Junior Membership 101

Early childhood is a formative time for instilling habits that last a lifetime, including moving for pleasure, choosing healthy foods, and making — and keeping — good friends. Life Time’s Junior Membership can be your partner in this endeavor, providing fun activities and thoughtful programming that teach healthy skills and behaviors to kids from infancy through age 13.

So what exactly does a Junior Membership include? We asked Alicia Kockler, senior vice president of Life Time Kids and Aquatics, to answer some commonly asked questions about these kid-focused offerings and services, so you know what to expect.

What is a Junior Membership at Life Time?

Junior Memberships can be added to any adult or family Life Time membership for a set add-on rate per month (rate varies by club). This membership grants kids age 13 and under access to the Kids Academy, as well as entrance to our pools, gyms, and family locker rooms — plus fun kids’ and family events. (The age limit may depend on your specific club.)

Note: Junior Membership pricing extends through age 14 for kids, however, at age 14 the participation in kids programming and events is limited as they’re able to utilize more of the adult offerings at the club.

What’s included in the Junior Membership?

I love to tell parents about our kids’ events! Each week, we offer Parents Night Out events, often based on a holiday or seasonal theme, for kids ages 4 to 12 (ages may vary by club). We also offer Tween Takeover events for 9- to 13-year-olds twice monthly. Climb Nights also may be offered at club locations with a rockwall.

With a Junior Membership, kids get to participate in as many of these three-hour-long sessions for no additional charge. So parents get some me-time — and they can feel free to leave the club if they want — while the kids stay with us. They’ll have a blast playing, swimming (in some sessions), eating healthy snacks, and participating in structured lesson plans.

There are also several other offerings included in Junior Memberships during peak hours:

• Up to 2 hours of child care for kids ages 3 to 11 months and up to 2.5 hours for kids ages 1 to 11 years while parents enjoy the club (child care time allotment varies by club).
• Access to open swim, open gym, or open rockwall for active family time.
• Drop-in classes, enrichment classes, and six- to 10-week progressive learning classes in dance, tumbling, and junior warriors.
• Kids Studio Classes for kids between the ages of 5 to 8 and 9 to 13 (taught separately). They can engage in the following formats: Warrior Sculpt, Ringside, Life Barre, SOL yoga, and SHRED.
• Fitness & Agility classes for kids ages 5 to 13 that teach fundamental athletic skills, specifically speed, agility, and lifting. Children improve their abilities through exercising and playing games.

How much child care do parents receive with a Junior Membership?

Almost all of our clubs offer at least 2 to 2.5 hours per day, depending on the child’s age, of child care that’s included in the Junior Membership.

If you come to Life Time every day, that’s up to 60 to 75 hours per month of child care — and time for longer showers, a visit with a friend in the LifeCafe, or to enjoy a haircut or massage at the LifeSpa.

Is there anything that’s available for kids that’s not included in the Junior Membership?

Outside of the Junior Membership, we offer summer camps with a variety of options to keep kids entertained all season long. During the year, we offer school-break camps over school holidays and any other days school is canceled for weather.

We also offer many sports-specific activities, such as swimming and tennis lessons, recreational and competitive swim teams, and basketball camps and clinics for an additional cost. Families can also reserve tennis and pickleball court time to play games together. Parents can also book kids’ birthday parties and private events with us.

How are Life Time’s kids’ offerings different from what’s available at other health clubs?

We want our child care and children’s programming to be part of the reason families come to Life Time. Our goal is for your kids to leave Life Time with more knowledge and skills than they had when they arrived. No matter your child’s interest, chances are we have something for them here.

For example, our drop-in child care experience always includes enrichment opportunities. And all of our kids’ events and classes are structured around lesson plans based on science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (S.T.E.A.M.), so kids’ cognitive skills are being challenged while they’re here as well.

At any given time, there might be between one and four classes going on, along with all the physical activities kids love, such as running, climbing, dancing, tumbling, junior warriors, and more. Even the games and toys we provide — such as costumes, puppets, blocks, books, and characters — encourage kids to learn, manipulate objects, and interact with each other. With all of these options available, your kids get to have a blast engaging in their interests while you get a workout in or some well-deserved “you” time.

What qualifications and credentials do the program developers, teachers, and instructors have?

To become a Life Time Kids instructor you must go through a comprehensive screening and interview process, background check, and CPR and First Aid training. Additionally, our team participates in behavior management and positive guidance training activities. Once certified, ongoing evaluations help ensure your child(ren) are being supervised and supported by trained and educated instructors to help ensure an overall superior and safe experience. Life Time Kids instructors also often teach classes they are passionate about and that they have additional training and expertise in.

How do parents find out about and sign up for upcoming classes or events?

To find out about events, keep an eye on the schedules for kids’ classes on the Life Time website or in the Life Time app. Reservations can be made up to 30 days prior to each event. View the schedule on my.lifetime.life or in the Life Time app by clicking “View All Events” and under “Activity,” filtering by “Kids.”

Be sure to check your email inbox for the Life Time Club Connection and other emails from your club’s Kids Leader to stay up to date. You can always contact your Kids Leader for more information and to sign up for offerings.