What do I need to do to start a toddler music group?

[shoobaloo]

Have recently moved from London and there is a distinct lack of free or cheap 'rhymetime' type classes where I now live (there used to be loads of them where I used to live). I don't want to have to commit to a weekly session and pay for the lot in advance so am wondering if I should start one myself. How would I go about this? DO I need police checks etc? Anyone done something similar and was it worth it?

If you are aiming for cheap of free classes then you would end up losing money.

Classes are cheap for one of a couple of reasons.

1. They are subsidised by someone eg, local library, Sure Start, local community association etc.

1. They are run haphazardly by unqualified people who havn;t bothered to sort out proper insurance, CRB checks, health ahd safety and child protection policies or they cram as many children as possible into a class.

Church/village halls etc are not cheap to hire. If you were to run weekly pay as you go classes you would have no guarantee that poeple would turn up each week but you would still have to pay the venue hire. This is why most classes ask you to pay termly or half termly so that you know how many you have coming.

CRB checks are not obligatory but is is good practice for anyone working with children to have one and parents will often demand this. It can be difficult to get one done if you are not a mamber of an organisation or other association. You could join an organisation like the musicians union which according to their latest newsletter are working on ways for their members to get CRB checks done (they also give you insurance.

You need to start with loads of research,
at the very least you need to cover your cost,
*Hire of halls can vary greatly get in touch with owners and get prices from as many as possible,

• Get quotes for insurance there are companies that specialise in different types of set ups like creches and clubs.
• Have a good look at how other more professsional sessions run, what are their prices, what do they do, what are there qualifications.
• Police checks seem to be standard for anything like this although you wounld't be in sole charge and parents will be present it is normally expected if not required.
• If running anything like this it will have to be regular and appear professional and then parents will happily pay a decent amount.
• Membership of a union or orgainisation sounds like very good advice and people will expect you to have some sort of traing or credentials.

could you volunteer to run one at your local library?