- FINAL DAY -
What if your students ACTUALLY PAID ATTENTION and were excited to come to class each week?
What if you found JOY again in teaching preschool and early childhood dance?
Ready to teach littles with CONFIDENCE and EASE?
total value: $1,183
Limited time special: $47 🎉
Our certification doesn't just give you the “what” to teach. Instead, we teach you HOW to teach.
We give you lesson planning and classroom strategies that have been tested and proven to work in the best of classes and the worst of classes.
While our methodology is rooted in child development research, it’s designed to work for you in a real class. Our goal is to teach you how to give your students the right amount of fun and imagination coupled with with the right amount of structure and technique.
Upon completion, you'll walk away with the confidence, knowledge, and skills needed to teach with ease. Teach in a way that focuses on the whole child while also being teacher-led.
Our certification is designed to help you become a better teacher in the real world.
what can our certification do for you?
“This course has really helped to spark my imagination again when it comes to turning dance into learning and play. The course is jam packed full of great ideas on class management and fresh takes... It has done well to remind me of the inner workings of the developing minds and bodies of our little students, and how to keep their growth in mind when planning out lessons. Imagination is so important and a lot of fun at any age!”
- Emma R.
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If you’re feeling frustrated because you’ve been working tirelessly TO TEACH BETTER DANCE CLASSES TO LITTLE AND ACTUALLY KEEP THEIR ATTENTION...
you're in the right place.
When I first started teaching, over 20 years ago, I was NOT teaching because I was trained to teach. Instead, I was teaching because I was a dancer. I'd loved dance my whole life, and I wanted to share the joy I found in dance with children.
My story is not unlike many dance teachers.
I can remember trying to teach turnout to 3 year olds. I remember wondering why my 4 year olds couldn't naturally stand in a line and wait their turns. I remember thinking my 5 and 6 year olds should be able to do an arabesque. (Child development research shows, by-the-way, that I was incorrect on ALL of these.)
Teaching little ones was kind of like a mystery I wasn't sure how to solve. It wasn't my fault. I had had no prior training in how to teach.
I frequently lost my student's attention. I had no idea how to teach my students developmentally correct dance and life skills, while keeping class fun and engaging for them.
Fast forward 20+ years later. I spent many years teaching, diving into child development theory, and completing quite a few teaching certifications.
After years of trial and error and thousands of dollars spend on training, I had a methodology in place that taught my youngest students developmentally age-appropriate skills while keeping class fun, inviting, and imaginative.
Best of all, when my students started enjoying class more and actually paying attention, I found joy too. I fell in love with teaching dance as much as I had fallen in love with dancing.
I realized preschool and children’s dance teachers need WAY better resources so they can actually teach developmentally appropriate dance classes in a joyful way.
Hi! I'm Ashley. đź‘‹
Filling your preschool and early childhood dance classes with joy and learning isn’t as hard as you think.
- Child development as it relates to dance for ages 1.5 to 10 years old
- Developmentally appropriate classroom expectations
- Lesson planning and classroom management strategies
- How to structure your classes
- How to keep students engaged during class
- What technique, skills, and concepts should be taught to each age group
- How to teach technique and skills correctly
- Example exercises and activities to plug into your own classes
when you enroll in our certification, you'll learn:
the certification is divided into four sections — one for each age group.
Complete one, two, three, or all four sections, depending on what ages you teach.
The Early Childhood Dance Teacher Certification shows you how to teach littles in an effective and joy-filled way.
“Every single time they come in the classroom, I have the ability and the opportunity to help them grow just a little bit, to help them develop this skill just a little bit… [I started using] some of those pre-planning worksheets and specific class planning worksheets from the [course]... It felt so intentional. I really liked that, that there was this really intentional lesson planning. I set a vision for what I want my session to look like.”
- Rachel R.
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Take one or take them all!
Your level of certification will depend on which courses you have completed.
Remember: these are all 100% online and on-demand 🙌
All courses are video-based and include additional resources like printable syllabi, PLANNING SHEETS, class activities and exercises, and more!
THE GOAL OF EACH COURSE IS TO HELP YOU TEACH THAT AGE GROUP AGE-APPROPRIATE CREATIVE DANCE OR BALLET SKILLS IN A WAY THAT IS FUN AND ENGAGING FOR YOUR STUDENTS. OUR METHOD IS ALL ABOUT SUPPORTING YOU AS A TEACHER SO THAT YOU CAN TEACH WITH EASE AND CONFIDENCE.
The Early Childhood Dance Education Certification consists of four courses, each focusing on a developmental age group.
Teaching Toddler Dance
part 1: For teaching creative dance to ages 1.5 to 3 in a parent-child class
LEARN HOW TO TEACH A PARENT-TODDLER DANCE CLASS TO AGES 1.5 TO 3
Does teaching a toddler dance class sound a little daunting? It can sometimes seem like toddlers have a language of their own and that it might be impossible to actually teach them movement and dance. Fear not! We’ve got you covered with our Certification Course in Teaching Toddler Dance. In this course, you’ll learn where toddlers are in their physical and cognitive development, as well as what’s appropriate to ask them to do in a dance class at such a young age. Finally, set your toddler dance classes up for success!
This course is 100% online and on-demand. Take it anywhere you like and at your own pace.
