Rainbow DJ LabRas Tafari Inc. · Rainbow Beach Park, Chicago
Proposed:The Lab is not running yet. No class runs until every item on the launch checklist is complete.
Rainbow DJ Lab › Performing › Event-day supervision

Event-day supervision

How Lab adults supervise children at public performances, from check-in to check-out.

Why events need extra care

A public event is busier than a class. There are crowds, open space by the lake, strangers, loud sound and a stage area. Our class standards come with us to every event, and we add more.

These are policies Ras Tafari Inc. commits to. Formal board adoption is a launch requirement. Public stage events, including Rainbow Wednesdays, the Youth Showcase and the Theme Clash, are proposed and not yet approved.

The standards

Ratio

  • At least two screened adults are with performing children at all times.
  • There are no more than 6 children per screened adult, the same ratio as class.
  • Every Lab adult clears the same steps before working with children: the Chicago Park District's background check, run by the Park District under its rules, plus references, youth-protection training and Illinois DCFS mandated reporter training. See Staff screening.
  • Sound and stage crew never count toward the ratio.

A named Lab adult for your child

  • Before each event, we tell you the name of the Lab adult assigned to your child.
  • That adult knows where your child is from check-in to check-out, and stands beside them during their set.
  • If that adult has to step away, a second screened adult takes over, and the hand-off happens out loud.

Observable and interruptible

  • No adult is ever alone with a child out of sight.
  • Any one-on-one moment, such as a pep talk before a set or a debrief after it, happens where other people can see it and walk up. This is modeled on the U.S. Center for SafeSport's Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies (MAAPP), which say one-on-one contact between an adult and a minor "must be observable and interruptible."

Check-in and check-out at the performer area

  • A parent or guardian signs the child in at the performer area. The child is then in the Lab's care.
  • At the end, children are released only to adults on the authorized-pickup list, after a photo ID check. Every release is recorded in the Lab's sign-out log.
  • Children aged 8–11 are never released to walk home alone unless a parent or guardian gives written permission in advance.
  • We do not release a child to an adult who appears impaired. See Arrival and sign-out.

No unsupervised backstage

  • Children are never left alone backstage, in the performer area or near equipment.
  • Children do not go backstage with adults who are not Lab staff. That includes other performers, sound crew and event organizers.

Sound, stage and lighting crew

  • Q-Ality Sound provides sound, stage and lighting only, under a written vendor agreement.
  • Q-Ality staff never supervise children on stage, backstage or during transitions, and never have unsupervised contact with them. Children are on stage only with a Lab adult present.
  • Q-Ality staff take no photos or recordings of children and get no family or child data.
  • Ras Tafari Inc.'s safety lead has final authority over volume, stage access, lighting and stopping a set. Q-Ality complies immediately, or the event pauses until it does. See Hearing safety.
  • The Park District's background-check process applies to Q-Ality staff on site during program hours.
  • Performer-area restroom trips follow the restroom supervision rules: children go in pairs, and a Lab adult waits at the entrance.

Guardians are welcome

  • A parent or guardian may stay with their child the whole time, including in the performer area.
  • Little DJs (ages 5–7) always have their own grown-up with them.

Wristband or ID

  • Each performing child and each Lab adult will wear a visible wristband or ID so that staff can spot them in a crowd. The exact form will be set before the first event.
  • Wristbands show no child's full name, address or school.

Lost child

If a child is missing, we follow a Code Adam–style plan:

  1. Staff alert the whole team.
  2. Staff cover the exits and search.
  3. The parent is called at once.
  4. If the child isn't found within 10 minutes, staff call 911.

See the lost child plan.

Weather

  • Lightning: "When thunder roars, go indoors" (National Weather Service). The group stays indoors until 30 minutes after the last thunder.
  • Heat: water breaks, shade and an indoor fallback. An outdoor performance is cancelled if the National Weather Service issues an Extreme Heat Warning, or if a Heat Advisory makes it unsafe.

See Lakefront weather.

Other event rules

  • Substance-free: there is no alcohol, tobacco, vaping or cannabis in the Lab's performer area, for adults or children.
  • First aid: at least one Lab adult on site holds current pediatric first aid/CPR/AED certification.
  • Medication: rescue medicine (an epinephrine auto-injector or inhaler) stays within reach of the trained adult.
  • Incidents: parents are told the same day by phone, and a written incident report follows within 24 hours.

Sources

  • U.S. Center for SafeSport, 2025 Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies (MAAPP): one-on-one In-Program Contact "must be observable and interruptible." https://uscenterforsafesport.org/2025-maapp/ and https://maapp.uscenterforsafesport.org/
  • National Weather Service, Lightning Safety: "When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors." https://www.weather.gov/safety/lightning-safety
  • National Weather Service, Lightning Safety Tips: "Stay in safe shelter at least 30 minutes after you hear the last sound of thunder." https://www.weather.gov/safety/lightning-tips
  • National Weather Service, Heat Watch vs. Warning: definitions of Extreme Heat Warning and Heat Advisory. https://www.weather.gov/safety/heat-ww