Parent Handbook
2011-2012
C.A.S.A.
Asbury United Methodist Church
6690 Cahaba Valley Rd
Birmingham, Alabama 35242
(205) 995-1038
Carolyn Ealy, Executive Director
Sheri Stovall, Administrative Director
Bonnie Nicosia, Staff Assistant
Hours 9:30 a.m.– 1:30 p.m.
Early Care 8:00 a.m.– 9:30 a.m. $6.00
Extended Care 1:30 p.m.– 3:30 p.m. $4.00 per hour
Our Teachers:
Infant I: Laura Dillard, Julie Gustin, Diana Meinberg
Infant II: Pat Mathis, Kristy Seale, Alissa Thornell
Toddlers I: Sara Ann Sims, Christy Stroupe
Toddlers II : Joy Derzis, Tracey Lee, Angela Pollard
Twos I: Gloria Kessler, Sarah Honeywell
Twos II, III: Jennifer Casselman, Maggie Dunaway,
Vicki Lanzi, Heather Lisle, Teresa Whittle
Threes I : Valerie Bonds, Lori Junck, Molly Touisignant
Threes II: Melody DiClemente, Lori Junck, Pam McMillan
Fours: Judy Anacker, Tammy Barnhill, Vicki Lanzi, Marilyn Russell, Paige Sullivan
Pre-K 5: Julie Cameron
Computer: Shannon Anderson, Lisa Ward
Music: Autumn Burbank
Movement: Judy Elliott
Science: Laura Dillard, Angela Pollard
Missions/Devotion: Gina McIntyre
Spanish: Linda Perkins
Tuition:
May tuition for the calendar school year is due in August. In July you will receive an Orientation
letter stating the amount of your tuition and any Supply Fees. A specific due date for the total
will be in your letter. Beginning in September tuition will be due by the first of the month.
Tuition is considered late by the 10th of each month. A $10.00 late fee will be charged after
the 10th of each month. The Return Check fee is $35.00. There are no refunds for absences. You
are responsible for each month’s tuition whether you send your child or not. If you must
withdraw from C.A.S.A. before the end of the school year, a 60 day written notice must be
submitted to the Director. You are responsible for the tuition for those two months.
Early and Extended Care
Early and Extended Care are offered five days a week. Early Care is 8:00 AM until 9:30 AM.
Extended care is 1:30 PM until 3:30 PM. If you sign up at least by Friday for the upcoming
week, the charge is $6.00 for Early Care and $4.00 per hour for Extended Care. If you wait until
the week/day it is needed, you will be charged $8.00 for Early Care and $6.00 per hour for
Extended Care. If you reserve a spot, you must pay whether you use the service or not. We staff
the rooms according to our numbers. There is no swapping of days, you must use the day you
originally asked for.
The forms will be posted on our web site monthly. Please fill them out and turn them into the
C.A.S.A. office. You may also call or email. But, you must pay for days you have signed up
for!
Children are divided into classrooms based on age. Upon arrival in the morning, take your child
to the Early Care room and sign them in with the teacher. In the afternoon you will need to sign
out with the teacher in the Extended Care room. If someone other than the parents picks up, they
need a picture ID and note from the parent. There is a $1.00 per minute late fee past 2:30 or 3:30.
CASA Philosophy
C.A.S.A., Children are Special at Asbury, is an extension of Asbury United Methodist’s whole
ministry of caring for our community’s children during the formative years of development.
Believing that all children are special in God’s eye, with individual personalities, our goal is to
help each child obtain his full potential. We believe in love, laughter, and learning at C.A.S.A by
nurturing self-confidence though creative activities and exploration of the world around us.
C.A.S.A. seeks to provide each child with the best opportunity to discover God’s love and His
importance in their lives by offering experiences that will enhance his development spiritually,
physically, mentally, and socially in a nurturing, Christ-centered environment.
In case of bad weather, we will follow the Shelby County School Systems closing decisions with
the exception of we will close 1 hour prior to their closing and open 1 hour following their
opening. The Executive Director reserves the right to make decisions on closings if Shelby
County has not done so. Teachers are advised to all emergency procedures. Please pay attention
to radio, television or your email to know when to pick up your child.
Our drop-in service is for C.A.S.A. enrolled children only. You must call the C.A.S.A. office to
see if space is available. The fee for this service is $25.00 per day. If you know your child will
not be at C.A.S.A., please call and let the office staff know so we will be able to place drop-ins as
needed.
