Melody Lane Dance Music and Drama Academy is now YPAD certified! And the only dance studio in the valley with certification.

Yay!!! But wait, what does that mean exactly?

YPAD (Youth Protection Advocates in Dance) is a non-profit and one of a kind. The dance world has no regulatory body regarding safety and training of educators. YPAD was created to ensure children are safe in studios. But who better to answer the question of what is YPAD than the organization itself!

“YPAD courses are the foremost, research based, educational courses for dance professionals and the dance industry as a whole. The intention of Youth Protection Advocates in Dance® is to provide dance professionals with the skills and resources to protect and develop healthy, happy dancers. Through the use of online courses, YPAD courses educate dance studios and communities worldwide on the core elements in constructing an environment focused on the well-being of kids and a sustainable, safe future for dance.”

-YPAD website

Melody Lanes priority is to promote the physical, mental, and emotional health of every child our institution connects with. YPAD allows us to train staff members to be the best providers to students we possibly can be. Our staff are background checked and trained in First Aid and CPR. YPAD certification requires that our studio has procedures in place for emergency scenarios as well as training in identifying signs of abuse in children and to safely and legally handle protecting our students. Melody Lane stands for inclusion and kindness in the arts by celebrating all the unique differences of our students and our families. We take an ongoing approach to educating our educators, we are not “know it alls” but “learn it alls” and YPAD is one of many continuing education outlets our studio is participating in. 
To learn more about YPAD visit their website at https://www.ypadnow.com/