Teaching Children the Principles of Success

What they do…

Since 1989, the National League of Junior Cotillions (NLJC) has been teaching children character and confidence to help them make an impact on their communities. Parents are given the opportunity to send their children to an environment that encourages courtesy, character, social dance, mannerly conduct, and more. The NLJC believe that courtesy and manners are timeless skills that children can carry with them into their old age. The NLJC promotes these successful skills because they want to give kids a lifetime of healthy relationships with friends, family, and associates.

How Cotillion spread across the nation…

The Junior Cotillions began over 25 years ago in Lincolnton, North Carolina. It started when Anne Colvin Winters began teaching etiquette classes to children in the small town. She wanted to teach the skills that she believed were the key to success. Marrying Charles Winters just two years later, Anne decided to partner with her husband to make this organization continue to grow. Starting at humble beginnings, the two had their first class at an armory in Lincolnton where they had to rent everything themselves. With the success of the class, the organization started to grow. Anne had big ideas for the program, noticing that most cotillion programs were about dance, she wanted to reform the system to teach children life skills along with the principle of social dance. The National League of Junior Cotillions was born out of this principle, and the future of Anne and Charles included travelling nationwide to help other programs adopt these new principles. Anne grew and nurtured the organization. She wrote training manuals and spread her idea across the United States. Although she is no longer with us, her legacy lives on through her husband and the organization grows even to this day. There is now a team of over 100 directors nationwide operating 300 cotillion chapters in 30 states, which has allowed them to reach thousands of children and make an impact in communities everywhere.

Programs for all ages

The National League of Junior Cotillions provides programs for children of all ages, from elementary school through high school. Starting in the Pre-Cotillion program, a child in Kindergarten through 4th grade learns how to be comfortable around others and be confident and polite in social interactions. In the Junior Cotillion program, children are given practice on etiquette and manners along with ballroom dancing instruction. The types of etiquette include telephone courtesy, conversation, dress code, sport etiquette, and much more. In the High School Cotillion program, young adults are given the opportunity to learn the skills required to be an adult. This includes principles such as paying bills, voting, submitting tax forms, and other financial responsibility. Along with this, the high school students are given instructions on job interviews and other important social interactions. No matter what age your child is, the NLJC is dedicated to making them a respectable and successful adult.