Biz Tips
By Patti Komara
Why do preschool kids stay? They stay because they are having fun and parents think your classes have value for their kids. School-age students are learning new skills. If you want your students to stay you've got to get those kids to love your classes. When your teachers understand and act on it, it's quite a jump in retention.
Yes, the preschoolers need to learn skills, too, and the school-age kids need to have fun--but focusing on what REALLY keeps them is key. School-age kids need their back handspring for cheerleading try-outs. Have plenty of back handspring clinics for them to attend during that time of year. We have them on Monday evenings AND Saturdays. Offer them on Sundays, too! In classes have a "Super Spring (or Summer) Backwards Series" for 2-3 weeks where each class works on their back handsprings if they are ready. If the kids aren't ready yet, have them do the drills that lead up to the back handspring like handstands, handstand snap-ups, bridges on an elevated surface, and flybacks.
For every child who is ready to work on a back handspring, personally talk to each parent and invite them to a back-handspring clinic. We also offer back tuck clinics for the students who need that skill.
This article can be found in my #404 Patti's Pearls of Wisdom - The Best of 10 Years of eNewsletters. For 10 years and with over 9,000 subscribers, I wrote a monthly eNewsletter packed with training tips and advice on how to run a successful gymnastics or dance school. From those e-newsletters, I compiled the VERY BEST articles and made it into a 137-page book packed with useful info for you and your staff. Or, visit tumblebear.com for other topics including gymnastics training, hand stamps, and year-long lesson plans.