C.A.S.A. will begin morning carpool at 9:30 AM. Please be sure to have your child at school on
time. Many mornings they will be going straight to an activity such as Chapel, Computer, Music
or Science. We don’t want them to miss out! In the afternoon carpool begins at 1:30. It is usually
finished by 1:40, but can be done earlier. If you are not here when carpool is over, your child will
be taken to Extended Care and you will be charged the Extended Care fee.
C.A.S.A. utilizes a carpool system where the parents remain in the car and a C.A.S.A. teacher or
staff member will assist the child to and from the car. Each family will be assigned a carpool
number that will be used in the afternoon. You MUST have this number to pick your child up. If
you do not have it, you must come in the building and sign your child out. During carpool you
will pull into the church and form two lines. The lines will merge every other car into one line.
When you pull next to the sidewalk, you will need to put your car in park and do not move until
all children and teachers are on the sidewalk. Upon arriving and leaving school all children must
be buckled up. Safety for the children and teachers is very important to us. Please be aware of any
animals you might have in the car, drive slowly when entering and exiting the church, keep your
child buckled at all times and remain in park when your child is entering/exiting your car! Please
do not have conversations with teachers during carpool. We need to be considerate of other
parents waiting in line. ** Please do not park in the handicap parking places closest to the
building. We need to reserve these for those who really need them! Thank you!
If you are late for school, or need to pick your child up early. You will need to come by the
C.A.S.A. office to sign them in and/or out.
We encourage parents to participate in the classrooms. Whether it is as a Room Mom, sharing a
special talent, reading a story, helping with a craft or planning a party...you are needed and
welcome!
The responsibilities of a Room Mother are to coordinate special holiday parties, help the teacher
with special events in the class and help with anything the teacher may need. Everyone will have
a chance to sign up at Orientation for different volunteer opportunities. The Room Mom will
contact you if you are interested in helping with parties or special activities.
Volunteers are also needed through out the school year to help the office with special events. If
you would like to help, please contact the office at 995-1038.
Fire: C.A.S.A. will conduct traditional fire drills with alarms periodically. To help teachers
understand the procedure, a fire drill will be conducted once a year before school begins. All
teachers will be prepared to exit to their designated assigned area. Teachers will remain in their
designated area until an all clear signal is given.
Tornado: C.A.S.A. will conduct tornado drills with alarms periodically. A designated area
downstairs in the building will be used for shelter. Teachers will practice the drill before school
starts. School closings will coordinate with Shelby County Board of Education. A weather radio
will assist in alerting staff. In case of a tornado warning, the children will not be released for
safety purposes. The children will be released once the all clear signal is given. Our concern is for
the safety of the children in our program.
CASA’s Bright Light Mission Club includes various mission projects each month for our children
here at CASA. The children are involved in hands on mission activities once a month. In addition,
we have a mission focus each month that the entire family can get involved with. Through this
club we hope to begin creating a missions lifestyle early on for our children. Please consider
taking a “mission moment” during the month with your children to discuss the focus of the month
and ask them about their mission project at school. Our theme verse is: You are the light of the
world. Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father
in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16. We also sing “This Little Light of Mine” at each club meeting. Sing
it at home as well! Some of the groups we have supported in the past include Navajo Mission Life
Center, the Lovelady Center, Hannah Home of Shelby County, children of Kenya, and Ridgeview
nursing home. If you have any questions, ideas, or comments, feel free to contact Gina McIntyre
at any time. Now.. Let your light shine!
We feel that communication is very important! Please feel free to call or email the C.A.S.A.
Office whenever you feel necessary. You are welcome to talk to the Director or your child’s
teacher if there is anything we need to know to help your child adjust to school. Conferences are
held twice a year for all Four Year Old and Pre K 5 classes. They can be scheduled at any time
for all classes by the parent or teacher. You may set up an appointment with the Director by
calling the office at 995-1038.
C.A.S.A. provides the children with a mid morning snack and a mid afternoon snack for children
in Extended Care. Snacks are purchased though the Supply Fee paid in August. If you wish to
provide a special snack please inform your child’s teacher a few days in advance.
Please plan to pack your child’s lunch as convenient and neat as possible. Due to limited space
and time, we only heat or refrigerate food for our Infant I and II classes. Include food items and
containers which your child can open, eat, and dispose of with minimum assistance from their
teacher.
Each classroom teacher will make their class aware of any allergies in that class. We know this
can be difficult when planning lunches, but we want to make sure all of our children are safe and
healthy. If you have any questions about what foods are appropriate for your child’s age, please
contact your teacher.
