About Us
Who We Are
Studio Teachers/Welfare Workers are highly certified and have earned dual California teaching credentials, as well as a special set welfare credential from the state. We possess a wide range of teaching abilities and are experienced in the supervision and enforcement of child labor laws. We receive in-service training and attend workshops for this specialized work. We are experts in anticipating difficulties and avoiding problems, and, while our primary objective is the education and welfare of the children, we also work with companies to advise and protect. We partner together with the Department of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE), producers, and parents to see that laws are enforced for the benefit of the children. We are proud to have been the pioneers in this evolving program and continually work toward protecting the health, safety, and morals of all minors working in the entertainment industry.
What We Do
The studio teacher, in addition to teaching, has a responsibility for caring and attending to the health, safety and morals of minors under sixteen years of age for whom they have been provided by the employer, while such minors are actively engaged or employed in any activity pertaining to the entertainment industry and subject to these regulations. The studio teacher shall be aware and interpret such factors relating to the well-being of a minor such as:
- working conditions
- physical surroundings
- signs of minor’s mental and physical fatigue
- demands placed upon minor in relation to minor’s age, agility, strength, and stamina
The studio teacher may refuse to allow the engagement of a minor on a set or location and/or may remove the minor therefrom, “if in the judgment of the studio teacher, conditions are such as to present a danger to the health, safety or morals of the minor”. No minor under the age of sixteen may be sent to wardrobe, makeup, hairdressing, or employed in any manner whatsoever unless under the general supervision of the studio teacher.
(Adapted from the California Code of Regulations, Title 8, Chapter 6, Subchapter 2, Article 1, Section 11755.3)
Our History
The Studio Teachers were first formed by the Los Angeles Board of Education in 1926 when producers asked that teachers be provided so children could work during school hours. All minors working on the studio lot were sent to a one-room schoolhouse to be taught by a teacher; hence the term “Studio Teacher.” The Studio Teachers IATSE Local 884 was organized in 1938 and chartered in 1960. The Division of Labor Standards had rules and regulations for minors working and welfare and the school district had regulations about schooling. These came together and the blue book was formed, which we continually update and use as a resource to this day. We are proud to carry on the tradition established more than 80 years ago in our concern for the education and welfare of young people working in the entertainment industry.