Community...Be A Part!

Each spring and summer most communities offer wonderful events for families that are free.  Some of these include 'Movies on the Lawn', 'Theatre in the Park', 'Music in the Park', etc.  These type of events draw large crowds and are wonderful events in which to take part.

Contact the organizers of these events in your area and see how you could become a part of them---or better yet:  start your own!

It's not only a great community service and outreach---it is a great way to get the word out about your program and what you do.

Take A Look at Your Materials

It has been a wonderful summer for children's dance and theatre! It has been a couple of months since we posted to our blog---so sorry for the delay. We have been very busy with our program here and have experienced quite a bit of growth in many of our markets this summer.

If you teach a young children's dance program now is a great time to take a look at your materials. Are they updated? Are they good quality? Are they too wordy? Parents these days want information in sound bites. There are so many great resources for good marketing materials---there is really not a good excuse to not keep your program marketing materials up-to-date and eye catching. Now is the time to get that together so you are ready for the upcoming fall registration season; which begins in just 3 short weeks!

Parents are searching for good, quality, time-proven programs for their children---and they are willing to pay for it.

Parents Not Giving Up on the Arts, Even in Bad Times

Numerous polls have shown that parents are not giving up and cutting out the arts in the family budget when it comes to their children.  Most parents see and experience the benefits that dance, theatre, and music provide in their child's life.  In our own program we have seen a great jump in enrollment this early spring; and continue to receive inquiries of new families that want to get their young ones involved in dance.  One positive of hard economic times is that we get to really see what is important to people---and it is obvious that arts enrichment stands out above the others!  Bravo!

Polls Show Dance Class Enrollment Holds Steady With Young Children

Several polls that have been conducted throughout the nation and on the internet show that parents are not cutting back when it comes to dance classes for their children.  They are finding other ways to cut back on their monthly budget.  Parents of older children that take 4-5 days per week are cutting back on the number of classes taken per week---but not cutting it out completely.

Dance for young children is a relatively inexpensive activity for parents to invest in---the very kind that in these tight times parents desire.  Young children only take one class per week and the average monthly tuition hovers around $45 per month.  That is an expense that most families can add to their budget without sacrificing much at all.  

While large studios that teach all ages and have huge overhead are feeling the negative side of this economy---mobile dance programs that concentrate on young children are not being effected.  Their overhead is extremely low and the cost of the classes is within reach of American families.

Encouraging Words for Monday......

We all hear of the constant budget cuts and layoffs these days.  It is important to not get bogged down with all the negative---successful individuals choose to see the positive in the negative.  For our industry we see that dance and theatre classes are being cut out in public school systems because there are not the funds to hire the staff to teach these classes.  That is a shame for our young children.  BUT, it opens an avenue for independent business owners to offer their services to these schools and organizations.  We can independently contract with school systems to offer these much-needed classes at a much lower fee than the added staff member would generate.  School become excited that they can still offer these classes to their students and individual businesses grow due to the demand and increased business.  (Quite often causing businesses such as ours to have to hire additional staff to cover the classes that we are having to add to our schedule.)  Choose to see the opportunity that always exists in bad times or bad news.

Schools Desiring Dance & Theatre Programs...

Many schools - public and private - lack the funding the have a dance or theatre program.  They are very welcoming to well-known programs offering to contract their services out to them.  This saves the schools money (much cheaper than hiring staff and buying curriculum and materials); and it is a wonderful opportunity for programs of reputation to increase their student base and programs.  Little People's Creative Workshop is well-known for contracting with schools to teach their dance and acting programs.  A great expansion opportunity---especially now, as school budgets and staff positions are being cut.

Kids Take Center Stage......

Today's parents desire to provide every possible advantage to their children.  Not surprisingly, established programs across the nation, such as Little People's Creative Workshop, that focus on children's enrichment in dance and drama, are experiencing dramatic growth according to Entrepreneur Magazine, August 2007.

American families are spending approximately $115.6 billion yearly on their children, presenting powerful market opportunity for those that have a desire to invest in children's lives and enjoy what they do!  And there is no shortage of customers in sight----more than 73 million children under the age of 18 live in America, and their ranks are growing yearly! <"How to Start a Kid-Focused Business", August 2008, Entrepreneur Magazine>

For those of us that love children and the arts this is very encouraging news!  We can combine our love and passion for dance and theatre while making a wonderful, fulfilling living.  There are not too many individuals that can say that.