The preschool age group should be the foundation of your dance studio if your studio caters to children. The stronger and wider this base is, the stronger and more profitable our whole studio will be. It’s a given that not every kid that comes to your studio is going to be a dancer. Dance is not for everyone no matter how amazing your classes are. Given today’s social climate of activity ADD, where parents want to let kids try each thing for such a short time before jumping to something else or just letting them quit, combined with the natural thinning of the herd as students progress through levels of challenge, your enrollment numbers will likely taper as the ages and class levels ascend.
A recreational program for students ages 3–5 that makes it easy, affordable, and non-threatening for parents that are new to “the whole dance thing” is a must for any studio that wants to bring in new students…
- All year long
- That generate the highest profit margin
- That you can keep for the next 15 years
If those sound like the kind of students your studio needs, then let’s bring it on!
Here’s a PROVEN plan to build your preschool recreational program and strengthen the foundation that your studio enrollment stands on by…
- Building a relationship and reputation with the preschools in your community
- Making it easy, inexpensive and non-threatening for parents to get their kids into your studio
- Teaching developmentally appropriate classes that make children fall in love with dance
Recreation Preschool Program Overview
When my studio was young and I was struggling to find affordable and effective ways to meet enrollment goals and find some financial stability, I decided to work from the ground up by focusing a large part of my new student acquisition energy on the preschool age group. Shortly after developing and following the plan outlined below, I was able to regularly fill both the recreational classes and the regular year-long classes for ages 3–5. As I continued to offer the 4 week recreational sessions, more and more of my other class levels and age groups began to fill to capacity and stay on wait lists all year long.
Whether your studio is brand new or well established, this plan can help you bring in the most profitable students all year long and strengthen your overall enrollment numbers.
My Game Plan Went Something Like This
- Build a relationship with the best preschools and day cares in my area.
Google the preschools and day cares in your area and make a list of the ones that you want to connect with. Put them into a spreadsheet to help you keep track.
Mail, hand deliver, or email a letter to introduce yourself, your program and your studio and offer to come teach a free class for their students.
Follow up by phone 1 or 2 days later and schedule the visit.
2. Teach amazing free classes that the kids love and the preschool administrators and teachers respect and see the benefits of.
Have a great lesson plan with activities the kids will enjoy, experience success with, and want to tell their parents all about.
Leave an activity or color page to go home with the students that includes a letter for their parents about your visit to the preschool, the benefits of dance for preschoolers, and how to get involved in your recreational classes.
3. Teach an awesome 4 week session of classes that makes your new students want to be dancers forever and makes their parents into your new biggest fans.
Again, have a great lesson plan! Make your students fall in love with dance. Make their parents see the potential benefits of keeping them involved long term.
Give students a fancy certificate of completion at the last class of the session.
Make it clear to parents why and how to get signed up for your regular year-long classes or for the next recreational session. (Let them know that each session will provide a new learning theme.)
I have been successfully running this program for the last 8 years. I experimented with different formats, age groups, and session lengths. The 4 weeks for 3–5 year-olds taught in 30 minute classes once a week seems to be the big winner for my studio. I keep a few prime time slots open for these classes and run them in August, September, November, January, February, April and May. In addition to continually pumping new students into my studio these classes generate an extra $1,300 or so in just tuition, that doesn’t include the money that most parents spend on leotards, skirts and shoes even though the class doesn’t require them. It’s the best marketing and I get paid to do it!
If there is only one new marketing program that you add to your studio this year, this is the one that I would recommend you do right away! Get your free classes booked before school starts in the fall. Prepare to teach amazing classes that provide students with the benefits of dance now and make them fall in love with the idea of being dancers forever.
Want year-round help marketing your dance studio with programs like this including all of the templates, marketing materials and resources to help you get them up and running fast? Check out the Master Plan Weekly To-Do List from Studio Planner Pro.