First, I don't recommend this for children entering K or younger. Our youngest is four (entering…read moreTK), but we kept her out this year because there are too many big kids and not enough supervision and structure. Basically, this place is a free-for-all for elementary and younger middle school students. Also, the bathrooms. Hit or miss. First day, one had ants and another one had poop. Last day, everything was clean and well-stocked. I realize that that's up to the janitorial staff of the host school and not S&K, but that is an area for improvement. With that said, Jenbert Jr 1 (6.5 years, entering 1st grade) had so much fun here. On her first day she played soccer, read in the library, made a bracelet, played interactive games with the counselors, went down the slip & slide, and played on the playground. She came back with an equally big smile on her face after the second day talking about finding Chucky the chicken, all the games she played, and pieing volunteers in the face. Jenbert Jr 1 is usually a fussy eater but she liked a lot of the meals here. She enjoyed the rest of her time here and can't wait to come back next year. As a parent, I love the flexibility, variety of activities (both the core and rotating), and the fact that nut-free lunch and snacks are provided. There are also veg and GF options. I also like that you only pay for what you use. We are looking forward to returning in 2027!

My kid and her friend registered for the last week of summer camp. They arrived at 9 a.m., but…read moreunfortunately, many things weren't open until 10:30 a.m. Consequently, they had limited options for activities. Even the open activities were completely full. When things finally opened, there were extremely long lines, and they were unable to participate in any activities except for a 20-minute sewing session before being excused for lunch. They were repeatedly told to return an hour later on many activities, so they tried the library, which was closed, and then searched for athletic equipment like balls or anything, only finding none that weren't already being played with. In essence, the kids were left with no options and were forced to sit around and observed other kids doing the same, which is not what we expected from what was advertised. I understand that the camp has a high number of kids the last week of summer, but it should not compromise their overall experience. I had to pick them up early because they literally had nothing to do. I am a working mom and was really hoping this camp would have worked out for them for the next day. Therefore, I requested a full refund but nobody ever got back to me about it. Super disappointing and a fair warning for others who are looking to enroll in this summer camp in the future.

Had the best time having our 4 year old birthday party here! They make it unbelievably easy for…read moreparents. All you have to do is order some pizza, drinks and cake. Everything else is taken care of. Decorations not necessary given the space. They even have tablecloths and serve the pizza for you. Staffing was excellent- great employee to kid ratios. I would say it's best for ages 4 and up, not younger toddlers. The only downsides are you do have to book at midnight the time it opens 2 months ahead if you want a guaranteed spot (even then may not get it!). Fairly pricey, and if over base amount of kids included gets even pricier. It was definitely worth it given everything they do.

My daughter, now 8, has attended Encore's summer camps in previous years when she was 6 and 7. She…read moreis autistic--funny, sweet, and energetic--but she can sometimes struggle with following directions. When she first attended at 6, we had a great experience, and even spoke with someone who said they specialized in supporting children with special needs. That gave us a lot of confidence in returning the following summer. When she was 7, we enrolled her for several weeks in the afternoons after her summer school program. We were assured that she was welcome and that there would be no issues. The first week went smoothly. During the second week, however, we were told she wasn't staying with the group the entire time and that it was a safety concern. Instead of working with us on strategies or accommodations, we were abruptly told it would be best if she not return for the rest of the summer. This left us without childcare for weeks during a time when both my spouse and I work full‑time. Despite that experience, we still hoped things could be different this year. Our daughter has grown a lot, and with ADHD medication, many of the behaviors they struggled with have improved significantly. We planned to sign her--and our son--up for just one week. But when I tried to register, I discovered there was a hold on our account. After calling and being told someone would get back to me, I was later informed that they were "too worried" about my daughter being a problem again. No one asked whether anything had changed since last year. Instead, I was told we could send her only if we provided an aide or a family member to supervise her the entire time. If we had a family member available to supervise, we wouldn't need a camp. And paying for an aide on top of an already expensive camp simply isn't feasible for most families. My advice to other parents: if your child is autistic, on the spectrum, or simply not a perfectly rule‑following child, think carefully before signing up. In our experience, Encore did not offer support, collaboration, or solutions--only exclusion. It's painful to see an 8‑year‑old who means no harm turned away instead of being met with understanding and partnership. Families deserve better, and so do our kids. I am giving this two stars because I imagine if you have neurotypical children the camp is fine.

Wonderful program! I honestly did not think that my two year old was old enough to play soccer. But…read moreI stopped at these folks tent at the Martinez Halloween event and was surprised to learn that they had a program close to us. We signed up for the class with Coach Matt at PH park/ Larkey Park and I have to tell you, it's been a game changer. The first lesson, my daughter had never kicked a soccer ball and had no interest. Today, we wrapped up the season and LOVES it. She talks about soccer and Coach Matt all the time and now kicks her soccer ball in the backyard. The impact has been great in just a few short weeks and we are so excited to sign up for the next season. P.s. this is not a team with soccer games. It's the basics teaching kids to kick, go around cones, make goals, listen to instructions and have fun. The Coach really did a great job making things fun, encouraging the kids to play, sang and of course gave stickers. I'm sure the other instructors are also great, but my daughter is a big fan of Coach Matt.

