Baby Ballerinas & Co is based in the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie regions of New South Wales, Australia. The programme was first taught in 2002 and opened with 6 students, by the end of 2005 there were 280 Baby Ballerinas with classes operating six days per week, by 2013 the studio had grown to about 400 students ranging in ages between 2 and 16. Many of the older students started in the Baby Ballerinas & Co programme. The immense growth attests to the strength of this programme.
The Baby Ballerinas programme was designed by Karen Barker-Rogers, Australian Ballet School graduate, with many years experience as an international professional dancer, a ballet teacher and adjudicator. After juggling working, teaching and raising two children, Miss Karen realised the need to cater for Pre-School children and families of this new, often time poor, generation. Miss Karen's Programme is especially designed to expand each child's individual creativity and artistic abilities.