COVID-19 Protocols

Stars of Tomorrow Dance Academy is dedicated to keeping the health and safety of our dancers and faculty at the forefront of all future plans. Stars of Tomorrow will follow all guidelines, as laid out by the Province of Nova Scotia, throughout the upcoming season.

Important Notes

• The waiting room and change room are currently closed.
• Please arrive no more than 5 minutes early for drop-off to minimize the number of dancers in common areas.
• Parents/guardians are asked to drop off dancers at the door or in the parking lot, to help manage the flow of dancers and limit the number of people in the building.
• Masks are required in all common areas, at all times (exceptions are noted under Masks).
• We will continue to follow government guidelines and make changes as allowed. Any changes to our procedures will be communicated with parents/guardians.

 

Office Information & Hours

• Due to limited space in our common areas, our waiting room and lobby are currently closed.
• Parents/guardians are asked to sign up for an office appointment to visit our front desk.
• If you would like to stop by the office, please help us keep the numbers of patrons in our building low by signing up for a slot using the button below.

• Appointment times will be updated regularly.
• While in the building, we ask patrons to use our guidelines to to maintain social distancing.

 

Entrances & Exits

Entrance procedures

• Dancers taking their first class in Studio A or B will enter through the main entrance and wait on markers (6 feet apart), as they wait to enter the studios.
• Dancers taking their first class in Studio C will enter through the basement door, on the right side of the building, and wait on markers (6 feet apart), as they wait to enter the studio.

Exit procedures

• Dancers taking their final class in Studio A or B will exit through the main entrance.
• Dancers taking their final class in Studio C will exit through the basement door on the right side of the building.

There will be a sanitization station at both points of entry/exit. All dancers must sanitize after entering and before leaving the building.

Arrival & Pickup

• Dancers are asked to refrain from coming into the building more than 5 minutes before class start time.
• Parents/guardians of dancers under 10 years of age may bring dancers to their designated waiting spot inside the building, but must leave after bringing the dancer to their spot.
• When dancers enter the building, they will line up 6 feet apart, on the markers, until the teacher brings them into the studio.
• No parents/guardians will be allowed inside studios.
• Dancers will leave class and immediately exit the building to the parking lot.
• We ask dancers to be prompt with arrival and pickup times to aid in the flow of traffic.
• Staff will be on hand to help facilitate arrivals and pick-ups and to ensure all dancers are safe.
• Doors to the building will be open when possible (ie: weather) to help reduce doorknob contamination. 

 

Waiting Room

The waiting room seating will be closed.

 

Signage

Signs will be located throughout the building for social distancing, direction and proper hygiene; examples are as follows:

• Physical distancing markers throughout the building and in the studios.
• Proper handwashing reminders in all bathrooms.
• Markers for dancers to leave their items.

 

Attire & Bags

• Dancers are asked to come “dance-ready”. Students should come dressed in dance clothes to eliminate changing on-site; reducing the risk of contamination and the use of more rooms.
• Dancers taking classes in Studio A and/or B will place outdoor shoes on the shoe rack or cubbies in the waiting room; shelves/cubbies will be wiped down frequently.
• Dancers taking a class in Studio C will place shoes on in the cubbies in the basement, outside of the studio.
• Pre-school dancers will take their shoes into the studio to ensure teachers know which pair of shoes belong to each dancer.
• When possible, dancers who have a jacket are asked to put it in their bag to take into the studio. Cubbies have been provided for larger items when necessary.
• Dancers will bring all belongings, other than outside shoes, into the studio and place them in their designated spot. Dancers are asked to bring a bag to store belongings including their mask; large bags should be avoided. Dancers should bring minimal belongings to class.
• Long hair must be pulled back into a ponytail, braids or a bun, to avoid having hair moving around in the air, or have students playing with their hair.
• Dancers are permitted to wear indoor shoes for any class that they would normally go barefoot.

 

Masks

Everyone entering Stars of Tomorrow Dance Academy will be required to wear a mask; please see the below list for exceptions:

• Children under the age of 2 do not have to wear a mask.
• Children aged 2-4 when their caregiver cannot get them to wear a mask
• Persons who are unable to wear a mask for medical reasons.

Masks must be put on by all patrons before entering the building. Masks must be worn in all common areas of the building; they can be removed once in the dance studios, while participating in class (wearing a mask while dancing in at the parent/guardians discretion). At the end of each class, it will be required masks are put on, and left on, until patrons leave the facility.

All staff will wear masks in the common areas; masks will be worn anytime a teacher is assisting a dancer, spotting a dancer or giving a hands on correction. If you would prefer the teacher to be masked for your dancers entire class, please contact the office and the teacher will be notified.

 

Food & Water

Dancers must bring their own water bottles from home. Parents/guardians are asked to stress the importance to dancesr, of not sharing water bottles with others.