2025 was our first year with Soccer Stars, and my oldest did a total of three sessions with Coach…read moreBen and Coach Matt in Orinda and Walnut Creek, as well as the summer soccer/art camp. My oldest loves soccer now and begged to go back to Coach Ben, which is why we made the drive out to Walnut Creek on the weekends. He's goofy, knows how to relate to kids, and manages them well! As the first reviewer mentioned, this is not a team. It's a class of about 5-10 kids learning the basics and building up their skills together. Now, my daughter wants me to play soccer with her on a regular basis! If you have to miss class due to weather, illness, travel, whatever, scheduling a makeup is easy! Thanks, Coach Ben and Coach Matt! You rock my daughter's world!

Our 4-year-old attended several sessions at Albany Berkeley Soccer Club, including the winter…read moreindoor futsal program, which was great during the rainy season. Overall, the program can be good for kids to get introduced to soccer and teamwork. However, during the last few classes the coaching shifted toward more competitive play, which became overwhelming for my son at his age. He started crying during those portions of class, and after three sessions like that we decided it was best to take a break so he doesn't develop a negative association with the sport. The most frustrating part was trying to request a refund for the next session I had already registered him for. It was very difficult to reach anyone by phone (voicemail was full), and it took several emails and weeks to get a response. In the end, the only option offered was a refund minus a $50 administrative fee or a credit for a future session. While the program itself has some positives, the communication and refund process felt inflexible for families with very young children who may need more flexibility.

My daughter had so much fun with the first touch soccer academy! She turned four in the middle of…read moreour first season. The games they have to help with coordination are so much fun that she talks about them at home. The guy in charge and all the coaches are so nice and accommodating.

Customer service 5/5 Environment 5/5…read moreQuality of teachers 5/5 I have been going to Kinetics Art Center for over a month now and it has exceeded my expectations overall. The adult drop in class packages work best for me and I've been consistently attending Sam (primarily silks and lyra) and Megan's (trapeze) classes. I called the front desk to make my initial purchase because there were so many options, I couldn't decide what I wanted based on my schedule. Fortunately, Janelle (front desk) was very patient and helpful, and I ended up getting the 10 class pack. When I got there, it was a bit intimidating because I was more used to smaller studios, but everyone here was so nice. Janell also made sure to check on me to see if I was doing ok when I took my first class. The other students and teachers were very welcoming and supportive to check out other classes, which is how I ended up with taking two classes back to back at-least once a week instead of just one class. In regards to the teachers, "great" would be such an understatement. I love Sam's class because even though it's primarily silks, they'll put one other apparatus (hoop mainly, and recently flying pole!) for us to try out-so it's more than just one apparatus in this one class. I also really like that they'll give us challenging *enough* moves because it's so satisfying to execute steps after struggling so much for it. I also love Megan's trapeze class because she's very flexible with our experiences. This pace is great for me because I don't have alot of experience with trapeze and the ropes on it feel so different from silks! Nikki and Zi have substituted for their classes and they're both amazing as well. I'd highly recommend taking classes here. It's a fun and challenging workout compared to a regular gym...I also love that it's spacious too!

The coaches are nice so it's easier to follow their directions.And the camps there are really good…read morebecause there's a nice schedule.- this is the opinion of my kiddo based on aerial classes and camps.

Coach Shaun is a wonderful baseball tutor for any age. He is throughly knowledgeable about all…read moreelements of the game; always coaches from a positive standpoint; is an exceptional teacher, and a high-quality man. He certainly teaches baseball well, but includes the gift of being a role model for all in developing successful approaches to life, as well as baseball.

Did our first session today with Shaun and what a great experience. My 7 yo loved every minute…read more This session was just some basic foot work, coordination and technique and it went a long with my son. Can't wait to get him in again very soon

