COVID-19 Updates, Safety Protocol & Classes
A Message from Owner, Kira Dahlgren Lancaster
September 2020
Dear Families,
I hope that this note finds you healthy and safe, most importantly, but I also hope that perhaps this note finds you feeling even a little grateful, despite the difficult time in history that we are all living through. While some days may feel like they contain a whole lifetime’s worth of ups and downs, there is nothing like a world pandemic to prove that we really are ‘all in this together.’ And for us at Kinderdance East Bay that notion leaves us feeling grateful and inspired that we have our health, safety, our heart, and our spirit.
With that said, we miss our precious students!!! But like most businesses, we are doing things a little differently this Fall 2020. Given the current restrictions placed on preschools and online school replacing in-person school, we are not able to return to the classroom just yet. Instead we are launching a few live Zoom classes AND we are starting to teach private, in-person outdoor classes!
We are steadfast in our resolve that a ‘little thing’ like a pandemic will not stop us from living our mission to provide as many children as possible with the curriculum, opportunity, and guidance to develop their cognitive and physical functioning, so that their confidence, self-esteem and dreams can soar. And by living our Mission, we hope that one by one, we have a hand in helping our students ultimately live joyful, purposeful, and fulfilled lives.
Fall classes will kick-off our popular school-year curriculum, which spans September through May, teaching new skills, songs, and age-appropriate academics. Our curriculum builds on itself from week to week and month to month. You too will find yourself singing the popular Kinderdance® songs! Hope to see you soon :)
In Community with Dancing Feet and an Open Heart,
Miss Kira
Why Kinderdance® NOW?
The reason that children are excited by Kinderdance® programs year after year is because the programs evolve with your child’s developmental age group. Our curriculum builds on itself over time from Kindertots® class (for two year-olds) to Kinderdance® or Kindergym® (Levels 1 and 2 for 3-5 years) to Kinderdance®(Level 3) or Kindermotion® (for 5-8 years). Our curriculum’s evolution allows children to feel good about what they have already learned while feeling challenged and stimulated by new material and skills. Every month brings a new theme, songs and dances. Our monthly themes often reflect the children’s school curriculum, which excites them, and may focus on a holiday that month or how nature is changing within that month. There is always a “color” and a “number of the month” and fun imagination songs and games associated with that month.
As we navigate through the trials and tribulations of this Covid era, it has never been more important for children to get up and move, laugh and sing while interacting live with their teacher and friends,. Unlike many Zoom classes and Youtube shows, our Kinderdance classes are not taped. They are live so that our teachers can truly check in with each child, and so teachers can make real-time corrections in form or skills. Our live classes also allow us to call your child by name and build a relationship with them.
Fall classes will kick-off our popular school-year curriculum, which spans September through May, teaching skills, songs, and age-appropriate academics, that builds on itself from week to week and month to month. You too will be singing the popular Kinderdance® songs!
Why has my child loved Kinderdance® programs in his/her school?
Anyone, who has watched a child jump for joy, knows that children express themselves physically as well as verbally. Kinderdance® International has literally spent the past 40 years studying how children learn, both cognitively and physically, and we know that the mind-body connection is equally important in learning as it is in expressing oneself. Children love Kinderdance® programs because our curriculum is specifically designed to foster their development and their confidence, based on the mind-body-spirit learning triumvirate, and because it incorporates what children love most: music, movement, learning, imagining, positive reinforcement, and bright stimulating visual and tactile props. And it doesn’t hurt that our teachers are passionate, loving, and “silly”.
Covid Safety Procedures for In-Person Classes*
Check-in Process
For all In-Person classes, we will have a check-in form, which must be filled out at the beginning of each class. We must take and log all students’ temperature. We will use a contact-less thermometer. We will also need to ask the parent/ caregiver the following questions:
1. Has the child or anyone in her household been exposed to Covid-19 in the past 2 weeks?
2. Is the child or anyone in her household showing any symptoms of Covid-19?
Finally, the Parent/ Caregiver must sign name (legibly) and write down the phone number where they can be reached during class if necessary.
*We will have at least one parent or caregiver available on site per class in addition to the Kinderdance teacher.
Masks
All students and teachers are required to wear masks throughout Kinderdance East Bay classes.
Safe Distance
Students and teachers will maintain a safe, six foot distance throughout class.
Wash & Sanitize Hands
Students and teachers will wash hands before and after class and teachers will sanitize hands before and after spotting/patterning students.
Clean & Sanitize Props and Equipment
All props and equipment will be cleaned between students and sanitized between classes.
*the above rules may vary slightly depending on the level of co-mingling between students outside of
FALL 2020 Kinderdance® CLASSES
TO ENROLL IN A CLASS
Go to the link below and click the white “Enroll in Class” button and follow the prompts. If you already have an account, you may log in. Otherwise, you can create an account.
Live Virtual Classes
We will begin our fall session with three Zoom classes per week; two preschool-age (3-5 years) classes, and one kindergarten-2ndgrade class. If there is enough demand, we will add a Kindertots® class (for two year-olds). See schedule below:
Sept. 15- Dec. 10, 2020 (No class 11/14 and 11/23-11/27)
Tuesdays: 1:45- 2:30, Zoom Kinderdance®, (Mixed Level), ages 3-5 years*
Wednesdays: 2- 2:50, Zoom Kinderdance® III, kindergarten- 2nd grade*
Thursdays: 1:30- 2:15, Zoom Kinderdance®, (Mixed Level), ages 3-5 years*
*Minimum 6 students to begin a class
** If you don’t see a time that works for your child, please contact me!
***Siblings may attend the same Zoom class as the enrolled family member for Free, however, the sibling will not count toward the class minimum.
Outdoor In-Person Classes
We are also teaching private in-person classes with pods of 6 or more. We are holding these classes outside, usually in the yard of a private home, and the teacher is masked throughout the class. Depending on the comfort and co-mingling of the pod, these classes can be distanced, masked classes. In-person classes can be one of the following: Kinderdance®(3 Levels), Kindergym®, Kindertots®, and Kindermotion®. Judging from my own excitement to be physically with my students again, I think we can’t underestimate the mental and physical benefits of these classes.
If you are interested in these in-person classes, please contact me. If you have a yard that is big enough to host a class and you are willing to do so, please let me know as well!
FUN FOR PARENTS & CAREGIVERS
Since many parents are working from home these days and all parents are looking for fun, educational, healthy ways to spend quality time with their child(ren), we are encouraging parents to join our Zoom classes with their child! It’s not required, but the feedback we’ve received from parents, who did our Zoom classes with their child(ren) last spring/ summer, has been extremely positive. You can sing the same songs, get exercise together, step away from your computer screen, and even help your child master the skills. The benefits are numerous!! It is definitely a WIN- WIN- WIN for all of us!
IMPROVEMENTS
We have invested in new mic’s, speakers and sound systems to improve the sound quality of both the music played in class and the teacher’s voice during and in between songs. These sound improvements will be notable in both our Zoom classes and our outdoor, in-person classes. The increased engagement from being able to hear the music and teacher cues clearly cannot be underestimated. We are also continuing to work on some fun digital additions to our Zoom classes.
QUESTIONS/ IDEAS
Please contact me with questions or ideas! Miss Kira at 415-385-6501 or KinderdanceEastBay@yahoo.com