I don't know about those people who give this organization a one to two star review, but speaking from my observation as a vision-impaired (blind) person, all I've got to say is that it's been a very positive experience! S T A F F: Cheerful, friendly, and very knowledgeable of the programs that are being offered at the BTB facility. The staff are very professional and also really down to earth too. S E R V I C E S: Aside from the archery program, I've yet to check out their other programs, but looking forward to checking out their aquatics program when the weather warms up a bit. Right now its about to be December...and its frigidly cold! E X P E R I E N C E: I recently joined the competitive Break the Barriers Archery Team. I used to shoot archery when I was able-bodied, yet I had to overcome some life-changing hurdles to relearn my beloved sport of archery after a freak occupational accident that caused severe vision loss. Through the coaching services at Break the Barriers, I was able to enjoy this sport again. Presently, I traverse my world using a guide cane while being supported by adaptive technology, four acute senses, and random gourmanding blunders. Overall, I have enjoyed the camaraderie that I've received from both my challenged athlete and able-bodied teammates. Everyone from the BTB archery program, staff and participants have been very respectful, supportive, and sometimes hilarious. It's nice to feel like I'm a part of something where "disability" divides us apart. read more

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Met with Tyler for my VA tour of the facility. His experience with local businesses & the community allows his position as Outreach Coordinator the ability to best support all walks of life. His personal testimony inspired me to reexamine my quality of life stateside & a broad. Met his awesome "mom" & solidified "family first" values within Break the Barriers. I am very grateful for BTB & all the staff dedicated to providing many services for young & old. Break the Barriers is bar none "priceless" to challenge & change your body, mind & soul. read more

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Don't come to this place. They only care about who is next in line to pay money. I am sad to write this due to "Break the Barriers" was suppose to be more about the students/kids. They don't care about the students continuing to learn they just want money from the next person willing to pay first! No loyalty to current students who have already paid. Money hungry organizations don't come here plenty of other places will treat you way better. read more

Great place for kids to have structured class for movement and parkour. I recommend my children clients to this facility to increase their activity and to get their sensory needs met. The teachers work one on one with the kids and the kids seem to have absolute joy. Better yet - you can even join! read more

My older two have been taking classes here for the last 10 years. They have done everything from swimming, gymnastics, taekwondo, ballet, aerial skills, and tumbling. I don't doubt we will try more. We have had some great coaches over the years and some that are okay. I will say I know they strive to get the best team they can for the kids . It's been great that my kids have been able to try new activities and see what they like best and it not cost me an arm and a leg! Plus not making them feel like they are on a total career track . I will tell you though if your kid shows promise in a area we have had coaches help them and give crazy encouragement. I am doin 4 stars cause I was a bit disappointed when we came back after they reopened and a lot of the ladies behind the counter and when they would walk around didn't wear masks or they would on their chins even though they had signs everywhere saying if you come in the building you need to be wearing one. That aside we will continue to come cause my kids do really enjoy it here . read more

Always a pleasant experience with the staff. They have many activities for all ages, some of which are Archery, youth exercise, senior exercise classes, aquatic exercise an other miscellaneous strength classes. (There is a monthly charge for these actvities) There is also a weight room with bikes, treadmills, stairstep machine and weights with benches. There also are a certain amounts of Grants for military Veterans to use which gives them facility usage at no cost to them. Highly recommend Break The Barriers read more

Went by today to check out a gymnastics class as I was interested gymnastic classes for my daughter. Not only is there price point very reasonable but Alma at the front desk was so helpful & friendly! She answered all my questions and made me feel very confident in my decision of registering my daughter. Coach Kristen was the one running a class and she smiled and acknowledged us as she saw us observing her class and during a water break even introduced herself. Definitely found our place ! read more

Break the Barriers - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Fresno, California

The classes have too many kids and 2 coaches sometimes 1. Because they have kids with disabilities as well in the class which is great but it does take attention away from other kids as focus is put on those kids. I wish they could hire more ppl so they can focus on all the kids same way. Very slow process in going from one belt to next. read more

I'm just going to make this long story short. The staff that actually teaches the classes are great. The office staff sucks. Being a former office manager that ran 3 offices at once I would definitely make some changes. To these people your student is just a name on a long waiting list. Not only did we have to wait 3 months to enroll in one class. Of which we had already enrolled at another place so we passed on that class. My daughter was on another list for another class for 4 months. They called me the night before the class starts to inform me they had a spot for her. Being a single mom of a very busy athlete it was impossible for her to attend. There's even more to this story I'm just done with this place. I will not recommend this place to any of my friends or family only due to the incompetence of the office staff. read more

I had a massive stroke in 2008. The VA did the initial physical therapy to allow me to get around. Break the Barriers came to the VA in July of 2012 and from then until now my life has not been the same. Their H.O.P.E. Program takes over where physical therapy unfortunately has to leave off and Rachel James and her assistants work with you until you reach your maximum! They also have an archery program which is excellent for your cognitive abilities because archery forces you to concentrate and coordinate different parts of your body! I also benefited from their vocal training program. I have won a medal and a certificate for my singing! For those who are interested; they even have a weekly Bible study every Wednesday at noon! They provide you with the study materials and lunch free of charge! If your body is feeling weak and you need a personal trainer in the weight room then they have 2 highly qualified trainers with whom you can set up appointments! The best part is all of this is pro bono for Veterans! It's their way of thanking us for serving our country! read more

I Took my 14 months old daughter for swim classes and it was the best thing I ever done. The coaches are super friendly and sweet. We absolutely had the best time in the water. My daughter is now jumping to me and splashing and kicking... she's definitely more confidente and this is just the beginning. I'm super excited about this place. Besides they do an amazing job helping children in need so this is definitely a special organization. read more

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We are taking the gymnastics spectrum class for children on the autism spectrum and my son if enjoying the time spent learning and getting all energy out! Coaches are patient and helpful! Thank you for providing a class that gives my son the attention he needs! They use pecs with the kids and the class size is small but still in an inclusive environment. Can't wait to try out all the other classes that they have to offer. read more

Poor customer service. Inefficient registration processes. Don't bother registering online because it won't matter. They won't hold your spot for you. They'll take your money but won't actually enroll you if you register online. read more

This is a wonderful program with an amazing mission. Our daughter really enjoyed her swim classes. In addition to getting her comfortable with the water, it also taught her about children of all abilities. The inclusive environment is really special and inspiring to see! read more

Mixed feelings about this place. They have a great selection of classes and a nice gymnastics program for youth, which is the activity we're enrolled in. I was not pleased with a female coach who made it no secret that she favored certain children in the class over others. At first I thought I was imagining it, so towards the end of the class I decided to utilize the stopwatch function on my phone and confirmed that she indeed was giving more attention to specific students. Just to show you what a drastic difference there was in attention being given, the coach was working one on one with the students. She spent over 4 minutes working with the 3 children before mine. She spent 1 minute and 18 seconds working with my child with 37 of those seconds being spent talking to another coach and not actually focusing on my child, where as the other students got her undivided attention. To say I was livid is an understatement. The following week the students had a male coach and he did a much better job at interacting with ALL of the students and giving them fairly equal amounts of attention. Hopefully we will have the male coach every class from this point forward. read more

I wanted to like this place so badly as I went here as a little girl. I was hoping my children would be able to have the same experiences I did growing up. Unfortunately, that was not the case. And I am not alone in my experience. I have heard from several other parents who shared our same experiences. I'm not looking to bring anyone down, just wanting to give an honest review. Some of the instructors were so great with the kids! Others were easily frustrated and unnecessarily hard on the little ones. Good luck! read more

Awesome place for kids! We've had swim lessons and now ballet lessons for our kids here. The staff is passionate and dedicated and we'll definitely be coming back! read more

My son just started karate here and he loves it. They teach the kids discipline and work em hard. There is also a special needs girl in the class and they teach the children how to respect her and the younger children. read more

After going here several times with my Service Leadership class to work with our special ed kids, I was very upset to find out how rude the teachers are and how inconsiderate of the kids they can be. This place has really downgraded and so have the teachers. read more

Our grandchildren did the fast track for swimming. There were 5 students and one coach, which is their standard. The children did gain confidence and skills which we reinforced at home and the coach was friendly and encouraging. Our disappointment stems from the fact that the first 5-7 minutes of the 30 min session was spent diving for rings. The last 10-12 min of the class was spent diving for rings and or going down the slide. That left 15 min or less to work with the 5 students. The children enjoyed diving for the rings, but they were doing that at home. Since there was a 30 min break between swim sessions, the slide could have been optional after the swim lesson had ended. Sometimes the sessions began on time and sometimes they did not. The higher skill level classes did seem to have longer periods of instruction. We are considering our options for next summer. We desire good value, as well as good instruction. read more

My son has been going on an off for almost 2 yrs now depending on our schedule! We've loved every teacher he's had and all the classes we've been part of. My one caveat is the cancellation policy. We travel regularly and they have a strict policy thats a use it or lose it. Its not very flexible for a family but we love it so it certainly won't be a deterrent read more

My wife and I are just so impressed with the swim class and Courtney as our daughters instructor. After just 5 classes our daughters skill and confidence improved, exceeding all of our expectations. We were so impressed that we opted to enroll in another set of classes to continue on the progress. They have a shaded pool making it comfortable for both swimmer and family and a number of instructors teaching various ages and skills of swimmers. We were already happy with our daughters previous class of gymnastics but felt swim lessons were important since it is peak swim season and we are using the pool more. Not only this but their commitment to the disabled and veterans is apparent in their work practices and programs earning our admiration. The experience has led us to continue courses for our daughter and we may have her try dance next. Thank you to all those at Break the Barriers. read more

My daughter just completed her first ballet dance season this Fall and I can't express how happy I am that her first experience was with Break the Barriers. A very positive and accepting place of all abilities. I was so appreciative of the positive experience she had here. The teachers and the youth dancers were friendly and encouraging to her. She looks forward to going every week. She performed in the Nutcracker and it was a completely enjoyable performance from beginning to end. We will definitely be back in the Spring. read more