In order to help prevent the spread of disease or infection and keep your children as healthy as
possible, C.A.S.A. requires the following:
Each child must have an Immunization Form on file.
The school will administer first-aid including antiseptics and wound cleansing unless otherwise
advised by the parents.
When a communicable disease has been introduced into C.A.S.A, parents will be notified. Parents
are urged to notify the school when their child is known to be exposed to a communicable
disease outside of the school.
If a child is too sick to go outside to play, he/she is probably too sick to attend school. C.A.S.A.
does not have extra staff to keep a child in from outdoor play.
If your child becomes sick at school, we will notify you to come pick him/her up immediately.
C.A.S.A. staff can not administer medicine without the Permission to Administer Medicine Form
completed and signed by a parent.
Please keep your child home if he/she has any of the following symptoms:
Have or have had a fever within 24 hours
Has thrown up within 24 hours
Green runny nose, coughing, sore throat
Diarrhea, draining sores or burns, questionable rashes
Any child who is put on antibiotics must be on the medicine, symptom free, and fever free for at
least 24 hours before returning to school.
Discipline/Behavior Policy
C.A.S.A. works to instill a sense of self-control and autonomy in young children. For this reason,
we do not use authoritarian methods of discipline with the children in our program. We believe it
is our responsibility to help each child learn self-control, socialization, sharing and respect. At
C.A.S.A. we seek to use positive discipline techniques when necessary. The first step we take is
to talk to the child and redirect his actions. If further discipline is needed, the child may need to
have a “time out”. This is spent sitting in the “time out” chair in the room, usually one minute for
each year of the child’s age (example: 4 minutes for a 4 year old). At times the teacher may
decide to bring the child to the Director’s office. If discipline problems continue, we will discuss
them at a conference with the parents. In extreme cases, parents may be asked to remove the child
from the program so as not to disrupt the learning environment for other children.
Extreme cases may include: Excessive biting, harming a teacher or student excessively, extreme
disrespect to staff.
Removal Policy
Unless prior arrangements have been made, C.A.S.A. reserves the right to permanently remove a
child from enrollment in the program at any time for non-payment of tuition and fees and/or
accumulated balances. We also reserve the right at any time to remove a child from the program
if the staff feels that the needs of the child are not being met by C.A.S.A. or if the child becomes
a danger to himself or others. Teachers will be expected to devote time to all children, not
neglecting others because one child requires constant supervision and/or attention.
Curriculum
In the Spring of 2009 a Curriculum Committee was formed to analyze and update the C.A.S.A.
Curriculum. All classes will be participating in Bible stories, memory verses, arts and crafts,
motor skill activities, music and more. Each level of instruction is based on thematic units that
will also include pre-reading and pre-math, as well as teaching social skills and promoting selfesteem. Many different curriculums have been combined to form what we feel is best for our
program and for the children at C.A.S.A.
Computer classes will be offered weekly for Threes through Pre K 5. The Toddlers through Pre
K 5 will participate in Music and Movement every week. There will be special musical programs
during the year involving our Three, Four and Pre K 5 classes. Science will be offered every
week to our Threes, Fours, and Pre K 5 class. This year we will have a Bible class. This will be
weekly for our Twos, Threes, Fours and Pre K 5 class. Spanish will also be offered once a week
for all Fours and the Pre K 5 class.
After School Activities
Activities offered after school hours are (but not limited to) Dance South, Head Over Heels
Gymnastics, Young Rembrandts, La Petit Tennis and Tae Kwondo. You can register for these
classes at Orientation. All payments and communication should be handled with your
corresponding activity.
C.A.S.A. will provide all children a C.A.S.A. back pack and folder. Please send these to school
every day. Teachers will send home information in your child’s folder so be sure to check it daily.
Lunch boxes should be placed in your child’s backpack.
Toys from home are not allowed. They can cause disruptions in class. There are times when a
class may have show and tell and toys are welcome then.
The children will be involved in various activities and crafts throughout the year. Please dress
your child comfortably and in clothes that can be easily washed. They will be playing on the
playground and may go outside to play kick ball or run! Please be sure they wear shoes
appropriate for this. You will need to keep a complete change of clothes in your child’s backpack.
Please label all of your child’s belongings. This includes jackets, clothes, lunch boxes, cups,
utensils, and any other item they might bring. We want to make sure we know what item belongs
to which child.
