How much should art classes cost?

amother

Khaki

Sun, Nov 26 2017, 3:08 am

Asking as an amother who wants to start an after-school/sunday art class for girls in grades 1-3, in New York.
I am not a professionally trained art teacher but I have always been artistic, took some art classes myself when I was younger, and have put a lot of thought into creating what I think is a very nice program that will give kids a good background in a range of art concepts and techniques while coming home with a number of nice projects.
I have two of my own kids who would be joining the class and not a lot of space, so my ideal would be to have another 4 kids sign up. If there's a lot of interest then I guess I could open a second session, but I'm not that optimistic. So the four kids' tuition would need to cover the expenses (my program doesn't call for any expensive materials but you do need things to do art with) and make it worth my time, but not enough to scare off the parents.

It would be about 8 art sessions of an hour each, culminating in a 9th session that would be a gallery of the kids' work and they'd go home with about 6 projects each.

I'm ready to start advertising and looking for those additional students but I can't figure out how to price it.

amother

Tangerine

Sun, Nov 26 2017, 3:26 am

I live in Lakewood and I have tried out at least eight different art teachers.
1. Usually there is a cost and then there is a separate cost for supplies that the child can pay for through you or the mother can go to Michaels and buy it herself. Then the child takes these supplies home after the session.

2. Anywhere from $165 for an eight week session up until $185 for The session again, this is Lakewood so maybe where you live is more.

3.most people don't have that ninth week and don't promise it to mothers because what a
Happens if everyone's art is an embarrassment

.

amother

Khaki

Sun, Nov 26 2017, 3:34 am

Wow, did you try out 8 different art teachers because they were all too lousy to go back to or because they each offered something unique??

I want to let kids explore a variety of materials so I think it will be more efficient to just have a class set of materials and not trouble the parents with the time or added cost of materials. I'd just absorb it into the cost of the classes. And that works for me too because some things could be reused for more than one class, if it works out well enough to do it again.

And I don't think there is any such thing as a kid's artwork being an embarrassment. Part of art education is learning how to feel good about what you create. Getting to show off what you did is an exciting opportunity, not a pressure performance.

I'm also optimistic that the projects I've planned are fairly embarrassment-proof Wink

We could pick the best one or two things from each child to highlight. If they can't get any of them decent, then I haven't done my job. We're talking about primary school extracurricular, not a MFA in Renaissance art.

Sun, Nov 26 2017, 10:31 am

I don't know about NY, but here's some perspective:

In my (OOT) area "real" studio instruction with highly qualified instructors is about $30/hr plus supplies.

At the low end, community and museum-based programs which have funding from sources in addition to tuition are about $12-15/hour, and may include supplies or have a small additional fee. This is in keeping with the cost of children's activities in general.

Think about how much you and your peers pay or are willing to pay for kids' activities and use that as a starting point. Look at websites for art instruction in your area (try museums and state/community colleges as well as art schools) to find the "going rate." Consider how much you need to cover costs and the income you desire. Keep in mind that small businesses do not always make a profit at first, as you will have some start-up costs.

Providing supplies, whether included in tuition or for a supplemental fee, is an excellent idea to ensure that the participants have the right equipment. Do this as a service to the students and a convenience for the parents. Resist the temptation to mark-up for a profit, even if you are purchasing supplies in bulk for less. Parents won't like it.

I know you're not thinking "big," but one of your start-up considerations should be insurance, especially when other people's children are involved.

Having a well-planned-out program with a culminating event should be a draw, distinguishing your program from typical arts-and-crafts time and allowing you to charge more in the long run. Consider having a lower introductory rate the first year while you build your following, especially as you are not a fully qualified art teacher. Good luck!

Raisin

Sun, Nov 26 2017, 11:40 am

I pay about €8 or €10 an hour for art classes. Its an after school class so I think its covered under the school insurance. They use all sorts of materials - charcoal, paint, pastel, clay. Paintings are on paper, not on canvas, which obviously makes it a lot cheaper. This is for younger kids. I think I paid a similar amount for my teenager.

She has about 10 students, although lately she has an assistant - one of the parents, who may be doing this voluntarily.

Simple1

Sun, Nov 26 2017, 11:40 am

amother wrote:

I'm ready to start advertising and looking for those additional students but I can't figure out how to price it.

How do you plan to advertise? This is another expense to consider. It can take a few times to run an ad before it people respond. If it's just a few kids you need, maybe you can avoid this expense by doing something else like word of mouth or flyers.

amother

Khaki

Sun, Nov 26 2017, 11:47 am

Advertising would be word of mouth/flyers.

I'd love to just compare to other similar programs but we don't seem to have any locally. There are professional level art classes for learning techniques in depth, and that's about all I could find. Obviously those are going to be more expensive than what people would pay for my "chug." (I know, confusing to use an Israeli word when I'm talking about NY, but what else would you call it? It's not private lessons, but more formal than a "club") I guess maybe there isn't much because most kids are getting this level of art education in their schools, but the more yeshivish schools don't have the same level of art - the boys schools have nothing, the girls school has something but I don't think it's very structured, it's more like a teacher comes in once a week and does some random art activity. The kids enjoy it but I don't think it teaches a structured curriculum covering art concepts and vocabulary.

amother

Khaki

Sun, Nov 26 2017, 11:53 am

I don't know if it would be long term. If it works out great then I'd consider it but for now my main point is that my kids would like something like this, it isn't available and if it were I can't budget for it, and I'm capable of teaching it myself so why not just create a class for them. For now I've put together a series of 8 lessons covering a pretty solid range of concepts and techniques, so if I wanted to extend it then I'd have to figure out what to cover in the next level. If it works out very well and there is interest in more then I would possibly do it again, but it's a small community and a lot of kids go to public schools that include art education so I just don't know if there would be enough interest to keep going. But I do keep in mind that materials could be reused. I've outlined an approximate supply list for myself and I think I could provide all the materials for 6 kids (including my own) for under $200 all inclusive, with pastels, pencils/colored pencils, paintbrushes, paint pans, and bottled paints able to be reused. But since I've aimed for low-cost projects, that only saves about $50 for next time.