The Studio School of Dance

Policies & Rules

Tuition

  • Tuition must be paid in advance
  • Tuition must be paid even if classes are missed due to illness or injury, studio need to close due to weather or health crisis.
  • All enrolled families are required to provide a credit card and/ or bank account information to be kept on file.
  • Holidays are already worked out in your class average of the year. We do not prorate for holidays or personal absences.
  • Some months may have 3 classes, and some may have 5. We do not charge less or more in those situations. The class averages out over time.
  • Remember, you are paying to hold the spot in the class, not the class itself. 
  • All Tuition and fees paid to The Studio School of Dance are NON-REFUNDABLE and NON-TRANSFERABLE.

    Late Fees

    • Tuition is due on the 3rd of each month. We do allow a 3 day grace period for you to make your account current without any additional late fees.
    • Any unpaid tuition on the 6th of the month will be considered late, and your account will be subject to a $20 late fee. 
    • Should your tuition fall behind more than 2 months we reserve the right to suspend your participation in classes until the account is up to date. 

    Payment Methods

    • We accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, Bank Draft, cash or check.
    • The Studio no longer accepts Venmo, PayPal, Cashapp as a form of payment.
    • We do require a credit card at the time of registration, but you can switch to cash or check .
    • Your card on file will automatically be billed the third of each month for the upcoming month’s tuition. Should the third land on a holiday, we may charge your card on the closest previous business day. 
    • All returned credit card transactions will incur a 3% fee. Any returned checks will be subject to a $35 fee.

    Transaction Fees

    A 3% transaction fee is applied to all credit card payments and bank drafts.  You do have the option to pay any fees by cash or check.  

    Cancellation Policy

    • We require a 30 day notice when stopping enrollment and billing. Your 30 day notice will begin when we receive your cancellation form. CLICK HERE
    • All dancers still enrolled through Spring Gala will be automatically dropped at the end of June as we enter our summer break. You will need to re-enroll when we announce registration has opened for the following season. New season’s will typically start at the late August, with registration opening sometime mid to late July. 
    • NOTE: Informing your individual teachers that you are dropping is not considered a cancellation. Teachers have a lot of responsibilities during class and may not remember to tell the office. Please use the form above.

    Make-up Classes

    • We do allow make-up classes. Each dancer gets one make-up class, per quarter, for the year (4 in total). A year being defined as Jan-Dec. Any unused make-up classes can roll over to the next quarter, but all reset to zero when the calendar year ends. Make-ups are contingent on availability in a particular class and date.
      • Make-ups roll over each quarter but reset at the end of the calendar year.
      • Any unused make-ups are forfeited if not used before your cancellation period expires.
      • Make up classes cannot be used in lieu of tuition. 
      • Make up classes may only be used if actively enrolled.
    • Make up classes for isolated absences – (illness, vacations, other extracurricular activities, school functions) are limited to 1 make up class per quarter per dancer. 4 maximum for the calendar year. These do carry over from quarter to quarter but reset at the end of the year. Once the year ends the time expires.

    Dress Codes

    • All dancers are expected to be in proper dress code each week. Teacher will give notes about dress code includes attire, hair, and footwear.
    • Warning will be given for dancers that fail to comply. Multiple warnings may result in your dancer being asked to sit until dress code is correct.
    • If you need help purchasing any dance gear, please ask our office. We offer a shoe exchange program where parents can donate gently used shoes.
    • Families may also borrow shoes as needed. You can request shoes through our front desk and we will check if we have shoes that match the size you need.

    Extended Absences

    • If you expect to be gone from class(es) for multiple weeks, please let the office know. If you intend to return and keep your spot, you do not need to do anything else. We will just see you when you return.
    • If you wish to not be billed while you are away, you will need to submit a 30 day cancellation notice. Please make sure to submit this in time for your absence. Please understand that if your class has a wait list, your spot will be offered to the next family in line when your cancellation is complete. 

    Low Enrollment Classes

    When we launch a new class there may be a period when enrollment is low. In some cases, if enrollment is low for an extended period of time we may consider dropping the class entirely. Should this occur we will try to give the families 30 days notice so they can find another class on our schedule.

    Spring Gala Rehearsals

    We take pride in preparing all of Spring Gala students to the best of their ability. Rehearsals officially begin in February. Some classes will be required to increase class time from one class per week to two classes per week. This additional class will being in April. Parents and students will be given advance notice of this additional class.

    In The Classroom

    Rules in the class will be enforced by all teachers and staff. All rules are in place for a reason. Some rules are for your dancer’s safety, and other rules are for the class to function smoothly. Please respect the rules and the teacher’s authority in enforcing rules. If you have questions or concerns, please direct them to the office staff. 

    • Arrive on time. Dancers that miss the warm up or are more than 15 minutes late will be asked to sit and watch for remainder of class. This is for your dancer’s safety and to avoid injuries. Sitting and watching class is still beneficial and better than not attending class at all.
    • Attendance. Regular attendance is key for all participants and is  required in order to participate in shows and competitions. This is a team activity. Your class and instructor are counting on everyone to be in class and on the same page each week. Excessive absences may result in being removed from shows or competition.
    • Dress code. Be sure to read our dress code page. Dancers not in dress code will be given a warning. If dress code becomes a recurring issue we may ask your child to sit until their attire meets the dress code. Shoes, dancewear, footwear, and hair should all be correct. Dress codes are both for your dancer’s safety, to help them be successful in a particular style, and for teachers to be able to see proper body alignment. If you are in NOLA Dance Project, you have additional dress codes. Please check with our office staff if you are unclear about your requirements. 
    • Water. Please remember to bring your water bottles to class. Teacher will let dancers know when it’s time for a water break.
    • Restroom Breaks. Ideally, they should not be needed. Please have your dancer go to the restroom prior to class. Class is only 45-60 min long, if they have gone before class they should be able to wait to go again until after class is over.