 

Washrooms

There will be a washroom available for use upstairs and downstairs.

• Proper hand washing and drying before exiting the washroom is required.
• Disinfectant wipes will be placed in each washroom. After using the washroom, patrons are asked to disinfect door handles, lever, lid, toilet seat, counter, faucets, sink area and light switches.
• Washrooms will be cleaned throughout the day by staff, with a deep clean overnight

 

Retail

If trying-on items is necessary, customers are asked to sanitize hands before trying on clothes. Items that are tried on, but not purchased will be isolated for 24 hours before returning the sales area.

For the foreseeable future, retail items are final sale and can not be returned.

Studios (During Class Time)

All guidelines, as laid out by the Province of Nova Scotia will be followed. For more information on the latest government guidelines, click the button below:

Dancers will be encouraged to distance themselves when possible.

Teachers will spot dancers and give them hands-on corrections. Teachers will sanitize their hands in between spotting/giving hands-on corrections to different dancers; a mask will be worn while a hands-on correction or spot is given.

If you would prefer your dancer is not spotted or given hands-on corrections, please contact the office and the teacher will be notified.

 

Cleaning & Disinfecting

Handwashing

• All patrons must sanitize upon arrival.
• Hand washing signs will be provided in all bathrooms, along with proper soap and paper towels.
• Staff and dancers should not share any hand lotion/personal sanitizer.

Studio sanitization between classes

• Disinfect barres.
• Disinfect door handles.
• Disinfect stereo equipment.
• Disinfect mats (acro classes).
• Disinfect walls (acro classes).
• Floors will be disinfected any time there is a sufficient break between classes

Washrooms

• One person will be allowed in the washroom at a time; dancers are encouraged to use the washroom before coming to class to aid in washroom traffic.
• Patrons must disinfect the toilet seat, lid, lever, door handle, light switches, sink area, faucets, counter after each use.
• No-touch wastebaskets.

 

Common Areas

• All commonly touched surfaces such as doorknobs, banisters, benches, etc. will be cleaned frequently.
• There will be a plexiglass divider between the front desk staff and customers.
• The desk and debit machine will be wiped down after each customer.

Deep clean

• All studios, common areas and washrooms will be thoroughly cleaned at the end of each night.
• A professional cleaning company will be cleaning the studio three nights a week, after classes. 

 

Health & Hygiene

Dancers and staff should complete a self-assessment daily for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 at home before coming to the dance studio. Please click the button below for screening questions:

Dancers and staff must stay home if they are unwell, even if their symptoms are mild.

Both staff and dancers should be reminded to follow protocols to maintain properly sanitized surroundings as well as their selves:

• Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer (>60% alcohol) upon arrival.
• Avoid touching face including eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Avoid high-touch areas where possible, or ensure hands are washed or sanitized after.
• Everyone will be encouraged to follow respiratory etiquette (e.g. coughing or sneezing into a bent elbow, promptly disposing of used tissues).
• Hand-sanitizing areas will be set up throughout the building.

 

The Paperwork

All parents/guardians are required to sign a Covid-19 consent upon registration. The Covid-19 consent is in effect for the entire 2021-2022 season. Upon registration parents/guardians are required to submit their contact information, to ensure the studio has the most recent information on record for each student.

 

Management of Covoid-19 Symptoms

If a child begins to experience symptoms of Covid-19 while at the facility:

• They will be immediately separated from others in a supervised area, away from other persons inside the facility, until they can go home.
• Whoever is supervising the child will maintain a distance of at least 6 ft.
• Parents/guardians and local public health will be contacted to notify them of a potential case and seek advice regarding the information that should be shared with other parents/guardians/students.
• Hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette will be practiced while the child is waiting to be picked up.
• Masks will be provided to the child, for proper respiratory etiquette. The child and parent will dispose of mask after leaving the facility.
• Deep cleaning of any space the child was in contact with will be conducted once the child has been picked up.
• Children or staff who have been exposed to a confirmed case of COVID-19 will be required to stay home and self-isolate for 14 days.

 

Tracking & Tracing

• Stars of Tomorrow Dance Academy will communicate frequently with employees, contractors, students, and visitors with clear signage and other notices, as suggested by local public health unites or the Government of Nova Scotia.
• The business will accurately track attendance, noting absences as they occur. Records will be kept to assist in tracking in the event that an absence is due to symptoms or a diagnosis consistent with COVID-19. Record management will be kept diligently while respecting privacy policies.
• Stars of Tomorrow Dance Academy will maintain accurate and up-to-date contact information for all staff, contractors, students, and visitors.
• The business will provide records as required for the purpose of conducting contact tracing during the COVID-19 pandemic to Provincial/Local Public Health officials.