History | Philosophy | Program Goals | Events and Celebrations 
  Staff Requirements and Curriculum | Fees | Board of Directors
How Can You Help? | Contact Us
Pre-enrollment Form

Startup Grants and Gifts | Scholarships | Scholarship Contributors

 


 

Partners for Children, Inc.
a nonprofit child development center for preschoolers at
Cedar Lane United Methodist Church
(formerly Inskip United Methodist Church)
714 Cedar Lane, Knoxville, TN, USA

Partners for Children, Inc. (PFC) is a nonprofit organization that operates a child development center for preschoolers in space provided by Cedar Lane United Methodist Church at 714 Cedar Lane in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. Services are provided Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

PFC is licensed by the State of Tennessee Department of Human Services and has earned a three-star ranking, the highest annual ranking awarded by the state, since 2005.  It shows that the center is in full compliance with stipulated regulations set by the state with regard to facilities, management, curriculum, and teacher/student ratio. The Center is recognized as a "Gold Sneaker " facility under a Tennessee Department of Health program that promotes good habits in physical activity and nutrition.

Contingent upon openings available in the class rooms, PFC’s programs are offered without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, or religion. The programs cover children in the age range from 6 weeks to 5 years.

PFC’s mission is to provide quality care for preschool children following a state-approved child development program; financial assistance is offered to low-income families whenever possible.



PFC History

PFC was established in 1989 by a partnership of the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union, Southern Regional Board (name later changed to UNITE HERE) and the Knoxville Cooperative Parish of the United Methodist Church, which was comprised of four inner-city United Methodist churches: Emerald Avenue, Lincoln Park, Oakwood, and Lynnwood. Inskip United Methodist Church (now named Cedar Lane United Methodist Church) joined the partnership in 1999.

PFC’s original facility was located at the UNITE Building, 1124 North Broadway, Knoxville, where it provided child care from 1989 to 2003. A second location was established at Cedar Lane United Methodist Church in 1999. On December 31, 2003, PFC consolidated its two centers at the Cedar Lane Church.

Oversight of PFC is provided by a Board of Directors that meets monthly and is comprised of representatives from the participating partners and from the community at large.

PFC believes that children are a gift from God and that their welfare is the responsibility not only of their parents but also of the community and the entire nation.


PFC Philosophy

PFC believes that children learn best in an environment in which they can actively participate. PFC’s goal is to facilitate learning by providing a positive, stimulating environment in which children can develop the cognitive, social, emotional, physical, and spiritual skills necessary to effectively function in our society.

Down through history, the family has formed the basic unit upon which our culture depends for its stability and strength. The family nurtures its members throughout their lives, guiding their moral development and giving them spiritual values. Within the recent past, however, our society has gone through rapid and dramatic social and economic changes that have had a direct impact on the family, creating new and often unmet needs. One of the most urgent needs is the provision for affordable quality child-care programs as a growing number of women enter the workforce, either as the sole support of their families or as substantial contributors to the support of their families. While important steps have been taken to respond to this need, much more needs to be done. This gap in care is a threat to the health and well-being of our children, our families and our entire community.

PFC was organized with the confidence that solutions to this problem can best be found through a partnership among committed individuals and organizations that share common goals on behalf of children.

PFC Program Goals

In planning its early childhood program, PFC’s goals have been to foster Judeo-Christian and democratic values and to help children function in a fast-changing world. Specifically, PFC assists children in developing:

  • the capacity to emotionally invest in people by trusting and respecting them,

  • the ability to act and think independently and to develop self-control,

  • a feeling of self-worth and self-confidence,

  • skills in communicating ideas and feelings,

  • effective interpersonal and social interaction skills,

  • the ability to understand and organize information about their physical and social environment,

  • problem-solving skills,

  • a curiosity about the world and pleasure in learning and exploring, and

  • an awareness of life as a gift from God the Creator.

