Child 1 Age 6 - 7 (Male)
Program(s) focused in Health and Fitness (multi), Sport (multi), Parkour
(5) Overall experience
We absolutely love the experience at KidStrong Vaughan! Our son attends a weekly 45-minute class, and we can't get him there fast enough each week! He excitedly waits for his class to begin, participates actively and enthusiastically, and talks about his class after we have left!
The KidStrong Vaughan program and team are organized, engaging, inclusive, and motivating for kids of all abilities. The curriculum changes from week to week, which makes the class super exciting, but the routines stay familiar and consistent, which has greatly helped our son build confidence and pride in his progress in the program. We have attended the program for the last year and definitely plan to continue in the future, as our son moves up through the ranks of the KidStrong program. He has truly had the best experience at KidStrong Vaughan!
(5) Reason for choosing the camp
I was originally attracted to KidStrong Vaughan because it focuses on physical activity, social skills, teamwork, and building confidence without being a class for a specific sport. Our son is an active kid who seeks movement but does not enjoy playing organized sports. He loves the KidStrong program, which includes obstacle courses, gymnastics and sports skills, various physical exercises, mental exercises, and competition all in one class. I really appreciate how the program changes from week to week, so our son is always excited to see what activities he will get to do. But it also has components that stay the same, such as the affirmations at the beginning and end of classes and awards ceremonies at the end of classes. He is motivated to actively participate and loves moving up the ranks of the program.
This program is close to home, which makes it convenient to attend, but also offers many different days and times for each age group, so I could always fit a class into my schedule. The experience has been worth the investment in our opinions and is along the same lines as what we pay for other programs.
(5) Program quality and activities
As previously mentioned, our child is an active kid who seeks movement but does not enjoy playing organized sports. He loves the KidStrong program, which includes a wide variety of activities such as obstacle courses, gymnastics, and sports skills, various physical exercises, mental exercises, and competition, all combined in one class. I really appreciate how the program changes from week to week, so our son is always excited to see what activities he will get to do, but it also has components that stay the same, such as the affirmations at the beginning and end of classes and awards ceremonies at the end of classes. This completely aligned with my child's interests in movement and activity, as well as teamwork, without being specific to a sport like so many other programs.
KidStrong Vaughan follows a curriculum rooted in evidence, and they share references and resources with families regarding the effectiveness of the programs. They regularly reach out to request feedback from families regarding the effectiveness and quality of the programs through questionnaires and in-person discussions.
(5) Social dynamics and experience
One of the reasons my child loves to attend the KidStrong Vaughan program is that he loves to spend time with all the kids in his class. He has made friends with the other kids who regularly attend at the same time and day, but he also has a chance to play with a wide variety of kids through group activities that foster and support teamwork. KidStrong is incredibly inclusive, and there have been no issues related to bullying or inclusion.
(5) Skills and growth
My child has progressed and gained many skills in his time attending KidStrong so far. His confidence and perseverance are among the qualities that stand out the most. At times when he has felt frustrated or nervous, he has been supported by the staff and the program to persevere and has felt successful on many occasions. His physical strength, coordination, and motor planning skills have improved, as well as his social skills and self-regulation and emotional regulation skills.
He is faced with challenging activities almost every week that push him to work harder, follow specific instructions, and try his best. He is always proud of himself, and so are we!
(5) Staff/Instructors/Counsellors
Desmond, the owner of KidStrong Vaughan, is truly amazing! He is so in tune to the needs of the community and to supporting families to make KidStrong Vaughan work as part of their weekly schedules and lives. The coaches have all been wonderful as well! They are welcoming, kind, supportive, patient, and so much fun!
The staff communicates with the families regularly through in-person communication at class, emails of progress updates after every class, and emails/texts to give any information that families need to know.
We have not had any issue/conflict with KidStrong Vaughan.
(5) Advice and tips
I would highly recommend the KidStrong Vaughan program to any families in the community. Especially those who are looking for an active but non-sporting program for their child. I believe that every child could benefit from the structure and style of the KidStrong program. Building confidence, strength, and social skills is paramount in this program, and I am consistently pleased with KidStrong Vaughan every week.
They truly go above and beyond for our children, and the evidence is clear by my son's happiness before, during, and after every class!
I sent both my kids to KidStrong Vaughan summer camp last summer, and they both had a great time. They were eager to go back each morning and sad when the camp day was over. The facility was clean and...
I have both my boys in KidStrong, and they love it so much. Every week, they look forward to coming. They know what days we go and are always talking about KidStrong and how they love going and love t...
KidStrong has been a game-changer for both of our kids. It has helped our youngest come out of his shell and get his high level of energy out, and helped our autistic son find mental confidence and p...
