childcare provider

tutor

child care center director

lifeguard

preschool teacher

YMCA of Central New York

I really enjoyed working at the Y - I had a great boss, and their boss was also great. I really enjoyed working with the kids and the adults and mentoring our younger staff members who were open to it! I found out after some time that the further from the "ground level" you get, the worse the management is. The best upper management/administrators were all former summer camp directors. 

Both me and my boss had to actively advocate for our part time employees to get lunch breaks, and due to unresponsive management the duty to cover those lunch breaks fell on me and my boss. This pretty much destroyed our work life balances. My position was hourly and I ended up working 50+ hour weeks for 6+ weeks in a row which is what ultimately led me to leave. My boss was typically working for over 70. My boss and I both did the math and it was clear that with pay AND benefits were still under compensated. My boss's time on a committee to find solutions for this demolition of work-life balances among employees was ironically uncompensated.

There was also, at the time I was working there, problems with job security. The company was still trying to recover after COVID and there were two rounds of layoffs which neither me nor my boss knew were coming until they hit.

Ultimately I do recommend working for the Y. I really loved my time there and I mean it when I say the skills that I learned there really help me with all of my jobs since! In my branch there were strong mentorship ties from entry level to the highest levels of leadership in the branch. Even as new people have come in they're also great with this. Turnover is nowhere near as bad as other childcare - most of our employees lasted for a full year and there are several who've been working there for going on five! Might not sound like a lot but for childcare that's big. Just be aware that often the job is only as good as branch management is, and that for admin/management jobs, they're going to ask a lot of you and there's not much you can do about it.

I worked the summer camp. The management was a mess. I was not supported. I learned that no matter how much I asked for improvement, it was never going to happen. Workplace culture was incredibly toxic. I had coworkers that disliked each other. I wasn't able to switch the group I was with. I was stuck in a toxic and hostile environment. The hardest part of the job was not crying before I went to work, dealing with a manager/directors that were rude behind your back, unable to fix simple issues between coworkers, dumping the duties of fixing what I saw onto me instead of doing their job. I learned for the second time; the YMCA employs some of the meanest people I've ever met. If I had to reflect positively,  I would say the job was easy work apart from the drama others created. I quit on the spot when someone who was higher than my boss decided to speak to me unprofessionally. 

This used to be a great place until the very upper management changed, then it all went down the toilet.  The problem is the very upper management, the one who is in charge of the central NY Y.  One of those who cuts costs and jobs then they get their bonuses and will hit the road.  Moral is at an all time low, people's positions were cut, and now it's bare bones staff that's being run into the ground.  Folks are being forced to conform to the woke belief system and it's not longer the same.  It's so heartbreaking to watch.  No job security here.  Coworkers were great, the lower man on the ladder is what's getting punished.  Not right!  Hard work means nothing.  

You shouldn’t put staff with the wrong staff member if you both have a learning disability I don’t miss doing cpr and first aid trainings every 2 years til 10 at night that’s another con. The pay is great now the shirts were nice but some of the directors weren’t that good and some were nice. They are very unorganized with the staff the fact you have to call for subs is pointless. I don’t miss working here at all however I miss the kids.!! Some of the staff were nice and not nice the communication was terrible. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
The understanding and appreciation of staff and students

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Not enough time for projects/activities 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Fun, diverse, orderly and friendly 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Greet staff, get supplies, gather youth, work on projects, clean up and then prepare for dismissal

I love the YMCA’s mission and values but I don’t always see those values put into practice. Turnover is high because employees are easily over worked, under paid and under appreciated. The people I work with are great and the job itself can be fun but stressful. It is clear that senior leadership does not care about its people as long as they show up. A genuine ‘thanks for being here, I know it’s been a tough week’ or general recognition of hard work would go along way. 

The company culture is not that great. Overall you will have a sense of purpose but not be paid for the amount of work you are expected to do. There is a huge clique within the company. There is not a lot of upward mobility either.  Almost no work-life balance

Seems upper management is only interested in raising money, to many high paid executives, low pay for staff that show up every day causing turnover and lack of applicants for open positions. Never see  
executives at branches, many still working from home and no accountability. 

Leadership seems to have a vision, and people really care about each other. Supportive bosses and coworkers, good communication most of the time, and easy to get along with. Laid back compared to a lot of places.

We are often understaffed which makes work/life balance hard. Raises are almost nonexistent for hourly workers. They will often hire from within rather than taking in new applicants 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Childcare provider 46 salaries reported	$16.08 per hour
Tutor 29 salaries reported	$31.80 per hour
Child care center director 15 salaries reported	$17.63 per hour
Lifeguard 15 salaries reported	$16.37 per hour
Preschool teacher 22 salaries reported	$20.41 per hour

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