It is necessary to draw upon several bodies of knowledge in designing, evaluating, and modifying an early childhood education program. We believe that all aspects of children's development — cognitive, motor, perceptual, language, social-emotional, and spiritual — are important and must be considered as interactive rather than parallel functions. The PFC curriculum supports and encourages children's development in all areas.

We believe that children learn through their interaction with the physical and social environment. The environment should provide for exploration and interaction. Children are given opportunities to direct their own learning through a variety of solitary and group activities.

Teachers provide an exciting and challenging learning environment. They act as facilitators for learning and provide information the children would not be able to discover for themselves. Teachers set developmentally appropriate limits on behaviors, enforce them through the consistent use of consequences, and encourage children to use problem-solving skills to resolve conflicts.

The involvement of parents is an essential aspect of each child's development. Efforts are made to support parents in their child-rearing role. Their participation is encouraged through frequent sharing of information about children and inclusion whenever possible in daily routines and activities at the center.

PFC’s goal is to foster Judeo-Christian and democratic values and to help children function competently in a changing world.

PFC Events and Celebrations

Throughout the year, PFC observes several events that provide the children social interchange and an awareness of the needs of others. Special celebrations are also observed.

Week of the Young Child

Week of the Young Child is a week-long celebration that emphasizes a designated theme. During the week the children participate in special fun and learning activities that increase their knowledge of the world they live in.

St. Jude’s Trike-a-thon

A trike-a-thon is our special way of raising awareness about St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, which is a primary care facility for children with cancer. During this event, the children ride tricycles and complete as many laps on a circular driveway as they can. Prior to the trike-a-thon each child obtains pledges from family and friends to give specified amounts of money to St. Jude for each lap he or she completes. The collected donations are sent to St. Jude, which always responds to PFC with some kind of thank-you gift for the children.

Holiday Events

Holiday events celebrated at Partners for Children are Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Saint Patrick's Day, and Easter. The children and their families also participate in the Fall Festival (see below). At the annual Christmas party, the children receive personalized gifts from PFC's original organizing churches.

Birthday Parties

A birthday party is given for each child, usually with the child’s parents providing the refreshments.

Graduation Day

Graduation day is observed in late May for the children who are leaving PFC to enter kindergarten in the local school system. The children present a program for parents, other family members, and friends, followed by refreshments.

Parent Seminars

Parent seminars are scheduled several times a year to focus on issues of interest to parents. Sometimes videos and outside speakers are included in these seminars.

Fall Festival

Each fall the PFC staff holds a Fall Festival in the fellowship hall of the Cedar Lane United Methodist Church. The festival consists of a chili supper and other dishes (with dessert), a silent auction, entertainment and various other activities. The receipts are used to fund needs of the child development center.

PFC Staff Requirements and Curriculum

Staff Pre-employment Qualifications

Persons applying to join the PFC staff must present a high school diploma or the equivalent, they must undergo a health screening, and they must pass a criminal background check with Knox County Police Department.

On-going Educational Requirements for Teaching Staff

New teachers must attend a “new employee orientation” on child development. All teaching staff are required to attend 30 hours of training provided through Tennessee Early Childhood Training Alliance (TECTA). 

All teaching staff must complete 18 hours of training annually. They are also required to be certified in first aid and CPR.

Director Qualifications

A PFC director must be a high school graduate (or equivalent) with a Child Development Associate credential or early childhood Technical Certificate or equivalent and must have 7 years experience administering an early care and/or education program. Alternatively, a director can qualify with an Associate's Degree in a relevant area and 4 years experience administering an early care and/or education program; or a director can qualify with a Bachelor's Degree or higher in a relevant area and 2 years experience administering an early care and/or education program. A director must also have a Program Administrator Credential.

Curriculum

The PFC curriculum follows the same general themes recommended by the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation for preschoolers.

