One issue that can be a show stopper is that many dance halls simply
don't have a place that _can_ be a "kid area". A dance series that's
lucky enough to find an affordable hall with a good floor is likely to
stop looking right there. They're ahead of the curve. If the hall has
a kitchen, then that's a major bonus. Any additional social space is a
further bonus, but often unavailable.
It can be fun dancing with folks with babies on board, and one of the
most amazing hambos I ever saw involved two parents with toddlers in
backpacks.
If a dance has a space that can be available for kids, then yes, I think
it's a great idea to encourage families to attend and to help them come
up with ways to make the child supervision work within the framework of
the dance. But it's also true that not everybody is wild about
toddlers. For some folks going out to a dance is an adult social
activity. Each dance community needs to find the balance between making
the dances accessible and enjoyable for all the folks, with or without
kids, who want to attend, and that can be a tough balance to find.
Sounds like the Gainesville group has come up with a good system, with
an in-house childcare person. What have other groups done to make it
possible for folks with kids to keep coming to dances?
Kalia
On 10/22/2012 9:15 AM, Andrea Nettleton wrote:
I would not want to see the current crop of twenty somethings all drop out for
seven years at a stretch once they marry and have kids. I would love the hear a
discussion of creative ways to encourage them to stay. Some ideas I have had
include allowing them to pay less if they cannot stay to the end or have to
take turns sitting out, making a space for kids available, having community
members who know they will not dance all night sign up to keep an eye on the
kid area...
