The primary purpose for dance studios is to provide high quality dance education while providing opportunities for performances and in some cases opportunities for participation on competition teams. But should a dance studio provide MORE to the children they teach?
We definitely think so!
Liberty Dance Center is the only dance studio in the area to be YPAD certified (and we have been since 2017). YPAD stands for Youth Protection Advocates in Dance. The core objective of a YPAD certified studio is to provide Happy, Healthy and Safe environments for their students and families.
The intention of Youth Protection Advocates in Dance® is to provide dance professionals with the skills, education and resources to protect and develop healthy, happy and safe dancers.
Through the use of online courses, YPAD courses educate dance studios and communities worldwide on the core elements in constructing an environment focused on the well-being of kids and a sustainable, safe future for dance.
SAFETY + WELLNESS COURSE
The YPAD Safety + Wellness Course empowers dance professionals with the necessary educational resources needed to teach and serve young dancers.
In the course, dance professionals learn about the following core areas: educational best practices including background checks and CPR/First Aid, abuse awareness & prevention, injury prevention & response, and safety & emergency preparedness. The course also covers: social media/media safety/today’s dance culture, developmentally appropriate artistry, body image/nutrition/disordered eating, and bullying/conflict resolution.
The teachers at Liberty Dance Center are currently working through their YPAD certification. Some of us with this as our third time through, as we get recertified every 2 years. Making sure we are well educated and best prepared for our dancers and dance community is very important to us. When you know better, you do better, and that is a key goal of ours at Liberty Dance Center.
(this is an updated post based on a previous YPAD series you can find here from 12/27/2019)
