Our Dance Center Policies
Below is an overview of Innovations Dance Center’s policies. We also offer a downloadable handbook as a guide to Innovations Dance Center and its philosophy of dance education.
We take our roles as mentors and teachers in your child’s life very seriously. It is our objective to inspire a passion for the art of dance in every child who passes through our doors. In the process, we strive to set the right example and help your child (and you) create memories that will last a lifetime. As a condition of enrollment at Innovations Dance Center, students and their parents or guardians agree to abide by all the policies set forth by Innovations Dance Center, its owners, faculty, and staff. Innovations Dance Center reserves the right to terminate any student’s enrollment at any time for misconduct or inappropriate actions by either the student or his or her parent(s).
Updates
Our regular hours during the school year are Monday through Thursday, 5-9 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m.-12:00 p.m. We answer email on a daily basis, except on weekends. Feel free to email questions to the office at [email protected].
Weather Cancellations
To sign up for text alerts regarding studio closings:
1. Please text: @idcyork To: 81010
2. Once you get a return text, reply back with your full name and you’ll be subscribed to our list!
Enrollment
Registration
The registration fee for the 2022-2023 Dance Year is $45.00 per student or $62.50 per family. This fee covers the cost of insurance, handbooks, rehearsals, and so on. The first month’s tuition is due the night of the student’s first class. We accept cash or check only, and do not accept credit or debit cards at this time. Registration fees are not refundable with the exception of preschool students who are determined to be unready for dance and may receive a credit for the following season.
Studio policies are provided throughout our handbook, available for download near the top of this page. We recommend you download the handbook and keep it throughout the year for easy reference of studio information and policies.
Termination of Enrollment
Reasons for termination of enrollment include the following:
• Disruptive or dangerous behavior by students and/or their parents
• Abuse of other children, staff, or property
• Inability of Innovations Dance Center to meet the child’s needs
Tuition Overview
Tuition is based on our dance year, which consists of 35 classes. All tuition is due the first class of the month. Payments received after the 15th of the month are subject to a $10.00 late fee. Payments not made by the end of the month will discontinue class enrollment. Discounted rates are available for students/families taking multiple classes; please see rates below.
Payment may be delivered directly to the office staff during the first class of the month (from 5:00 – 9:00 p.m.), or dropped in our office payment box. Please make all checks payable to “Innovations Dance Center,” and include student’s full name in the memo line of the check for proper account credit. There is a $35.00 charge for returned checks. All cash payments must be given directly to a staff member. We will not be responsible for cash payments left without proof of receipt.
2022-23 Monthly Tuition Rates
(1) 1-Hour Class: $45.00
(2) 1-Hour Classes: $75.00
(3) 1-Hour Classes: $103.00
(4) 1-Hour Classes: $129.00
UNLIMITED CLASS RATE:
If a dancer is paying the 4-class rate, they may sign up for unlimited additional classes at no extra charge! (Does not include private or semi-private classes, and applies to one dancer if a family is at the 4-class rate. Dancers will still be responsible for the costume fees for any additional classes.
(5) 1-Hour Classes: $152.00
(6) 1-Hour Classes: $170.00
2 Dancers, Unlimited Classes: $152.00 (Does not include private or semi-private classes)
3 Dancers, Unlimited Classes: $170.00 (Does not include private or semi-private classes)
Semi-Private $52.00 (1/2 Hour per week; no multi-class discounts; no refunds)
Private $66.00 (1/2 Hour per week; no multi-class discounts; no refunds)
Dance Company: $40.00 (Year round, including summer months)
There are no refunds for missed classes as there are make-up classes available. Prices are subject to change.
Dress Code Overview
• Students should carry their dancewear, shoes, and other belongings in a dance bag. Please print your child’s name on the bag as well as on all of its contents.
• Dancewear is to be kept in good repair and laundered on a regular basis.
• Boys age 10 and older must wear a dance belt. • Dance shoes should never be worn outside.
• Female students should wear their hair tightly secured and styled away from the face in a ponytail or bun. It should be secure enough to withstand movement and not need to be adjusted during class.
• Students are expected to observe good personal hygiene habits. Deodorant is required for students age 10 and older.
• Small earrings may be worn; no other jewelry will be permitted.
• No baggy t-shirts or gym shorts for any classes.
• All students must have proper attire by the first class in October.
• We reserve the right to exclude any student from class participation if the dress code is not followed.
There are bins of gently used dance shoes in the studio office that are available for use if needed. If your dancer is trying a new class, you may want to borrow a pair of shoes for the first class when possible.
Class Specific Dress Codes
Recital Policy
The recital offers our students a professionally directed performance that allows them to present to their families and friends the results of a year’s hard work, dedication, and progress.
A big part of dance training includes learning through performance. Although performance opportunities can help prepare some students for a possible career in dance, they also contribute to children’s success in non-dance activities.
More information regarding our Recital Policies can be found in our downloadable handbook.
Overview
• Street shoes are not permitted in the dance rooms.
• Cell phones are not permitted in the dance rooms. Please leave your cell phone outside or deposit it in the “phone basket” in your classroom before class begins. No cell phones, tablets, or computers may be used during class time. (This means no emailing, Internet use, or text messaging.)
• Please write your child’s name in all shoes and bags. Use a silver Sharpie in black shoes.
• The studio is not responsible for lost or misplaced articles. Any articles left in the studio may be donated to Goodwill Industries if not claimed within a 4 week period.
