ALICATS Dance & More 3616 Atlanta Highway, Flowery Branch, GA 30542

"My daughter Adelaide absolutely loves taking dance here. She is excited every week to get to go see her teachers and really enjoys when she gets to stay all day and do the day camps."

"As a parent, finding an aftercare for your child can be overwhelming. Last year we had an awful experience with Legacy & wanted to pick something different. The aftercare program of Alicats boasted their extensive aftercare program with homework help, included snacks, & one hour class for the students to attend if they were of age. Over the summer, I did extensive research. I joined a few parent Facebook groups & asked for other parents recommendations. When school was about to begin, we decided to forgo fully prepaid lessons at another school & have her join Alicats. As a former preschool assistant director, I know firsthand that students appreciate far more whether their teacher cares for them, versus how much knowledge their teacher knows. A child who looks up to their elder will seek out & learn from trusted adults for this reason. Similarly, young children care whether a teacher is willing to cherish them for their young untapped potential. Alicats works on teaching students to “lift them up & build their confidence" which I appreciate. Any teacher can teach skills, techniques, & methods, but there are few teachers who aspire to go beyond that to challenge young dancers to find their passion & use dance to build confidence. I have seen several teachers who are willing to build this relationships with the students based on my interactions & hearing other classrooms. My daughter has been able to explore acroarts, ballet, tap, musical theater & has recently auditioned for a Broadway play that is being presented by Alicats. Her confidence has grown & she is always asking to stay longer to play with her friends. There was only one instance where I reached out to the owner with concerns on how a teacher was speaking to the students, & the response from the owner was immensely professional & very accepting of the feedback. It also seems like it was handled professionally which makes me feel comfortable for my child. I can appreciate how teachers work with the students as well to ensure they play well together & communicate appropriately with each other. My daughter did discuss with me that teachers do not allow students to cross their arms over their chest as it might portray them as "angry" which I thought was interesting take on body language. My hope is that students are still allowed to express when they are upset or angry in a meaningful discussion. Their discipline system seems to include yellow & red colored stickers put on the child or next to a name which I am unsure how I feel on. I am still getting more information from my daughter on this and explained to her that there are a lot of students they are constantly working with so certain discipline systems are used more than others. She is exposed to lots of different scenarios that I feel are important for her to learn the skills needed to emotionally regulate as we are a home that focuses on discussions & always expressing ourselves. I appreciate how open & willing the school is to communicate with parents. We get emails often on different items such as pictures, recitals, special parent nights out, camps, etc. I would love to see the school organize more events for the parents to interact with the teachers & classes. It does seem that Alicats aim to be involved in a student’s all-rounded development. This holistic approach to education is rare these days. Another vital detail is that the front desk staff, remembered us. I imagine that Alicats has many students, so it is praiseworthy that the staff were able to established rapport with our daughter by remembering her name & all the other students' names. I highly recommend parents to think about these questions: What qualities should you value in a dance teacher/school? Is it the many awards on the wall that makes a dance teacher great? Is it the cost of tuition? Or is it the relationship bond established between the child & teacher? "The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires." - William Arthur Ward"

"We have been part of the Alicats family for over 7 years. Our daughter has learned not only dance lessons but life lessons. She has made lifelong friendships and learned to be focused and disciplined that helps in all areas of life. They teach her that if she wants something bad enough, you have to work hard for it. They inspire her to be all that she can be."

"My 9 year old daughter loves being at Alicats! This year she is part of the junior performing arts company. She has already made wonderful friendships and has an older dancer who is a big sister figure. This is so awesome for her as my daughter is the oldest and doesn’t have an older sibling at home. I’m am looking forward to her getting an amazing dance education through ALICATS! My 3 year old daughter will also be starting this fall and she can not wait!!! We highly recommend Alicats!"