5 Tips for Growing Community Among Dance Parents
As a dance studio owner, you’re well aware of the importance of gaining parent approval. However, you also know that there’s a fine line between incorporating caregiver feedback and managing your classes using your own knowledge and expertise.
Whenever conflict does arise at the dance studio, it’s usually the result of poor communication or misunderstandings, as with any interpersonal issue. Luckily, there are a few strategies dance studio owners and instructors can use to foster a culture of cooperation and respect to avoid roadblocks before they arise.
You’ll not only be able to avoid conflict using these strategies, but you can also use them to actively build community among your dance caregivers and instructors. To strengthen the element of camaraderie and trust at your dance studio, you should:
Create a dance caregiver Facebook group.
Host a studio fundraiser.
Optimize your communication channels.
Practice conflict resolution.
Show appreciation.
As DanceStudio-Pro’s guide to dance studio tips states, being a dance studio owner is hard work, and there’s no shame in asking for advice along the way. These strategies will help you foster a positive culture from the top down and create a warmer relationship with your dance studio parents. Plus, you can help dance caregivers get to know one another and even form close friendships. Let’s dive in!
1. Create a dance caregiver Facebook group.
There’s a Facebook group for everything and everyone these days, from dogspotting enthusiasts to a group for posting photos that resemble renaissance paintings. Your dance studio can join in the fun by creating a Facebook group for your parents and instructors.
Your dance studio’s caregivers likely belong to the generation of Millennials and Gen Xers who use Facebook the most, so it’s a natural platform to stay connected with everyone.
Use your studio Facebook group to:
Post updates about class schedules, competition schedules, events, and any other logistics.
Share photos and videos from performances and encourage parents to do the same.
Share resources such as YouTube videos, blog posts, and any other relevant educational content you think dance caregivers might find interesting.
By meeting dance caregivers where they are, you can start to build a sense of belonging and community that can foster a warmer studio environment. Plus, you’ll create a fun online hub for posting photos and videos of your dance students, which is something parents cherish and love to share with family and friends.
2. Host a studio fundraiser.
One of the rising dance studio trends in 2021 is the emergence of more dance studio fundraisers. 2020 was undoubtedly a challenging year for the dance industry, as classes were canceled or transferred to the virtual realm for an extended period. If your studio saw a revenue drop during this time, you’re not alone.
To raise a little money for your studio and engage your community of caregivers at the same time, you can host a studio fundraiser of your own! Fundraising events are a great way to bring your dance community together for a common purpose and have some fun at the same time.
Check out Fundly’s list of fundraising ideas for inspiration. Some popular options for dance studios include:
T-shirt fundraising: Everyone loves to show off their favorite organizations with a stylish, comfortable t-shirt. Ask your dance students and caregivers to submit design ideas, then encourage them to purchase the shirts and promote them to their families and friends.
Dance gear drive: Ask your dance families to send in new or gently used dance gear, such as shoes or leotards. You can clean up the gear and sell it for a reduced price in a fundraising event. This can be a big help to families who might struggle with the cost of expensive gear and are looking for cheaper options.
Parents’ party: Give your dance caregivers a night off with a parents’ party! Ask parents to contribute a donation in exchange for a few hours of babysitting. Parents can drop their kids off at your studio, where your dance instructors or other volunteers can keep them entertained. Then, set up a fun night with food, drinks, and entertainment for your dance caregivers to enjoy.
Dance-off: No dance studio fundraising ideas list would be complete without a dance-off! Charge a small registration fee and ask your dance parents to volunteer to help set up the event. You can use your dance studio to host a fun dance party and raise some money for your organization.
When you engage your dance caregivers and the wider community in fundraising, you’ll earn valuable funding for your organization and provide the community with a fun experience. Also, these opportunities are a great way to get to know your dance caregivers better.
3. Optimize your communication channels.
As mentioned, one of the common pain points at many dance studios is communication. With dozens of students and families to keep track of, it’s easy for things to slip through the cracks. When this happens, conflict can arise over miscommunications or misunderstandings.
To help avoid these scenarios, your dance studio management software and communication channels can help you stay organized. Use your dance studio technology tools to keep track of student and parent information and send messages to everyone who needs them.
For instance, with your dance studio management software, you can manage student information such as:
Important medical history. This is critical because if a student gets sick during class, has an allergic reaction, or faces another medical crisis, you’ll be able to access their pertinent medical info instantaneously and get in touch with the appropriate caregiver.
Tuition payment history. Use your studio management software to keep track of student tuition payments and automatically remind parents when tuition payments are due. This helps avoid any confusion or miscommunications when it comes to payments.
Student contact information. Establishing a system for gathering and updating student contact information is crucial. This ensures you’re using the right phone numbers and email addresses to get in touch with caregivers so no one misses critical information, updates, and reminders.
Reach out to dance caregivers or chat with them in person to ensure you have the most accurate student information and contact information available.
You should also make sure you’re sufficiently getting the word out with your communication channels. Whether you’re using email, text messaging, social media, or a combination of several communication channels, you must ensure you’re posting regularly and delivering the information caregivers need.
For instance, if you’ve got a recital coming up that has a last-minute schedule change, you don’t want to just send out a Facebook post and hope everyone gets the message. At that point, you should use all of the platforms at your disposal to keep parents in the loop.
To modernize your communication strategy, you can even make use of a dance studio mobile app such as the one offered by DanceStudio-Pro. You can send push notifications using the app to everyone who’s installed it. This helps you cut through the digital clutter with a message that goes right to your dance caregivers’ mobile devices.
4. Practice conflict resolution.
Although you do everything you can to avoid conflict at your studio, occasional conflict is unfortunately unavoidable. What is avoidable, however, is letting small issues escalate into larger problems. When you equip yourself and your studio instructors with conflict resolution skills, you can resolve conflicts in a healthy, respectful way.
You can tackle conflict resolution lessons on your own by gathering free resources for your instructors to use, but it’s also recommended to use the help of an expert. For instance, check out a quick conflict resolution course for tried and tested tools and resources for conflict management.
You can use these courses and strategies to not only strengthen relationships with current dance students and their families but also to gain new students. Prospective students and their caregivers will admire the positive, communicative studio environment you’ve developed. When your current students are happy with your studio, they’ll promote it to their friends and family members. This helps you earn more students through word-of-mouth advertising.
5. Show appreciation.
Your dance caregivers are your paying customers, and they’re what keeps your dance studio running. It’s important to show appreciation for them and let them know how much you value their support.
They trust you to teach their student each week, which isn’t an insignificant duty. You can express your gratitude for this with a few different customer appreciation ideas, such as:
Offer tuition discounts to loyal customers
Distribute free merchandise in occasional prize drawings
Ask for their feedback using surveys or polls and work to address their comments
Celebrate your dance families during important milestones, such as birthdays, weddings, or graduations
Write thank-you cards at the end of a season
In turn, your dance caregivers probably will show their appreciation back to you and your studio’s instructors, which can help fight against instructor burnout. Expressing gratitude helps build a strong relationship between your dance caregivers, students, and instructors.
With these strategies in your pocket, you’ll be able to approach relationships with your dance caregivers in a more constructive, genuine way. Although you may not always see eye to eye, these tips help ensure that any tension can be resolved quickly and respectfully.
This article was written by Laura Cole. For more than 15 years, Laura Cole has focused on strategic planning and project management for SaaS organizations. Laura became the CEO of DanceStudio-Pro in 2020. Laura is a wife, mom, yogi and volunteer.