Kids will be able to have great fun in a safe, supervised environment at First United Methodist’s Mother’s Day Out.Parents looking to give their toddlers a head start on school or who are looking for some extra time to run errands during the day can take advantage of the new Mother's Day Out program at the First United Methodist Church of Belton.

Beginning Sept. 2, FUMC will offer a learning environment for children ages 18 months to 3 years on Tuesday and Thursdays.

"Mother's Day Out is a program that usually churches provide for stay-at-home moms that need a break or people that work part time," Mother's Day Out Director Allison Morrow said. "It's a place where (kids) can get minimal education with materials that will help them numbers, shapes and colors. We just try to provide kids with a loving Christian environment while their parents get their work done."

The program will run through May 31, 2011, and will give children the opportunity to be involved in classroom activities, chapel time and story time.

Morrow said since she joined FUMC a little more than a year ago, residents have been asking about a Mother's Day Out program.

"People have been calling our church for years and asking if we had a Mother's Day Out program," Morrow said. "We've been working on it for a couple of years and trying to develop a program."

Although FUMC has offered similar programs in the past, Morrow said the program will be small in the first year with just 18 spots available.

"We are keeping it very small for the first year, utilizing our nursery room, our playground and our gym," Morrow said.

Morrow, who is a member of the Children's Council and is a vacation bible school teacher, has a bachelor's degree in Family, Child and Consumer Science from Louisiana State University and set up the curriculum for the program.

"I'm going to be in the classroom some," Morrow said. "I've written the curriculum, but we have Karen Hoelker who was a Mother's Day Out teacher at the Temple First United Methodist Church and she is just great."

Along with Morrow and Hoelker, two other teachers will help during the program.

Morrow said there are six spots still open for the program.

The program will operate on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The tuition fee is $120 per month for children staying from 9 a.m. to noon, and $150 per month for children staying from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. FUMC will also offer a 20 percent discount on tuition for the month of December.

Morrow said she is excited about the program starting up this fall.

"It helps gets children of that age ready for school," Morrow said. "Learning how to be in a classroom setting (for these kids) makes a world of difference."

For more information about the First United Methodist Church of Belton Mother's Day Out program, contact the church at (254) 939-5703 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .