My child's friends wanted a last hurrah before parting ways for middle school. A handful of them…read moreregistered for Urban Adventure. Because the summer camp runs weekly, with several rotating and parallel themes, the kids were able to land on the same interest and available week. Shocking, I know! The camp's extensive schedule works for vacations and professional work hours. Even though some kids had already attended previous summers, each of them enjoyed the experience differently when friends were involved. They can escalate to be the most rambunctious bunch or wander as cerebral or silly, chatty tweens. The social pace was great, and this camp has a seamless inclusion vibe. For some weeks and cohorts, the group veers younger, like 2nd- to 5th-graders, and some older, like 5th- to 8th-graders. Mike, the camp director, does a great job with the groupings paired with an experienced counselor. We were lucky to have school teachers as lead. Given this was my child's first experience with Urban Adventure, he absolutely loved the exploration and riding public transit (BART, SF MUNI - bus, trolley, and metro, AC Transit, Cal Shuttle, Ferry). Going up to the ferry observation deck was exhilarating and inclusively fun with friends who could access the elevator. Although my child has been to many of the museums and features when he was younger, he barely recalls them at all. We did so much pre-pandemic and, over time, lost those family events to sports purgatory. So glad my child got to re-experience with his peers. Lastly, my child has suddenly shown a burst of independence in reading maps, following directions, examining transportation timetables, accounting for museum and business hours, and actively thinking about plan B, C, or other contingencies. He was so excited to demonstrate that he ended up giving my husband an Urban Adventure experience today. The kid sent a slurry of calendar invites with the various SF locales. While they play local tourists, I actually have time to type up a long-winded review. My child attended both Biology/Natural Science and Technology/Physical Sciences. Many thumbs up!

My kid loves Urban Adventures--it's his favorite. Honestly, I picked the camp because of an easy…read moreshort commute/parking (IYKYK), reasonable start/end time for working parents, and consistently strong reviews. They're efficient, on top of things, easy drop-off/pick-up in terms of parking, simple sign-in/out, and lots of variety. They communicate well in advance with comprehensive info which eliminates a lot of the unknown. My son's favorite one is art. I almost don't want to tell people since camp sign-up season is crazy and the popular camps sell out FAST. My son is neurodivergent and manages to find a buddy each year on his wavelength. They also go to wheelchair accessible sites. It's also great seeing the kids have a blast in the daily private photo links.

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.

Wow! What an amazing soccer camp! I'm sad that it was only one week, but it was the perfect camp to…read moreintroduce my daughter to soccer. I didn't know that they would be having it since things just started opening back up due to COVID but they did. The campers and staff wore masks, they served the campers snacks at the end of the session and my daughter loved it and wished she could do it all summer. So now I'm off to find another soccer camp for her. But rest assured I will be on their mailing list so that we can start our summers off right going forward! I also am going to start donating when I can because it's free so that EVERYONE can enjoy soccer. I really loved that about this camp! When I signed up and was put on the waiting list I thought oh great they won't call. But they did! I was so shocked! And again SUCH a quality camp! I know this review is all over the place but AMAZING job to everyone there and me and my daughter will be back! Thank you for lighting her soccer fire!

My son attended this camp for the first time this year and it was amazing. The kids and the staff…read morewere great. He made fast friends and learned a bunch over the week he attended.

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.

Took a beginner silks class here and had such a great time! I was a little intimidated at first,…read morebut the excitement quickly took over. The instructor was super kind, encouraging, and explained each step clearly, which made it easy to follow along even as a total beginner. A few years back, my kids also took the parkour class and absolutely loved it--it was the perfect way for them to get moving and burn energy. Overall, this place has such a fun and welcoming vibe. Highly recommend for both adults and kids looking to try something new!

Really cool spot. Took a handstand class here which was excellent but there are also a ton of other…read moreclasses I want to take. Friendly folks, great facility.

OT Sports Academy is a great place for your b-ball playing athlete.My son spent the better part of…read morea year and a half training with them. He improved his skill set immensely. Chris and Aja kept him on a straight path, taught him the value of grinding it out for practice and life. It was a great program!

We love Overtime Sports Academy! The coaches are dedicated to bring fundamentals and techniques on…read morethe court and help student-athletes Focus. The student-athletes are encouraged to break athletic personal goals and build resilience. Coach Chris was a big influence in my child maintaining good grades as he encourages students to be responsible and holds them accountable for their academic progress. I recommend this program to any dedicated student-athletes and committed parents.

This place is honestly such a hidden gem. Located next to Costco in Richmond, I Flip Gymnastics is…read moresuch a huge space we had no idea about until a couple of parent friends mentioned it recently. They offer a variety of classes for multiple age groups, open gym hours, and more. I would do some research ahead of time matching your kiddos age ranges with the weekly schedule ~ our drop-in was around $20. I'm sure there are monthly rates and/or memberships, but we wanted to check it out first to see what the gym entailed. The staff is incredible nice, the families/kiddos who come are great, and I appreciate the open space format conducive to safe exploration and play. There does have to be a guardian present at all times, or at least for our time slot there does :) Equipment-wise, we were very impressed. This is most def a super-elevated Gymboree (or for us, the next step!). I'm not a gymnast so not sure the technical terms for the equipment, but from our fist time I noticed the open mat, climbing blocks, trampoline, foam pit, mini balance beams, rings, and more. For the kiddos, they get stamps at the end of the hour long sesh and fun music is played throughout. A trainer is present too. Overall, we will def come back again soon. There is safe parking adjacent to the building, and can't beat grabbing a few items/gas/snacks at Costco before or after class. Happy we have a space in the East Bay like this. Bravo!

Found out about the gym at our kids friends birthday party, it's been 5 months now our two kids…read morehave been attending open gym and camp, couldn't be more satisfied. Super easy communication and kids love Paloma and the staff. See you guys for summer camp!

St. Paul's has some of the best camps in the area. We've sent our two kids there for the past few…read moreyears and they love it! Fun in Sun provides the opportunity for kids to do what they do best - play outside!! Each day was well planned out and the trips took them to many fun local locations. Art Camp and Math and Science also provide a great, educational environment while at the same time allowing the kids to just have fun. The counselors have a great rapport with the kids and the administration is well organized, making drop offs and pickups seamless! We've been to many different summer camps in the Oakland area and St. Paul's is always a favorite of my kids. Can't wait for them to try out Hoop Camp this coming summer!

First experience, great experience. The staff was attentive and mostly everyone knew our son within…read morea short period of time. Being on the younger side of a pre kinder, we weren't sure how he'd keep up. He came home using new vocabulary and gained confidence in himself. Thank you to Mr Young and the staff!