Guidelines Pensacola

Classes:

Classes usually begin the first week of September and run through the end of April. We take a summer break. Classes consist of dance instruction of TAP and BALLET each week along with age-appropriate HIP HOP. If a class consists of three or less students, classes will be held for 45 minutes or terminated and you will be notified of any changes. Each class consists of a maximum of ten dancers, less depending on the dance space as we strive for quality, not quantity. If a dance class is full, dancers will be placed on the wait list upon registering. Should your preschool be closed or cancel a dance class for ANY reason – weather, holidays, field trips, etc.- we are not responsible for a make-up class. Should we cancel a class for any reason; a refund will be given if the class cannot be rescheduled. See our website under Calendar for our holidays. We do not follow the public school nor VPK calendars. We provide one sweet treat and/or stickers to dancers who participate in class. One Skittle or one Smartie (our sweet treat) is provided to dancers who participate in class – Both sweet treats are made in a peanut free factory and is gluten free. Let us know if your dancer can NOT have one sweet treat in our weekly class. Some of our dance instructors use their phones to play our music and to take attendance on their instructor app. Our classes are not movement classes, we strive to teach basic ballet and tap techniques with the terminology. Dancers must be three years of age and potty trained to participate in our program. Dancers must be registered to participate in class and are not automatically signed up for any additional dance seasons. Little Dancing Stars will be referred to in this guideline as LDS.

Recital:

Your dancer will participate in an end of the year performance at their school. There might be a small fee for this event.

Dance Attire:

Dancers need both tap and ballet shoes. For your convenience, we offer from an outside company, dance items for purchase on our website. For immediate purchase – Shoes and dance attire can be purchased at Academy Sports, Target and Walmart consignment stores (Kid to Kid or Once upon a child) or any dance wear store. LDS does not require a certain type, brand name, nor color of shoe(s) or dance wear. Tap shoes usually come in black patent leather, tan or white and silver metal taps on the bottom. Ballet shoes usually in ballet pink, black or white with an elastic drawstring which make buying a size bigger better! Should dance wear not be purchased, your dancer is to wear comfortable gym type clothing on dance day to allow for maximum mobility (no dresses). **Dancers name/initial is to be written on each item.** If dance class is in the morning and your dancer does not wear a uniform, have your dancer dressed for their dance class. Tights are NOT allowed – unless your dancer arrives to school in tights, socks can be included to wear with their tap shoes but not needed. Have only dance items and change of clothing in a separate bag from their school backpack. A portion of dance time is used to dress for class. By wearing less items on dance day, enables your dancer to receive more dance time – a pull over dress for girls is the best outfit for dance day. Boys usually wear their school clothing with black ballet and tap shoes.

Tuition:

Monthly tuition is due by the 5th of each month and made directly to LDS via our website. DO NOT SEND DANCE TUITION TO YOUR PRESCHOOL! Neither your school, nor dance instructors are allowed to accept payments. Tuition is based on our dance season, September thru May and are broken into monthly payments for your convenience. Tuition is prorated if your dancer starts mid-month and do not pro-rate for missed classes. There is a yearly registration fee of $25.00 to be paid upon registering to reserve your spot. Payments are accepted on our website at www.Littledancingstars.com. Personal checks should have your dancers full name for proper crediting. You will receive a confirmation email upon registering.

Parent Portal:

To register, make a payment, set up auto pay or inquire about financial history; select the Parent Portal pink button on this website. Enter email address and password. Select ‘forgot password’ if needed, do not create another account for your dancer. To avoid a late fee, sign up for auto payment. Autopay is processed on the 5th of each month and expire on April 5th OR upon withdrawal from our dance program, whichever comes first.

Late & Return Fee:

Payments not received by the 5th of each month, will incur a $10.00 late fee and be added to your account. Set up autopay and no more late fees! A return check charge of $12.00 for any items returned. A second check returned, will need future payments to be made in cash, money order or credit card.

Non-Payments:

Dancers are subject to termination should your account become delinquent and you have failed to contact Melissa Baker to make arrangements.

Dance Instructors:

Instructors are hired to teach your dancer ballet and tap. They may provide incorrect information to your questions. Direct all questions/concerns to Melissa Baker. Some of our instructors utilize their cell phones or Ipods (which looks like a phone) to play our music in dance class or use our instructor app to take attendance, this does not mean they are using for personal use.

Transfer or Withdrawal:

When a dancer transfers to another school/dance class – there is no guarantee that a spot will be available for your dancer. We must be contacted if your dancer transfers. Notification of dancer withdrawal from class must be in writing. If notification is NOT given by dancer parent/guardian to LDS, then any refund is void. Your school is not responsible for informing us of the status of your dancer. We do not “hold” a dancers spot, unless prior approval by LDS.

Parent Observation:

We do not send out progress reports, but provide information on dance classes via our website under “News”. We encourage you to visit dance classes at least once, we do not suggest visit’s the first month. Everyone is excited for first dance classes, but we must establish our class rules, routines, expectations and personalities of each dancer. We have found through experience, that when a visitor comes to watch class the dancers – sometimes yours or others – do not dance or do not dance to their full potential. Visitors are to watch from outside of the dance area through a window or from another room and that our dancers not see you until dance class is completed. Visitors can be disruptive to the dance instruction and we want to retain the attention of our dancers. Photos or videotaping other dancers are not allowed. Only school staff and staff of Little Dancing Stars are permitted to assist dancers to get dressed or use the restroom; our instructors are screened per the requirements of the Department of Children and Families.

Special Note:

We make every attempt to discuss and correct any problem that may arise concerning a dancers behavior during dance classes. However, Little Dancing Stars reserves the right to terminate any dancers enrollment for any reason and at any time. A parent/guardian may withdraw, with notice, for any reason and at any time. Little Dancing Stars reserves the right to use individual/group photos taken during class or at the dance recital of your dancer to include, but not limited to our program promotions, social media, displays and training material. Names will not be indicated. Email is our main form of communication, do not select on your parent portal to not receive emails from us as we will not be held responsible for information you do not receive. By registering your child in our program, you certify that you agree to Little Dancing Stars guidelines.