INCLUDES LIFETIME CERTIFICATION
NO ADDITIONAL FEES
Regularly $197
Included in the Early Childhood Dance Education Certification
Teaching Preschool Dance
part 2: For teaching creative dance to ages 3 to 5
TEACH PRESCHOOL DANCE SO YOUR STUDENTS ARE ACTUALLY ENGAGED AND PAYING ATTENTION
​Too often, we’re asked to teach young children dance because we danced, not because we have any knowledge or training in teaching such a very young age group. This course covers child development for preschoolers specifically for dance teachers so you’ll understand where they are from a developmentally standpoint. This course covers class structure, classroom management, how to create a lesson plan, and what skills and technique you should be teaching your preschool dance students. It also covers tips and strategies for keeping your students’ attention without feeling like you need to put on a circus act.
This course is 100% online and on-demand. Take it anywhere you like and at your own pace.
INCLUDES LIFETIME CERTIFICATION
NO ADDITIONAL FEES
Regularly $197
Included in the Early Childhood Dance Education Certification
“I love the [certification] program. It’s one of those things that made my studio in my area stand out and be different.”
- Vickie S.
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Teaching Primary Ballet
part 3: For teaching ballet to ages 5 to 7
LEARN HOW TO TEACH BALLET TO AGES 5 TO 7 IN A WAY THAT PREPARES THEM FOR A TRUE BALLET 1 CLASS
In this course, you’ll learn how to teach ballet to 5 to 7 year olds in a way that transitions them from the preschool years to a true beginning ballet class with ease. We want these students to begin to focus more on technique while still keeping class super fun and imaginative. Too often, teachers either keep class too fun and fluffy OR teach ahead of where this age group should be instead of giving them a solid foundation to build upon in the years to come. Learn where this age group is developmentally and what they should and should not be doing technique-wise. You’ll come away with effective teaching strategies, a clear way to craft your lesson plans for this age group, and the knowledge of what technique should look like for ages 5 to 7.
This course is 100% online and on-demand. Take it anywhere you like and at your own pace.
INCLUDES LIFETIME CERTIFICATION
NO ADDITIONAL FEES
Regularly $197
Included in the Early Childhood Dance Education Certification
Teaching Elementary Ballet
part 4: For teaching Ballet to ages 7 to 10
LEARN HOW TO INTRODUCE BALLET TO AGES 7+ WITH CORRECT TECHNIQUE WHILE CONTINUING TO INSPIRE THEM
In this course, you’ll learn all about how to teach developmentally correct ballet technique to ages 7+. We’ll walk you step-by-step through what we recommend teaching each of the first three levels of ballet, beginning with a true Ballet 1 class. You’ll learn level-by-level progressions for Ballet 1A, 1B, 2, and 3. We cover common student mistakes to look for and corrections for those mistakes when it comes to the beginning to intermediate levels of technique.
This course is 100% online and on-demand. Take it anywhere you like and at your own pace.
INCLUDES LIFETIME CERTIFICATION
NO ADDITIONAL FEES
Regularly $197
Included in the Early Childhood Dance Education Certification
“The training and certification sparked my world so much... I actually loved everything about it, it was a really great experience. I think it's set up so well and it’s so easy to follow. I really liked Ashley a lot, right from the beginning, her presence was really authentic.”
- Lala
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Owner and director, Ashley Hartford, walks you step-by-step through her most valuable strategies when it comes to keeping littles' attention, giving real-class examples and why these strategies work.REGULARLY $97
We're including these bonuses! đź‘‹
take your classroom management strategies to the next level
included For a limited time! ⏰
👉 Keep Your Students' Attention Masterclass
This toolkit is filled with ideas to plug into your preschool and early childhood dance classes when your students are having trouble focusing, or simply need a break. This tookit includes movement games, printable movement cards, parachute play, and much more! Keep your students moving and learning — even on those hard days!REGULARLY $47
👉 Smooth Sailing Toolkit
We're including 50 backstage tips, 50 backstage games, and 200 printable coloring pages to keep behind-the-scenes at your recital a breeze.REGULARLY $27
👉 Recital Readiness Pack
Get 12 sets of movement games PLUS 12 sets of printable movement cards centered around the following 12 dance concepts: body parts, body shapes, direction, dynamics, levels, locomotion, pantomime, pathways, size, spatial awareness, speed, and weight.REGULARLY $27
👉 Dance Concepts Kit
When you enroll in the certification bundle, you'll get a full year of curriculum for ages 1.5 to 10 — the original Once Upon a Ballet Curriculum — so you can easily implement what you learn in the certification courses!REGULARLY $197
👉 A Full Year of Curriculum
Regularly $197
teaching primary ballet
Regularly $197
teaching preschool dance
Regularly $197
teaching toddler dance
The Four Courses
want everything included in the early childhood dance Education certification?
Regularly $197
teaching elementary ballet
The Value
Regularly $27
DANCE CONCEPTS KIT
Regularly $47
SMOOTH SAILING TOOLKIT
Regularly $97
KEEP YOUR STUDENTS ATTENTION MASTERCLASS
The Bonuses
Regularly $27
RECITAL READINESS PACK
Regularly $197
A Full year of curriculum
“I enjoy watching Ashley and seeing how she introduces a new technique to her students. It gives me good ideas in terms of how to explain it and introduce a new concept… it has been really helpful for me being a new teacher to have those resources.”
- Danielle
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