Welcome to PALS

Dear Parents,

Dear Parents,

Welcome to PALS! We are excited your little one will be joining us in the fall. There will be pertinent information coming your way via email concerning the school calendar, the PALS Coop program, special events, the parent handbook, and the school supply list for the 2024-2025 school year.

Kindertales is the childcare management software used at PALS to collect registration fees and monthly tuition. Kindertale accounts will be setup between June 1 – June 15. The registration fee will be scheduled to come out of your account on July 1, 2024 (if not already paid) and monthly tuition will start coming out on August 1, 2024. Many families have already paid the registration fee. This will be indicated in your account. Once PALS has each account setup, Kindertales will send an email to the primary email prompting you to complete the account process. Just a reminder to use a desk computer or a laptop when inputting your Kindertales information. Also remember to click on the auto pay in Kindertales for the automatic withdrawal each month. 

Open house is Friday, August 9, 2024. An email will be sent out with the scheduled times. Open house at PALS is well attended; therefore, we will be scheduling children alphabetically by last name. This allows for a family with more than one child attending PALS to visit all their children’s classrooms during the given time frame. This will also give parents more time to speak with their child’s teachers. The first day of school is Tuesday, August 13, 2024.

I am excited about what this new school year will bring. It is the mission of PALS to help every child and their family feel welcomed, connected, and a part of the PALS community. You have entrusted the most important thing in your lives to us, your child. We thank you for allowing PALS to be part of your family and for sharing your child with us. Together, we will work to create positive experiences for your child to learn and grow. 

Let us embrace this wonderful opportunity with excitement and anticipation for the amazing blessings God has instore for us in the new school year. 

Thank you for choosing PALS,

Debra Malone, PALS Director

PALS Mission and Educational Philosophy

PALS Mission and Educational Philosophy

The mission of PALS is to provide a loving and learning environment for children and a support ministry to their families.

Babies – The primary developmental task for a baby is to develop a sense of trust. Babies develop this sense of trust by having their needs met and feeling comforted and loved. 
Toddlers – The primary developmental task for a toddler is independence. Creating an environment where toddlers can be successful to do things for themselves helps the development of independence.
Three Years to Five Years – The primary developmental task of children ages 3 – 5 years old is to play, explore, initiate activities, and test limits. Children who are allowed to experience these things will naturally turn to learning to read, write, and do arithmetic around the age of 6. 

PALS provides children opportunities to do things for themselves, while giving them enough guidance to enable them to succeed. We comfort them when they fail and encourage them to give it another try. We understand that children respond best to simple, concise instructions. We follow a regular daily schedule, allowing for flexibility as needed. We give children appropriate choices and time to finish what they are doing.

PALS IS A SUPPORT MINISTRY TO FAMILIES:

We see our role as not only meeting the needs of children, but also realizing that to best meet children’s needs, we must also meet the needs of their families. The Coop program at PALS is not only a means for a family to reduce their tuition cost, but also a way for PALS to cultivate a level of parent involvement and input that few preschools are able to match. 

WHAT MAKES PALS UNIQUE

Small class sizes
Low student – teacher ratio
More child-directed activities
Coop program – facilitates parental involvement & reduces tuition
Flexible days (2, 3, or 4 days per week)
Competitive tuition rates
Small classes provide enough interaction without presenting an overwhelming social situation for children.

DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE PRACTICES

We believe children learn best through play, hands-on experience, & repetition.
We maintain a balance of child-directed play and teacher-directed activities.
We offer opportunities for a child to make choices for activities and play.
We encourage children to participate in group time, individual activities, and special activity classes (art, music, movement, chapel, story-time, and Tae Kwon Do)
We offer creative activities to stimulate the child’s interest while providing free play time for a child to explore a safe and loving environment with other children.

Co-op program

The Co-op program is a volunteer program where parents may choose to work as a teacher’s helper in the Baby or Toddler room once a month to reduce their monthly tuition. This also provides an opportunity for families to know other children and parents at PALS.

To be a co-op parent, and pay our reduced co-op tuition rates, the following requirements must be met:

· Attend the one-hour co-op training - Thursday, July 31 from 9:30 am - 10:30 am in Mobley Hall of the church

· Go through the process to obtain a national criminal background check. There is a cost for the criminal background check, paid by the parent.

· Families need to pick a day to serve as a volunteer (example: the second Wednesday of each month) unless your schedule has the flexibility for the volunteer day to be different each month.