• Please allow the children to enter the dance room on their own. This makes for an easier transition from parent to teacher.
• Please drive carefully in our parking lot, as there may be small children entering or leaving the building.
• We love babies and young children and appreciate the chance to meet our students’ siblings. However, our priority is the safety of every child on the studio premises. Children must be supervised at all times and are not free to run around the lobby or classroom areas.
• Never speak negatively about teachers, students, or parents from other studios.
• Never recruit students from other studios.
• All students must show respect for their teachers at all times. Inappropriate behavior could result in dismissal from the studio.
Do's & Dont's
Looking to other students for inspiration is good; however, making negative comparisons distracts children from focusing on becoming stronger dancers. In addition, speaking negatively about your child’s teachers, fellow students, or other parents in front of your child––or other students––could result in problems far beyond your original concerns. Often children will imitate a parent’s behavior with other adults or authority figures.
Children learn important lessons from their teachers and parents, acquiring behavior patterns through their example. Our studio’s faculty takes that responsibility seriously. It’s our philosophy to encourage our students to feel, think, and act respectfully toward their peers, the adults in their lives, and themselves.
If you have questions or concerns about your child’s dance education (such as progress or class placement), please discuss them with your child’s teacher or the director. Talking only to other parents can lead to misinformation and confusion. Please contact the studio office to set up an appointment.
If you do request a conference, please listen carefully to what your child’s teachers have to say. They spend a significant amount of time with your child and offer expertise in the field of dance education.
Discipline Policy
Our staff and faculty are trained to use constructive techniques of discipline to maintain class control and handle individual misbehavior.
• Children who exhibit unacceptable behavior or attitudes are told what is wrong and directed to a positive alternative approach or behavior.
• If a child strikes another child, the two are respectfully separated and each is asked to explain what happened. They are then asked to help solve the problem, talk to each other, and reconcile with one another.
• Children who are disruptive will be respectfully asked to stop the behavior. If the behavior is repeated, they will be reminded of it and told how it affects others. If the disruption continues, the children involved will be asked to sit down for a short period of time (usually three to five minutes) before rejoining the class.
• If a child’s misbehavior continues to disrupt the class, the parent or guardian will be called to pick up the child.
Attendance Policy
All students are expected to attend their regularly scheduled classes. Each class offers a step forward in the educational process. A missed class could leave a child one step behind the other students. It is especially important for children to feel completely confident with the choreography and the year-end performance. Missing class could result in frustration for the students and their teachers and classmates. If you are going to be absent from class for any reason, please inform the office by calling 717-755-6259.
• Please be prompt for class. Any student who is brought late for class will be admitted to class by the staff. Students who are chronically late will be admitted at the discretion of the teacher.
• If a student misses more than 10 classes during the dance year, that student will not be permitted to perform in recital. There will be no exceptions to this rule.
• We reserve the right to remove any student from any class or performance due to poor attendance or attitude.
• All students who attend the full dance year will receive a dance participation award the last class of the year.
• Students may make up missed classes by taking another class as instructed by their regular teacher. Classes may not be made up during Parent Observation Week, Bring-a-Friend Week, or during the months of May and June (due to recital preparation).
Arrival and Departure
For their safety, children under age 10 should be picked up immediately after class. Students ages 10 and older must be picked up no more than 15 minutes after their class is completed.
Tardiness
Class Visitors
Makeup Classes
Lost and Found
Emergency Evacuation
Parking Lot Safety
Illness
To help protect your own child’s health and to minimize the possibility of contagion at the studio, please keep your child at home if you observe any of the following symptoms:
• Nasal discharge that is green or yellow
• Complaints of ear pain
• Consistent cough or severe sore throat
• Eyes that are pink, burning, itching, or producing discharge
• Diarrhea or vomiting
• Fever
If these symptoms or other conditions deemed contagious are observed in your child during a class, you will be called to pick up your child immediately. When your child has a fever, please keep him/her at home until the temperature returns to normal. If there are any lingering signs of illness, such as glassy or watery eyes, listlessness, and drowsiness, please keep your child at home. This will help to ensure that the illness has passed and that your child will be well enough to resume class activities the following week.
Medical Information
Classroom Observation
Bring-a-Friend Week
Summer Program
Innovations faculty recommends that students continue to study dance during the summer months when possible. It is important to not lose momentum gained during the year, and to continue to practice the principles learned throughout the school year.
Student and Parent Use of Social Media
• You DO NOT have permission to reveal any information that compromises Innovations Dance Center. By that we mean you are forbidden to share personal information about the owners, faculty, other students or their families, or anything that is proprietary and/or confidential to them or Innovations Dance Center.
• Students and parents should neither claim nor imply that they are speaking on behalf of Innovations Dance Center.
• Never post anything that could compromise the self-esteem of students who attend Innovations Dance Center.
• If you post videos of class or rehearsals, don’t post any choreography in its entirety; Innovations Dance Center owns the copyright to all choreography taught at the studio.
• Respect the law, including those laws governing defamation, discrimination, harassment, and copyright and fair use. As stated in our handbook, parents and students should never post negative comments about other studios or teachers. Also, please do not post negative comments about studio activities such as conventions and performances, or about the directors of those events.
• Ensure that your social networking conduct is consistent with all of the policies contained in this handbook.
Outstanding Instructors
Dance & Acro Classes
The Benefits of Dance
Affordable Tuition rates
Monthly tuition rates start at just $45 per month. We offer discounted rates for multiple students/classes, making dance classes affordable for all families.
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