Let’s talk about one of the biggest frustrations activity center owners face—whether you’re running a gymnastics gym, swim school, cheer gym, or dance studio:
“I just can’t find good staff who stay.”
We’ve heard it from hundreds of owners across the country:
- “No one wants to work part-time anymore.”
- “Teens aren’t as reliable, and leave for college.”
- “I can’t afford to hire anyone full-time.”
It’s not a hiring problem. It’s a business model problem. And once you fix that, the right staff starts showing up—and sticking around.
The Mistake That’s Costing You the Most
Most kids activity centers follow the same staffing pattern: Hire a couple of key full-time or leadership roles… Then fill the rest of the schedule with teenagers or college students. Why? Because it feels affordable. But here’s what happens:
- You’re constantly re-hiring
- Constantly re-training
- Constantly juggling gaps when they leave, get too busy, or disappear mid-season
All of that costs you more than you think—in both time and money. You end up building your business on a shaky foundation.
You’re Not Competing With Other Gyms.
You’re not just trying to “out-hire” the gym down the road. You’re competing with Costco, Target, and Home Depot for reliable adult workers.
These companies are offering $22–$25/hour for part-time roles—with predictable shifts and far less responsibility than working with kids.
If you’re offering $16–$18/hour and expecting professionalism, passion, and long-term commitment… you’re going to lose that battle.
But here’s the good news: You can afford to hire better people—you just need a better system.
“But I Can’t Afford to Pay That Much…”
Let’s get this out of the way—because we hear it constantly: “I would love to pay $25/hour… but there’s no way I can swing that.” Here’s what our most successful clients have learned:
1. They shift their mindset from “cheap labor” to “strategic hires.”
The people running your classes are your product. Parents don’t renew for your equipment—they come back for that coach their kid adores. When you stop treating your part-time staff like filler and start treating them like the heart of your business, you change who applies—and who stays.
2. They build pricing around long-term staffing needs.
Most activity centers haven’t raised prices in years, even though expectations and expenses have skyrocketed. Parents will pay more for consistency, clean, professional classes, and instructors who care.
Even a small pricing adjustment (or the introduction of seasonal fees, bundled offers, or priority member access) can give you the margin you need to invest in better staff—and finally break the cycle of high turnover.
3. They recognize how expensive high turnover actually is.
What does it cost you to constantly re-train? To cancel classes when no one can cover? To deal with upset parents when their child’s coach changes three times in a season? Raising pay may feel like a leap—but it often saves you thousands in hidden costs.
So No—It’s Not “Just Pay $25/hr and Hope for the Best”
It’s about paying strategically, hiring adults who want real, stable work, and building a system that supports staff retention.
One of our clients was stuck in the cycle—paying $18/hour, constantly short-staffed, and struggling to retain anyone long enough to make an impact. After raising their pay to $25/hour and shifting their hiring focus to adults 25 and up, everything changed. They started attracting experienced staff from competing centers, built a team that truly connected with parents, and saw enrollments grow—because the quality of the experience finally matched the value of their program.
Why Adults (25+) Are the Secret Staffing Solution
Teenagers can be great—but they’re not a long-term solution. Most will leave in a year or two (if you’re lucky), and they’re juggling school, extracurriculars, and college plans. Adults over 25:
- Often want reliable part-time income
- Have roots in the community
- Are looking for flexibility and purpose
- Can stick around for 5–10 years or more
And even if they don’t have a long coaching background, they can become phenomenal with the right training—because they bring professionalism, consistency, and maturity.
What Happens When You Get This Right
When you start hiring with intention—and pricing accordingly—you build a team that’s bought in, reliable, professional, and proud to represent your brand.
And when parents walk in and see the same smiling, capable faces week after week? That builds trust. Loyalty. Retention. Referrals.
This isn’t about spending more for the sake of it. This is about growing smarter, so you can finally stop running on the hamster wheel of turnover and start scaling with confidence.
Watch the full video here on our Youtube channel.
📈 Ready to build a staffing and pricing strategy that actually works?
We’ve helped over 400 kids activity centers build stronger margins, stronger teams, and stronger businesses. Let’s map it out—no fluff, no pressure.