It is the responsibility of the parent to call Emily Embree, administrative assistant, at 706-766-3294 if you are unable to meet your scheduled volunteer day. You will be required to work with Mrs. Embree to sign-up for another day during the month. You need to give a 24-hour notice if possible so adjustments can be made to the schedule. Failure to uphold your commitment to volunteering each month, will result in changing your tuition status from the discounted COOP tuition amount to the full tuition amount each month. This will be noted in your kindertales account after two months of not following through with your volunteer obligation. Please notify Debra Malone if you have issues or concerns before the two months expiration date to discuss your situation and make adjustments where needed.  

Parent volunteers will be supporting teachers in the baby room or toddler room. These teachers will assist with the routines of their class. All teachers and volunteers must wash hands and clean tables before / after snack and lunch. Volunteers WILL NOT be required to change diapers. ONLY full-time employees of PALS will change diapers and/or assist with bathroom needs. LIMIT YOUR CELL PHONE USE WHILE VOLUNTEERING AT PALS TO EMERGENCIES ONLY.

If a child talks to a volunteer or needs to be comforted, please kneel down, make eye contact and comfort the child. Always encourage the child to return to participating in activities. Ask teachers for assistance if needed.

Parents and/or grandparents participating in the COOP program will receive an email with a link that will allow you to complete the requested background check information. This link will be sent to the primary email provided on the registration form. If a grandparent is the COOP volunteer for your child, text Debra Malone the grandparent's name and email address. Volunteers should receive this email in the upcoming week. If additional information is needed to request each background check, I will let you know via text message. Also, I will send you a text message when your background request has been submitted. There is a cost to this process. Last year, the cost was $25.00. The background check is valid for two years. 
The training session is scheduled for Thursday, July 31, from 9:30 am-10:30 am in Mobley Hall at Trinity by the River Methodist Church. Make sure to sign in for this meeting so PALS has a record of those in attendance.

The PALS Co-op program is not only a means for a family to reduce their tuition cost, but is also a way for PALS to cultivate a level of parent involvement and input that few preschools are able to match.

Thank you for participating in our PALS COOP volunteer program. We appreciate your dedication and support to PALS.

Debra Malone, PALS Director

2024-2025 Tuition Rates 

2024-2025 Tuition Rates 

Annual Registration Fee

  • Registration / annual supply fee = $95.00
  • Sibling Discount Registration / annual supply fee for 2nd &/or 3rd child = $60.00 each
  • The annual registration fee is due when the registration paperwork is returned

Tuition Options

  • Option #1 – Full Tuition Non-participation in the CO-OP Program (parent volunteer program
  • Option #2 – CO-OP Tuition Parent volunteers once a month for a monthly reduced tuition rate

Tuition Rates

  • 2 days a wk = Full Tuition $173.00 per month/CO-OP Tuition $128.00 per month
  • 3 days a wk = Full Tuition $210.00 per month/CO-OP Tuition $165.00 per month
  • 4 days a wk = Full Tuition $245.00 per month/CO-OP Tuition $200.00 per month

Sibling Discount for Monthly Tuition

  • Families paying full tuition rates = full tuition for the first 2 children and ½ full tuition price for the 3rd and 4th child, etc.
  • Families paying CO-OP tuition rates = CO-OP tuition rates for the first 2 children and ½ tuition price for the 3rd and 4th child BASED ON FULL TUITION RATES.

Kindergarten Tuition Rate

4 days a wk = Full Tuition $285.00 per month/CO-OP Tuition 240.00 per month / Same sibling discounts for monthly tuition as listed above.

Homeschool Gathering Tuition Rate

1 day a wk = Full Tuition $95.00/CO-OP Tuition – Not Available

Sibling Discount for Homeschool Gathering Families

  • Familes pay $47.50 in monthly tuition for 2nd and 3rd sibling in the homeschool class.
PALS Helping Hands 

PALS Helping Hands 

PALS Helping Hands is a new program designed to teach children the importance of giving back to the community. This program will provide an opportunity for PALS children to experience the benefits of doing good for others. 

CHURCH
COMMUNITY 
SERVICE

PALS HELPING HANDS PROJECTS FOR THE 2024-2025YEAR
• Community Kitchen Drop Off Food Pantry
• Fifth Avenue Nursing Home 
• Christmas Gift bags for children in Floyd County Hospital 
• Salvation Army
• First Responder thank you cards