This place is awesome. It's very unstructured: kids can choose to participate in scheduled…read moreactivities, pick an activity room instead, or even just spend the day roaming around playing with their friends. We haven't gone this year yet (I'll update when that changes!) but last summer, they had: * Baking: kids could learn to make the baked good of the day, from pies to pizzas, and help with baking lunch for the camp; * A sewing room: bins of fabric and notions, supplies for hand sewing, sewing machines and an instructor on hand to teach kids how to use them, patterns, and stuffing; * A fashion show where kids who got really into that sewing room could show their work off; * An arts and crafts room, with regular projects as well as the option to just come in and make whatever you wanted; * A STEM room with robotics, stop motion animation, and other cool supplies; * Sports, bubbles, etc outside; * A dance room with music playing and cool lights; * I think also a quiet room where you could just chill out and read or decompress; * And a different bounce house each week! The food looked great. There were a lot of options, from pizza to salad. The food changes each year, depending on who they can get to cater it. All of it sounded amazing, which helped a lot. Because my kid has struggled with separation anxiety disorder, and maybe agoraphobia. Finding a camp he'd actually be EXCITED to go to was the key here. He put in a lot of emotional work to make it in the door. We spent many days just driving up and sitting in the car outside, talking through his feelings, sometimes getting out for a little while, before the day he decided he could go in. And I cannot thank Steve & Kate's enough for providing a structure where that's POSSIBLE. Very few camps have drop-in policies. With most places, you have to sign up five or six months in advance, because they're on focused topics and have limited space. Even with more general camps, you can rarely sign up for just a day at a time, or let them know at the last minute that you're coming -- understandably!!! At Steve & Kate's, not only can you just show up the day of camp and register there if you need to - you can also show up at any point in the day, and they'll still let you in. That's HUGE. That's HUGE even under normal circumstances. When you can't tell in advance whether your kid will be able to go in, or will have a series of panic attacks in the car until you take him back home, BUT you really need to practice going to a place like camp before you try to go to Actual School, that's EXCEPTIONALLY HUGE. He can practice going, and test his own boundaries, and gently move out of his comfort zone, at his own pace, WITHOUT ME PAYING FOR A CAMP HE DOESN'T END UP GOING TO. And without holding an empty spot that some other family needed! In accessibility terms, that is HUGE. On top of that, my kid - who values kindness very highly, especially in adults - was super impressed by how KIND everyone there was. The first day he went, he had trouble getting lunch because the kids were crowding instead of lining up (or the line collapsed into a crowd) and he couldn't figure out how to get to the food. He spoke very highly of one staff member who noticed he wasn't eating, gently asked if he needed help getting food, and then brought him pizza. He said everyone was kind, but that one was SUPER kind. I also noticed, while waiting to pick him up, that lots of other kids were clearly on friendly terms with the staff. I heard kids talking about different staff members very positively, and I saw kids mobbing different ones to ask them interesting questions or joke around with them. I was personally very impressed by the staff's kindness too. I reached out to the camp ahead of time to tell them about my kid's struggles. They scheduled a time for us to tour the campus while it was in session, see all the different areas, ask any questions, and talk about anything they could do to support him. Just really super-nice people all around. I also loved having the option to check him in online the night before, or the morning of, if I was pretty sure he was going... and the refund policy that gives me back the money for days he doesn't go! Even though he was really excited about the sewing room and stop motion animation in particular, he spent most of the time just making new friends and hanging out with them. And I think that's great. He loved his time there. The time he spent practicing going, and actually going, made it so much easier for him to start school in the fall. 1000/10 stars. Love this place. It was about $100/day, which feels like a lot but is really just on the slightly high end for camps. Well worth it for the flexibility and the range of activities available, even without the accessibility. Absolutely delightful and fantastic, kinda wish they had one just for grownups!

Steve and Kate's is an absolute lifesaver. It's easy to deal with, and I love the flexibility of…read morebeing refunded for unused days if something comes up My son is 5 and has been attending since he was 4. He loves it. They typically have a bouncy house plus activity rooms. There's also group events where kids can win prizes. I don't think Steve and Kate's is particularly academic, but there's definitely lots to keep kids occupied. My son really looks forward to it. He's very proud of the pillows he has "made" from the sewing room, and loves the marble run when it's an option. While there's a limit to the lunch accommodations (and my son brings a packed lunch), they were able to get some dairy free puff pastry so he could be included in the cooking lab, and dietary needs and restrictions can be printed on the campers tags so there are no mistakes. We've had a positive experience with Steve and Kate's Emeryville.

We recently hosted a birthday party here for my 3 year old son and had a really great experience…read more The facility is very clean, well-organized, and set up perfectly for young kids. Leila did a wonderful job leading the activities and keeping a group of 16 children engaged with age-appropriate options. Even the younger kids who wanted to participate were included, and everything ran smoothly despite the excitement that comes with a room full of toddlers. One thing I especially appreciated was how easy the experience felt as a parent. The party room was fully cleaned afterward, and our belongings were neatly organized, which allowed me to actually enjoy the party rather than stress about logistics. We also come regularly for Open Play, and it's always a great experience. The space is consistently safe, clean, and well-run, which is why we keep coming back. Highly recommend for both parties and everyday play.

Such a fun place! I brought my 25 month old here for the open play session a few days ago and she…read morehad a lot of fun. Unfortunately the session was just us and her cousin. So it was bit quiet. But the girls really enjoyed exploring, dancing and playing. We would definitely come back, but may try another class. The class before ours was much busier.