Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District

Great place for kids, very peaceful. Also for moms and dads wanting to dust off that old Lance Mountain Skateboard they used when they were kids to shred the skatepark!

I recently attended a Digital Photography class level 1 at the Community Center. Even though the cost was twice the price of other photo classes of the same type, I decided it was worth it because I live so close by.
I already had a fairly good concept of how to use my Nikon, but I felt that getting the first level class under my belt would really solidify my understanding and help me improve.
The instructor came with quite a resume under his belt, and had a lot of great information to share, but his manner was less than appealing. He was condescending, though I do not think he realized it, and brusque. He had a very «I know it all and you don’t «attitude. He referred to the Auto setting on the camera as «The idiot knob», which implies that the person who uses it is an idiot. I couldn’t believe it!
He had a lot of material to get through in a short amount of time, and the more he used comments like «the idiot knob», and «only people who are idiots use that setting» told me he really didn’t want to be there, and was oblivious to all of us who PAID HIM to be there.
In the future, please have people teach this class –or any other– who ENJOY being there and don’t speak down to their class.
I was not happy that I had spent that kind of money only to have the instructor imply that we were all idiots for using the Auto feature on our cameras.

PVRPD has so much to offer the Camarillo Community. There are free fun family events throughout the year– Holiday Carnival, Christmas Parade, Concerts in the Park, Easter Eggsstravaganza, Halloween Carnival, and a ton more I’m sure I’m forgetting something. They also have affordable classes covering every kind of interest for every age– language, dance, swimming, dog obedience, etc. Within the award winning District there are sports parks, neighborhood parks, a skate park, a senior center, a co op preschool, and more. The Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District contributes to the great quality if life in Camarillo.

Huge Field! Soccer goal posts up everywhere, baseball area too. Nice dirt track that goes around this huge thing to run on. The park itself was closed for maintenance when I came here, but I actually was looking up a bike path that ended at this park, so I found this park by accident. Really cute paved bike path that is wide enough to fit an SUV on. If you parked in the lot at this park this path actually gears away from the park and runs along side a river bed behind a residential area. It’s 2 miles one way and people are walking their dogs, jogging, biking and skating down it. It has a couple of spots with a nice drop and climb. My little one was able to do it– so bring the kids! It might be hard to find if you’re not looking — but it gears away from the park down a narrow path that ends up opening up to a big path that lots of people can fit on. If you’re looking for an easy bike trail for the little ones– come here!

Swimming lessons: My child tried the swimming lessons with the Guppies 3 times. OK, had practiced arms and leg kicks, took turns on board with feet and arms and never was ready or qualified to go to next level. When they would ASK him, are you ready to try this, he would say NO so they would just go to next kid. I told the teacher, you can’t ask him are you ready, you have to tell him, Let’s go, it’s your turn with enthusiasm and he will go. But she still didn’t do that and so my son would get skipped a lot. The swimming lessons are being taught by teenagers. After having my child in the same level class 3 times, I could tell that some of the teens just wanted to get the class over with and didn’t care if the kids were actually learning or not. It would have costed me just as much or even less to hire someone to teach one on one and get swimming right away, then taking these classes. We paid 4 times because was started in the Seahorse level then Guppies 3 times. $ 60 each which is good price, but NOT if they don’t ever move up.
Now with the Sports of all sorts: I don’t recommend it. It is a different sport each week for 4 weeks. They don’t get enought time to really understand the sport. I would recommend just going to the park and trying some of these sports with your child yourself and then enroll them in the one they take the most interest in. I feel like I wasted my money with something I could have taught my child on our own.

I teach 2 classes here, and I can say with honesty that it is one of the better run city recreation departments. They have tons of classes from team sports, swimming instruction, music lessons, children’s classes, and the best ones, adult tap and belly dance.
Its a relaxed atmosphere (meaning the front desk girls can be a little loopy, but if you surprise them, they’ll come back from orbit).
Many of the teachers are well seasoned professionals. I’ve actually been a little surprised by some of the names I’ve seen on the schedule. The facility itself is state sponsored to a degree, so you can get great instruction for less money than you would expect.
All of the facilities (including the bathrooms) are clean and well kept, and there is a great sense of family and community there. I just wish it was bigger, because its always busy.