I am a SO/dancer, not a tumbler or gymnast. But my studio is currently looking to hire a qualified tumbling teacher so we can start a tumbling program in our studio.

I am looking for any recommendations of what mats/equipment I should get and if there are any recommended websites to get them from. I am sure once we find a teacher for these classes they will be able to tell me what they would like to have - but I want to be somewhat ready so the program can start immediatley after we've found the right person.

Also can anyone suggest things I should ask in the interview to determine the best person for this position?
Are there any kind of safety accredidations I should be looking for?

We want to stick to simple tumbling only - not serious gymnastics (If that makes sense at all)

Thanks for the help!

There are USA Gymnastics qualifications, but in all honesty I doubt you are going to find someone with those qualifications who will want to teaching tumbling classes in a dance studio, unless it's a second job in addition to a regular gym. They are long and hard programs and qaulify you to teach all events at a very high level. For just basic tumbling, I would just look for someone who has experience in tumbling, gymnastics or cheerleading. Most older gymnasts also help teach younger classes so they will have some teaching experience.

As for mats AAI is the most well known brand of gymnastics equipment.