uphold those values due to leadership issues and a need for improved staff training.

Location

Gallery

Amenities

• Accepts Credit Cards
• Accessible Entrance
• Accessible Restroom

Reviews

Listing Reviews

September 8th, 2025

Sandy

The workers are all pretty nice. The gym has just about everything you need. It’s not big. For family membership I would say is cheaper than other gyms. The childcare workers for the gym aren’t that great except for Laura. I avoid going on days they are there.

June 25th, 2025

Gustavo Ochoa

I am extremely disappointed with my experience at this YMCA location, especially regarding the actions—and inactions—of the director, Dustin. His conduct has been unprofessional, dismissive, and lacking the empathy that is absolutely necessary when working with families, especially those going through difficult circumstances like housing insecurity. Rather than approaching situations with understanding and care, Dustin tends to deflect accountability and dismiss parent concerns. Instead of leading by example, he appears to prioritize defending his staff—some of whom he seems personally close to—over addressing real issues and ensuring the needs of families and children are met. It’s very clear that mistakes have been made under his oversight, but he refuses to acknowledge them or consider how a lack of adequate staff training may be contributing to ongoing problems. On a separate but related note, I had a deeply upsetting experience involving my three-year-old son just days before we were dismissed from the program. My son came home with a visible scratch on his face, and no one at the YMCA reported it to me or offered an explanation. On another occasion, I arrived to pick him up and found him completely soaked in urine—left in that condition with no apparent effort to clean or comfort him. These are basic childcare standards that were simply ignored. Rather than support us in navigating these incidents or trying to understand my son’s needs, the staff—and ultimately Dustin—seemed to come together and decide my son was a “problem.”And created the narrative around incident reports that even happened in two different areas at the same time which is concerning how staff came together to weave out the nuisance my son had 2 full days in a different section and thats the reason I stated they didnt want to deal with him.In truth, they just didn’t have the proper training to work with children who might require a little more patience or individualized attention. Instead of working to improve or accommodate, they seemed to take the easier route—keeping only the children who are easiest to manage and effectively weeding out the rest. Every child is different, and every family has a different story. A childcare facility like the YMCA should embrace that, not shy away from it. From the moment I enrolled my son—through contact with billing and placement into a program I was never fully informed about—it was clear there was poor internal communication. One staff member would say one thing, another something else. At one point, the director even blamed the front desk staff for misinformation, yet still managed to imply that I had made the whole story up. It was hurtful and unacceptable. Despite asking multiple times for a refund due to these serious concerns—and the fact that we were facing homelessness at the time—my request was ignored until finally acknowledged. I do appreciate that the refund was eventually granted, but the amount of stress and struggle leading up to that point was unnecessary. The YMCA as an organization has a long-standing reputation for supporting families, and I truly believe in its mission. However, this particular branch is falling short—not because of the YMCA’s values, but because of leadership that is failing to uphold them. Dustin, as a director, should be retrained or reassessed in his position. The entire staff needs better training to handle a range of child behaviors and family circumstances with compassion, professionalism, and care.

June 25th, 2025

Jay Martinez

I’m very disappointed in the leadership at this YMCA location, particularly with the director, Dustin. His conduct has been unprofessional and, frankly, dismissive when families are facing serious challenges. Rather than approaching situations with empathy or understanding—especially when families are in crisis or even facing homelessness—his response adds more stress rather than support. There have been clear issues at this branch that appear to stem from poor oversight, yet Dustin avoids accountability and refuses to acknowledge when mistakes are made. Instead of listening with care or considering how staff might be inadequately trained, he seems more interested in defending those he’s personally connected to, rather than ensuring families and children are being properly supported. His leadership style lacks responsiveness, empathy, and the professionalism expected from someone in a role meant to help and serve the community. It’s concerning how quickly he dismisses concerns, assumes families are exaggerating their situations, and fails to reflect on how his actions—or lack thereof—impact the children and their well-being. I strongly believe this branch needs reassessment in terms of administrative leadership. Dustin should undergo retraining, and YMCA leadership should take a closer look at how this location is being run. Families in need deserve better—especially when their children’s care is at stake.

June 28th, 2025

Shirahna R

The Maryvale YMCA is truly a community center. The staff are friendly and they are organized. My 2 younger girls have attended their summer camp for years and they do alot with them as well as my 10 year old plays in Phx mercury basketball.

August 5th, 2025

Miguel Murillo

The GED teacher is someone who supports trump massively, and puts stuff on the screen, during studying, that involves him. When I had went, he even put Kyle Rittenhouse on screen and acted like he was a great guy who was doing nothing wrong. He can have his own political view, everyone can, but for it to be put on, in class, in an area where we're mostly hispanic/latino, while we were STUDYING, is questionable to say the least. Do better.