Instead of killing time by playing video games or watching TV this summer, East County youth can keep a healthy lifestyle through activities at Brentwood’s Black Diamond Kids Center, located at 2015 Elkins Way in Brentwood.

Opened 13 years ago, the center is a haven for fun exercise. Known primarily for its gymnastics, dance and cheer programs, Black Diamond also hosts camps for kids of all ages, as well as themed nights of fun called Kids Night Out.

According to owner Josh Storrer, the center aims to help kids reap the benefits of activity rather than sit at home. “We absolutely love kids around here,” Storrer said. “Our tagline is ‘A healthy world starts with healthy kids.’ That’s really our mission – helping the world be a better place through changing kids.”

The large facility features a gymnastics room loaded with tumbling equipment, beams, bars, trampolines and a huge foam pit – a favorite among the kids – plus a cheer room, dance studio and preschool.

Black Diamond becomes a hot destination during the summer, as school lets out and parents look for enjoyable activities for their children. The center hosts summer camps themed for age groups from preschoolers to teens. One such camp for preschoolers offers an “around the world” theme emphasizing the world’s many nations and cultures. Older kids can participate in camps offering Disney beach parties, undersea experiences or roles as knights and princesses.

Other fun activities include fitness camps and boys boot camps. The camps operated by Black Diamond usually attract about 40 to 50 kids per session and focus on fitness, education and team-building. “Our camps are focused on what we call ‘edutainment,’” Storrer said. “It’s a lot of fun, but they learn stuff and do all-around fitness.”

One of the more popular events hosted by the center is Kids Night Out, where parents can drop off their kids at Black Diamond and enjoy the night together while the children have fun for a few hours. Kids Night Out is held two Saturdays per month from 4 to 9 p.m. The center offers Friday Night Out on one Friday per month, from 6 to 9 p.m. Both programs fill up fast.

Parents can also get in on the fun through Motion Evolution, a 12-week fitness regimen hosted at the center for adults and kids. Motion Evolution encourages parents to work out while keeping an eye on their kids.

Programs such as Kids Night Out save money and headaches by offering a fun, stress-free alternative to finding a babysitter or taking the entire family out. “We’ve tried to make it easy for our customers because we really want to just offer a lot of value,” Storrer said. “We want them to feel like ‘I’m getting a ton of value when I go to Black Diamond.’”