The children and teachers love to celebrate birthdays. Please contact your child’s teacher to
schedule a special snack for your classroom. If your child has a summer birthday and you would
like to celebrate during the school year, contact your teacher to make arrangements. Please do not
bring balloons to school. They can be a choking hazard.
Infants:
Infant I
Infant II
2 Days (T/TH)
3 Days (MWF)
April 1, 2011-September 30, 2011
September 3, 2010-March 31, 2011
$190.00
$271.00
Registrations Fee
Toddlers:
Toddlers I
Toddlers II
March 3, 2010-September 2, 2010
September 3, 2009-March 2, 2010
2 Days (T/TH)
3 Days (MWF)
Registration Fee
Twos:
Twos I
Twos II/III
Threes I
Threes II
$191.00
$238.00
$290.00
$305.00
$130.00
September 3, 2006-September 2, 2007
3 Days (MWF)
4 Days (MTTHF)
5 Days (MTWTHF)
Registration Fee
Pre K5:
$167.00
$214.00
$120.00
March 3, 2008-September 2, 2008
September 3, 2007-March 2, 2008
2 Days (T/TH)
3 Days (MWF)
4 Days (MTTHF)
( 3 II only)
5 Days(M-F)
Registration Fee
Fours:
$171.00
$220.00
$115.00
March 3, 2009-September 2, 2009
September 3, 2008-March 2, 2009
2 Days (T/TH)
3 Days (MWF)
Registration Fee
Threes:
$115.00
$250.00
$286.00
$300.00
$145.00
September 3, 2005-September 30, 2006
5 Days (MTWTHF)
$330.00
Registration Fee
$170.00
Dear C.A.S.A. Families,
Welcome to C.A.S.A. and Asbury United Methodist Church. We feel very blessed you have
chosen C.A.S.A. to support and partner with you in the care and education of your child.
C.A.S.A., where Children Are Special at Asbury, provides a wonderful ministry for our
community. Every teacher and staff member feels honored to be a part of C.A.S.A. and your
child’s life.
If you have not found a church home yet, we invite you to worship with us at Asbury. We would
love to have you visit with us on Sunday. Asbury has many wonderful ways to get involved and
many exciting ministries.
This handbook was written to help you better understand our program. Please read this book
carefully and keep it handy for future reference. Should you have questions at any time, please
feel free to contact us and we will be more than happy to discuss them with you.
Thank you again for giving us the opportunity to serve your family.
In His Name,
Carolyn Ealy
Executive Director
Sheri Stovall
Administrative Director
Bonnie Nicosia
Staff Assistant
C.A.S.A.
Parent Contract 2011-2012
I have received the C.A.S.A. Parent Handbook.
I understand and agree to the policies and procedures outlined in the C.A.S.A. Parent Handbook.
I am aware that I will be informed of specifics through a monthly newsletter.
I have submitted the State of Alabama Certificate of Immunization Form.
I understand and agree to the health and illness policies outlined in the handbook.
I understand and agree that the Registration Fee is non-refundable.
I understand and agree to the tuition policies.
I understand and agree to the policies and procedures regarding pick up and drop off at C.A.S.A.
I understand and agree to the responsibility of both the staff of C.A.S.A. and I to keep an open
line of communication during child’s enrollment.
I understand and agree to pre pay May’s tuition in August.
I understand and agree to the C.A.S.A. billing and payment policies outlined in the handbook.
I understand and agree that non-payment of tuition and/or fees or an unaccounted, accumulated
balance may result in my child’s removal from C.A.S.A.
I understand and agree the policies regarding late pick-up from C.A.S.A.
I understand and agree to the discipline policies and procedures outlined in the handbook.
I will sign a separate copy of the Parent Contract and return to C.A.S.A.
*** This copy is to remain in the 2011-2012 Parent Handbook***
SCHOOL CALENDAR
September 5 .......................................... Labor Day
September 6 ............................ First Day C.A.S.A.
October 10 ......................................... No C.A.S.A.
November 11 ................ Veteran’s Day No C.A.S.A
November 23-25 ..................... Thanksgiving Break
December 20 ...................... School dismissed 12:00
December 21 - Jan 4 ....................Christmas Break
January 4 ........................................ School begins
January 16 ........................................ No C.A.S.A.
February 20 ........................................No C.A.S.A.
March 19-23 ..................................... Spring Break
March 26 ........................................... No C.A.S.A.
April 6………………...… Good Friday No C.A.S.A.
April 20 ............................................. No C.A.S.A.
May 22 ..................................... Last Day C.A.S.A.