COVID-19 Studio Owner & Director Resources
STUDIO OWNERS
Dear studio owners, directors, friends,
Your job as a studio owner isn’t just to deliver dance, it’s to deliver the human experience. Right now, you are in a unique position to provide meaningful personal connection, an opportunity for expression, and a special part of each child’s day that they can look forward to.
At this moment you get to use your creative muscle in a whole new way – to grow and practice skills that will stay with you for life and make you a better teacher, business person, and mentor.
We are here to support you through this challenging time and have collected resources we hope will help you. We are also hosting weekly online conversations for Studio Directors to share support and ideas. Learn more here and be well.
Tamara
Stay Strong Studio Survival Kit
- COVID-19 Mental Skills Training for you, your teachers & students with videos, worksheets and more.
- Gaga classes Online movement practice from NYC and Tel Aviv (for teachers & older dancers)
- Balance meditation app FREE for 1 year
- Find your personal mantra(s)
STAY CONNECTED
Dance Studio OWNERS facebook group (international)
Canadian Dance Studio Owners facebook group
- Dance Studio Owner’s Association
- Youth Protection Advocates In Dance
- SHINE weekly online conversation with other studio owners. Fridays at 10 AM.
RECOMMENDED READING/ LISTENING
- BOOK: 13 Things mentally Strong People Don’t Do – Amy Morin
- BOOK: The Obstacle Is the Way – Ryan Holiday
- PODCAST: Brene Brown – FFT’s
- PODCAST: Inside Out Theory w/ Christie Lee Manning
- Small Business Supports BC
- WorkSafe BC – Information on reopening and resources (signs)
- Fraser Health – Be sure to follow the guidelines set out for your municipal health authority (especially if they differ from BC guidelines).
- Vancouver Coastal Health
- Interior Health
- Canada Emergency Business Account
- Studio Software discounts – (Studio Owner 50%, Jackrabbit 20%)
- Have a plan for new terms of mortgage/ rent payment that CAN work w/ your cash flow before approaching landlord/ lenders.
- Empty Studios? Children of front line workers still need care. Contact school boards and child care providers to offer space. Manufacturing businesses are being called upon to produce supplies, see if any are looking for space.
- Rent/ lend equipment you aren’t using (exercise balls, bands etc…)
- Multiple small recitals in a smaller venue (if limits to gathering size are in effect) or virtual recitals.
- DON’T DISCOUNT – ADD VALUE! Show how you are working harder than ever to provide what families need instead of reducing fees. Supplement your class offerings with a CLI Studio Partnership
- Dance Studio Owners Association (DSOA) Summit – Studio Rise FREE training session, DSOA Podcast, DSOA 8 Hour Summit
- More Industry Links
- Have teachers reach out to their students/ families by phone (especially those who ‘missed’ an online class)
- Provide other work – social media, update client database prop & costume inventory
- Online Courses for Staff:
- Many teachers are now volunteering time so they can collect CERB, some owners are offering ‘gifts’ of grocery gift cards or planning to offer a bonus at a later date.
- Be proactive – DON’T WAIT for parents to ask – reach out first. Acknowledge and address what you know, let them know you will continue to update as new info is available.
- REACH OUT – differentiate yourself as a business that cares! Have teachers call students/ families to check in, especially if they miss a class. Parents aren’t only choosing you as a dance expert, they are choosing you as a role model/ mentor in life.
- DON’T DISCOUNT – ADD VALUE! Show how you are working harder than ever to provide comparable value in a new way instead of reducing fees.
- Let parents know what you are doing to make the classes valuable! Weekly email updates showing what you ARE doing including photo/ video
- Supplement your class offerings with a CLI Studios Partnership
- Bring in guest teachers from away
- Use a blend of pre-recorded and live classes so kids have access when it works for them and their family (consider device sharing, moods and emotions, all things related to sharing small spaces).
- This is a great chance to show the value of privates or small classes! If a group of 12 dancers has 4 classes/ week = 6 hours, your cost is 6 teacher hours. What if you gave those 6 teacher hours in privates, each dancer gets 30 minutes of one-on-one time to focus on specific goals?
- Provide clarity for teachers on the objectives and format of online classes. Weekly topics, themes, or content can be helpful.
- Consider storage space for online videos and how long they will live online and where.
- Offer a faculty Q&A
- Create studio hair and makeup tutorials
ONLINE SAFETY
- Use a waiting room and password for online classrooms.
- Use unlisted YouTube Channels and private facebooks groups
- Check your insurance policy for coverage of online classes
- Give teachers language to remind dancers of safety precautions at start of each class
- Use a new/ supplemental waiver
ZOOM BREAKOUT ROOMS
- How to enable ZOOM breakout rooms in your settings
- Managing breakout rooms in ZOOM
- Breakout rooms are great to make conversations more efficient and impactful and for working with small groups. I find it helpful to give everybody a task and time limit when in the rooms and to have them share when you return to the group.
Check out Tamara’s online class tips & ideas
- ONE REJUVENATING HOUR of virtual Wingman team-bonding/trust-building activities where you will have purposeful conversations and experience meaningful connections with educators from all over North America
* Be sure to follow the guidelines set out for your municipal health authority, especially if they differ from BC guidelines.
* Make sure you have a Health &Safety plan in place in case of inspection and be sure to train staff on health screening.
- WorkSafe BC – Re-opening info.
- Fraser Health
- Vancouver Coastal Health
- Interior Health
- Cleaning & Disinfecting your facility from the CDC (US) – Read more
- Cleaning & Disinfecting your facility from the BCCDC – Read more
- Things to consider when creating your studio plans and policies:
- Collect contact info for each person coming in (for tracing purposes – save for 1 month)
- Enforced hand washing (before & after classes)
- Mask Policy
- Hand Sanitizer in each room
- Buffer Periods between classes
- Isolation area for ill persons
- No-touch, clinical-grade – IR thermometer ($100)
- Follow Up Communication for ill or exposed people
…Stay Safe
We Shine Brighter Together