Parent’s Day Out
Parent’s Day Out is a part of the Christian Education efforts at Friendship United Methodist Church. For more than a decade, Parent’s Day Out has been offering families quality, child-free time to relax or shop, while providing children ages 6 weeks – 5 years a loving, Christian environment in which to learn and grow with God.
Our Purpose is twofold:
- Parents choosing to “stay home” often find the job difficult and the hours long. As much as we love our children, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week can be stressful.
- Parents deserve and need some time away from the children to shop, read, clean house, have lunch with friends, rest, etc. This program was designed to meet the needs of both parents and child.
Operations
To help keep costs low, Parent’s Day Out utilizes parent volunteers on a regular basis.
All information regarding children is kept confidential and will not be shared with any outside sources. Care is taken not to speak in front of the children and conferences can be set-up with parents to address any concerns.
Schedule
Our program operates two days a week, Mondays and Thursdays, from 9:30 A.M. till 1:30 P.M. from September through May.
A summer program is offered when minimum enrollment requirements are met. Inquire if interested in a summer program.
Parent’s Day Out is a Christian program. We strongly advocate and support the Christian values of caring, sharing, and loving. We believe strongly in strengthening the self-esteem of the child and his/her respect for fellow beings.
The Christian aspect of the program is visible daily in our simple prayers and songs. Children are instructed that GOD created them, JESUS loves them, and they are important and unique because a loving GOD created them.
Curriculum
The curriculum is Christian based with a daily learning theme that is carried throughout the day’s activities. The children will enjoy activities that include crafts, music, games, toys, outdoor play, and stories, as well as academics such as colors, shapes, numbers, letter recognition and calendar. Sign-Language alphabet, counting in Spanish, and other specialties have also been added along the way.
The Big Kid Room
The Big Kid Room is open to children 2 1/2 years to 5 years old, who don’t qualify for Kindergarten. The children do not have to be potty-trained to attend.
Nursery
Parents with children younger than 2 1/2 may want to take advantage of our nursery. For the same price as the older kids, you may leave your littlest ones in the nursery, supervised by two loving adults for the same length of time. Your child will enjoy songs, finger-play, coloring, videos and more as they play separately from the activity of the older children’s program.
Note: Enrollment in the nursery is limited to 7 children ages 6 weeks – 2 1/2 years.
A Cooperative Program
Parent’s Day Out is a Christian Outreach program sponsored by Friendship United Methodist Church. We try to keep costs low by utilizing parent volunteers.
For each eight days that your child attends, you must work one day. If your child attends two days per week, then you work one time per month. If your child attends one day per week, then you work one day every other month.
A parent of a registered child may send a grandparent or other relative to work in their place, but they must be affiliated with the program in some way.
Snacks
We have a low/no-sugar policy here at MDO. The exception is birthdays. On these special days cookies, cupcakes, ice cream, muffins etc. may be sent for snack time. No candy can be eaten at MDO, but goody bags may go home with the children at the end of the day. The children are given a healthy snack list and asked to provide one item from the two columns several times during the year. Only 100% juice or milk is allowed at snack time. A list is sent home monthly and children are responsible for this day. Back-up snacks are always on hand in case of allergies or if a child is ill that day and unable to provide the snacks.
Lunch
The children are to bring a bagged lunch each day with a beverage. Nursery children bring two drinks, one for snack.
Registration
- Families who do not belong to Friendship Church are invited and welcome to use our program.
- There is an annual registration fee of $35 per family for non-church members. Church members pay an annual fee of $25 per family.
- Parents must complete a registration form each month and submit it with your check by the 25th of the previous month. You may also choose to register for 2 months at a time or for the entire Spring or Fall Semester and receive a small discount.
- Updated registration forms with current pricing are available on the wall outside the Parent’s Day Out classroom at Friendship Church. Fees listed on those forms are the official prices.
Parent’s Day Out Winter 2011-Spring 2011, registration form click here.
Registration Pricing
We are able to keep costs down because families are required to volunteer time one day per month as a teacher’s helper. This gives parents the opportunity to interact with families in the program and also to see their children play and interact with others.
The cost of the program is dependent on the number of days of attendance for the week. Pricing for the is shown below.
Paying Monthly
- One Day per week — Mondays or Thursdays $55.00
- Two Days per week — both Mondays and Thursdays $105.00
There are discounts available when paying for multiple months or the entire semester in advance.
Please contact the church for more information.