    Injuries  

    • As with any physical activity, Injuries may occur from time to time during class. Our staff will do their best to keep all children safe. Should your child get injured during class we have first aid kits, and ice packs on hand to comfort them until they are ready to rejoin. If an injury is more serious we will contact parent/guardians and send dancers home to recover. 
    • We will tend to injuries in a serious and caring manner. You are not punished for being injured, only removed from things to ensure your quick and full recovery! Dancers suffering from injury are still required to attend all classes and rehearsals to observe and take notes.
    • With guidance from your doctor, the school director will decide when the dancer can participate in physical activity. Full recovery is required for young dancers that cannot modify correctly. With the discretion of the director, our older dancers, depending on the severity of their injury, will be allowed to participate in physical activity IF compensation or lack of modification do not occur.

    Non Compliance with Rules

    While we have never had to give out more than a verbal warning, please be assured that we do take excessive rule breaking seriously. Continual rule breaking will result in being sent home, or removed from the program entirely. Should we feel that any individual purposely put other dancers in harm’s way in a serious manner, we may skip ahead to remove that individual from the program without a warning. 

    • First incident happening will result in a verbal warning.
    • Second incident happening will result in a written incident report and a meeting with the family.
    • Third incident will result in removal from the program. 

    Lobby Rules

    Our studio has a lobby area where families are welcome to sit and relax while they wait for their dancer to take class. Just like with classes, we have rules in place to keep everyone safe and comfortable while in the spaces. In general, we ask you be courteous to others. We love that families congregate and hang out in our lobby. It creates a great sense of community beyond our studio. Please observe the following rules to keep the space feeling comfortable and to not distract dancers who are in class

    • Distractions: First and foremost we ask that you please not distract your dancer(s) while they are in class. Please do not open the classroom door to give your dancer a note. Let the teacher manage the classroom. No parents are allowed in the class unless invited in by the teachers. Please do not let siblings that may be watching to tap or bang on the glass during class.
    • Noise Level: Our lobbies are meant to be quiet spaces, but they do tend to get loud during our busiest times of the day. Please do your best to keep noise levels to a minimum. If you have to take a phone call, please step out into the hallway, stairwells, or outside the building.
    • Running: There is no running allowed in our lobby, or common areas of the building. Remember we are in a large building shared by many tenants.
    • Windows and Doors: As stated above, please keep little ones from banging on viewing windows or opening doors during class.
    • Food and Drink: Food and drinks are allowed in our lobby areas. Dancers who take multiple classes are welcome to bring their dinners and eat with their peers. We ask that everyone please clean up after themselves. The Studio School of Dance is a nut- free space. Water is the only drink allowed in the studio spaces themselves. There should be no food in the dance studios.
    • Furniture: Please do not move the furniture. If you need to, please make sure to place it back where you found it. Please do not allow younger siblings to climb furniture.
    • Viewing Windows: Studios 1/2, 3, and 4 have large viewing windows. We ask that you please minimize the time in front of the viewing window so to give all parents a chance to watch their dancer. Please do not stand in front of viewing window while on your phone or having conversations with those in the surrounding area. It is a distraction to those taking class. Instructors reserve the right to close the viewing window, should the class need help focusing or working on choreography.
    • Hallways and Common Areas:
      • No playing in the halls.
      • No running in the halls.
      • No screaming in the hallways.
      • No soccer in the hallways.
      • No dancing in the hallways.
      • Please use the halls to walk from one studio to the next if need be.
      • Dancers, students, siblings need to be at least 7 years old to move through the space unsupervised.
      • Any child 6 and under should be accompanied and supervised when moving through the building. This includes hallways, common space, bathrooms, the main lobby, studio m lobby, changing room, parking lots, and the stairwells.       
    • Studios Not In Use:
      • Studios that are not in use are closed.
      • No free play in studios during pre/ post class time or wait time.
      • Children and students should not enter closed studios at any time for any reason.
    • Supervision:
      • Children 7 and under should be supervised always when in lobby and or common space.
      • Children 8 and older can move through the space independently (for example drop off for classes or multiple classes in a row) but office and teacher should be notified ahead of time.  Child should also be aware of policies and be able to follow the studio/building rules independently.
      • If a parent, nanny, family member, or friend is going to be unexpectedly late for pick up our staff should be notified as soon as possible.  If this happens excessively, incident records will be initiated.  Steps included are outlined in the incident record section of the policies found below.
      • Any adult bringing your child to and from class is also responsible for these policies.
      • Should one of our teachers or staff members witness a child under the age of 6 unsupervised the child will be returned to the main lobby and parents contacted if not found in the process. This incident will be documented, recorded, and become the start of incident records for the family/child.  
    • Right to Refuse Service: We always have the right to refuse service should you or any member of your family not follow these studio policies.  Our policies are in place for the safety of all participants in our programs, their families, and individuals and businesses with whom we share the building and must be agreed to and followed at all times.
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