Hold Old Should Your Child Be to Leave Them Alone at Dance?

When my daughter was 3 she was in a dance class that parents weren't allowed to watch. So, I strapped my younger daughter into the stroller and did laps around the building. I was nearby and got a mini-work-out!

our local studio doesn't allow parents to stay, it's disruptive, and the girls are 5 and up depending on the class. My DD does gymnastics and I just this past summer was okay leaving her, she's 8, and actually it bothers me to leave but with the other kids and their activities, i can't always stay.

has she been going to the same dance class the whoel time and is comfortable having you leave? Then I would say she is fine, just stay close go grab a coffee and a book and chill in the car. ;-) I wish I could do that now with my DD but she likes me to be there, so I am, I enjoy watching her in her classes.

My daughter is 6 and she use to do a dance class right when it was getting dark around 6, and the receptionist would say "come back in an hour, we'll call you if we need you".. so me I would go sit in my car and read. Not trying to sound negative but I would stay around or hang out in your car because no matter how safe it may be you just never ever know. Especially in this time and day, you never know what other people may do. So I would definetly stay close.

I am assuming her classes are at least 30-45 minutes apiece. If that's the case, AND there are at least 3 adults/employees there in case of an emergency, I think you would be ok to leave. I teach dance, and we always have 3 staff members at the studio at all times for safety. Someone to call 911, someone to help the person who is hurt, and another to watch the rest of the kids. These employees are usually the main teacher, an assistant, and the receptionist. Also, there are several parents who either wait in their cars or in the lobby, but we maintain our 3 employee rule at all times whether parents are available or not. Good luck and enjoy some mommy alone time. :)

I only left my daughter starting last year, when she was 7, and only when there were other mom's I trusted. It was her 5th year of dance last year, so they are on the same track as far as age...but I just don't trust many other people with my kids.

We have parents drop off their 3 yr. olds at dance class and they usually leave to run errands. Where can the kiddos go? No where, they are in class. Parents aren't allowed to watch so they would just be hanging around upstairs twiddling their thumbs.

I stayed in my 4 year old son's kung fu class the whole time for 6 months. But by now, I know the instructors, the parents, the siblings, the classmates. Everyone knows me. I even know some of the older students that are in the class that starts after ours ends. So, he will be 5 in 2 months time, but yeah-I occasionally drop him off at kung fu class (I always walk him in and wait until class begins though) and then run a couple errands (dry cleaning, grocery store, clean out the car, etc). MOST of the time I stay because I enjoy watching him, learning the new routine, and I like to chat to the parents, but maybe once or twice a month (out of 2 classes/week) I will say "Hey, I'm gonna take you to class and then ___, and I should be back before class is over. IF I am not, what do you do?" (Just in case....he knows to put his shoes on and sit on the couch with a magazine, and watch the "big kids" class until I get him). This way, I know where he is, he knows where I am, and if he's watching the big kids then he's entertained but also in a room with other people who know who should be picking him up. We've had no problems, and only twice have I been 5 minutes late in picking him up. I am much more picky about leaving my son with one person for any time, alone....but to leave him in class with friends, parents, and instructors.....that's not a big deal to me.

I own a dance studio in Sylvania, OH. I require that parents stay if their kids are 4 & under. For 5 & up it's up to the parents but I do stress that they need to pickup promptly. Your daughter is accounted for until her last class is over. Plus, once the last class ends kids get anxious if their parents aren't there.
I have a very small studio. If the studio is larger (for instance 3 or more dance rooms) then I would probably recommend sticking around or even popping in halfway through the evening just to check up on things.
Hope that helps!
N.

I want to add that my studio has a lobby with a one way view window so the parents are not in the room or disruptive in any way. This does make a difference... if the studio does not have a nice lobby then it is an issue.

DS is 8 and DD is 3.5, this hasn't come up yet but I agree with some of the other responders - I'd go out to my car and read, walk in the area, or something else where I was nearby and be back at the studio 10 minutes or so before class ended. Also would have my charged cell phone on me at all times and make sure they have the number.

All of my six children took dance and acrobatics and for the most part I did not leave them until they were in junior high and high school....it was easier for me to stay than drive back and forth....and I wanted to make sure that I was getting my money's worth.....and that they were behaving and paying attention....now I have two granddaughters taking tap, and two daughters have returned to adult tap and ballet at the same studio! 38 years after we first began there! Honestly I always wondered about the few mothers who dropped their kids off......P.S. Our studio always allows parents in the room and there was never any disruption......any parent who is paying for lessons should be able to see what they are getting for their money and they should do some homework to find out if the studio staff has credentials and if the students are progressing from year to year or just rehashing the same stuff....with a couple of new thing thrown in.....It does happen.

Well, you leave her at school at that age. Do you trust the instructor and do they have a good handle on the class and safety procedures like a school would, do they have a lot of adults helping out or observing? Do many of the other parents leave? It just depends on the class format/building. 3 classes are a lot of time to be gone. I don't know if I could leave for that long. Maybe if I really trusted the school I could leave for maybe the middle class to try it out, Stay in the area, read a book and have some snacks or something.

I'd have a few stipulations first.

What are the other parents doing? Is the class supervised by more than one adult? How many children are there? How does your daughter feel about your leaving?

It's really up to you. If everything is right and your daughter is comfortable with it and the school has a reliable way to contact you, I don't see the harm in going to run a few errands. But for the first few times, you might pop in at a midpoint between the classes and make sure she's okay.

I would think it depends on the setup there and how comfortable you are leaving her. Could someone just pop in a pick her up without you knowing or would your child try to leave with you not there? If it is pretty secure then you shoudn't have to worry. Sometimes in between classes in can get chaotic. Hopefully you studio is setp so kids can't wander or they separate from the entrance.

I was never allowed to be in the rooms with the girls. So when they were dancing and doing gymnastics I left the studio. My oldest daughter started at 4.