If you caught our previous blog, we discussed YPAD: Youth Protection Advocates in Dance. Liberty Dance Center is the only YPAD-certified studio in our area. A YPAD certification is an intense process for the studio that requires hours of work on the part of each and every employee. Here are just a few of the areas that the certification covers.
Safety
Dance is a beautiful art requiring strength, flexibility, and athleticism. As teachers, it is our duty to push boundaries in a safe way to help our students grow. YPAD certification focuses on teaching dance in a way that is anatomically safe for the dancer at their level rather than pushing dancers to limits that are not safe.
YPAD certified teachers are focused on injury prevention. In addition to safe teaching practices, YPAD certification requires that every teacher be first aid and CPR-certified. All of the teachers who work at Liberty have taken the Red Cross First Aid and CPR course and are certified.
Developmental Appropriateness
It’s not fun to talk about, but in some cases, dance has been a medium for the sexualization of children. Liberty has never and would never stand for this, but it is unfortunately something that happens often enough in the dance world as a whole that YPAD has dedicated part of their mission to stopping it.
You will never see a Liberty dancer in suggestive costuming or moving in a way that should be reserved for rap videos or night clubs. All of our costuming and music choices are age-appropriate and respectful of all body types. We are dedicated to letting kids be kids!
Teaching strategies
Although a dance background is necessary to be a dance instructor, a basis in teaching is also important. You can be the most accomplished dancer in the world, but if you can’t command the attention of your active 3-year-olds, or provide layered challenges for your teens, your teaching will fall flat.
YPAD certification provides basic educational training for dance teachers. As a state-licensed teacher myself who used to teach public school, I was extremely pleased to see this. YPAD draws on the work of established academics for best practices in teaching each age group.
There are many other aspects to a YPAD certification. These examples just go to show how thoroughly qualified your child’s dance studio is to teach your child. As a parent myself, I wouldn’t even consider a studio that isn’t YPAD certified. Thank you for your trust in us to provide a top-notch dance education for your child!