PFC Fees

The current fee structure for Partners for Children is as follows:

6 weeks to 12 months: $158 per week
12 months to 2 years: $138 per week
2 to 3 years: $130 per week
3 years and older: $119 per week

These fees are primarily paid by parents or, for qualifying families, by the State of Tennessee with co-payments of varying amounts required from the families. In addition, some families not qualifying for state assistance but meeting other criteria may be eligible for assistance from PFC’s scholarship funds.

 

Roxie Davis Price Scholarships

This scholarship was established on January 27, 2003, the 99th birthday of Roxie Davis Price, with a founding gift from her estate following her death on December 9, 2002. The scholarship is being perpetuated with gifts from family and friends who believe, as she did, that all children should be afforded the opportunity of beginning their lives in a caring environment. Eligible families are those who do not qualify for state support but have insufficient income to pay full tuition fees. The amount of support that can be given from this fund to help pay fees depends on the amount of scholarship funds available each year. (Click here to see scholarship brochure.)

 

Pre-enrollment Form

A pre-enrollment form for Partners for Children is provided on this website in Microsoft Word and PDF formats. Click on one to print out form. Fill in and mail to address shown at the bottom of the form.

The PFC Board of Directors

Composition of the Board

Oversight of the operation of Partners for Children is carried out by a Board of Directors elected or re-elected each calendar year. As a founding institution, the Knoxville District Cooperative Parish of the United Methodist Church may be represented on the board by four persons selected by the parish. As the provider of space for PFC, the Inskip United Methodist Church has the same rights as a founding institution and also may be represented on the board by four persons selected by the church. The length of time served by the representatives from these founding institutions is determined by the institutions themselves.

In addition, the Knoxville District United Methodist Women are represented by one person chosen by that group. The remaining representatives are elected from the community at large.

The board also has PFC staff representatives, all of whom are non-voting ex-officio members.

Board Roster

Gerald P. (Pat) Berney, Knoxville Cooperative Parish Representative, Lincoln Park United Methodist Church (Chairman)

Dion Keith, Community Representative (Vice-Chairman)

Lorraine S. Abbott, Cedar Lane United Methodist Church Representative (Secretary)

Roberta (Bobbie) W. Redcorn, Cedar Lane United Methodist Church Representative (Treasurer)

Reverend Robert (Bob) H. Bean, Community Representative and a Founder of PFC

Jan Italio, Community Representative

Cindy Dalton, PFC Executive Director (Ex-officio Member)

Ashley Fuell, Office Manager (Ex-officio Member)

How Can You Help?

Partners for Children solicits the help of others in the form of gifts of money or supplies or as volunteer workers. (See contact information below.)

Monetary gifts may be given to:

1. The PFC General Operating Fund. Undesignated gifts to this fund will be used for general operating expenses, including the purchase of supplies and/or equipment as needed.

2. The Roxie Davis Price Scholarship Fund. Gifts to this fund are used to help poor working families who do not qualify for state aid in paying child-care fees. (Click here for scholarship brochure.)

Members of United Methodist Churches may also donate funds to the Scholarship Fund through their home churches by designating the gifts for Holston Annual Conference Project No. 536.

Gifts of supplies are always needed, especially the following:

Paper towels           9-inch Styrofoam plates
Toilet tissue 6- and 8-ounce Styrofoam cups
Baby wipe refills Art supplies

Kleenex Age-graded books

Volunteer help is needed for the following duties:

Reading to the children
Sponsoring special events
Helping with fund raisers
Helping with work projects

How to Contact Partners for Children

Telephone Number: 865-689-9516

E-mail Address: partnersforchildren@comcast.net

Address: 714 Cedar Lane, Knoxville, TN 37912

 

History | Philosophy | Program Goals | Events and Celebrations 
  Staff Requirements and Curriculum | Fees | Board of Directors
How Can You Help? | Contact Us
Pre-enrollment Form

Startup Grants and Gifts | Scholarships | Scholarship Contributors

 

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This page was last updated November 15, 2017