Earnestine Busby
Director
Earnestine runs Pillow for the church and greets families at the door each morning. At your tour she puts our exemption notice on the table and walks you through it.
A ministry of Mercy Methodist Church
A soft place to land, from six weeks to five years
Pillow is the child care ministry of Mercy Methodist Church in Dothan. Families of any faith or none are welcome, and we explain our state exemption in plain words before you tour.
- Six weeks to five years
- A ministry of the church
What you can check
Our exemption and our numbers, in plain words
Pillow is exempt from state child care licensing. Here is what that means, the rooms we run and the routines that keep each one steady.
License
A ministry of Mercy Methodist Church. We operate under Alabama's religious exemption from state child care licensing: we are exempt, not licensed. We keep our notice of exemption on file. Ask to see it at a tour.
Adults to children
- 1 adult to 5 childrenInfants, 6 weeks to 12 months
- 1 adult to 5 childrenToddlers, 12 to 24 months
- 1 adult to 8 childrenTwos, 2 to 3 years
- 1 adult to 11 childrenThrees, 3 to 4 years
- 1 adult to 18 childrenFours, 4 to 5 years
Capacity
50
Ages 6 weeks to 5 years
Staff checks and training
- Background checks
- CPR and first aid
- Safe sleep training
- Mandated reporter training
Safety routines
Drop-off and pickup
A teacher hands each child to you at the room door. We release a child only to the people you list in writing.
Allergies
Tell us about any allergy at the tour. Once you enroll, we ask again in private.
Cribs and sleep
Infants sleep on their backs, in their own crib, with nothing else in the crib.
Clean hands
Every room washes hands on arrival, before meals and after outdoor play.
Ask us about child care assistance
Sample details.
The five rooms
Each room, and the days it offers
Choose the days that fit your family. The board above says how many children each teacher cares for.
| Ages | Adults to children | Five days6:30 am–5:30 pmMonday to Friday | Three days6:30 am–5:30 pmMonday, Wednesday, Friday | Two days6:30 am–5:30 pmTuesday and Thursday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infants6 weeks to 12 monthsTheir own crib, a mat on the floor and a rocking chair. | 1 adult to 5 children | Offered | Waitlist | Not offered |
| Toddlers12 to 24 monthsLow shelves, floor play and songs. | 1 adult to 5 children | Offered | Offered | Waitlist |
| Twos2 to 3 yearsPlay kitchen, blocks and the first art table. | 1 adult to 8 children | Offered | Offered | Offered |
| Threes3 to 4 yearsStory time, paint and a reading corner. | 1 adult to 11 children | Offered | Offered | Full |
| Fours4 to 5 yearsCounting games, stories and a walk to the fellowship hall. | 1 adult to 18 children | Offered | Offered | Not offered |
Fees and what each is for
- Registration
- Opens your child's enrollment file and goes with the application.
- Holding a place
- Keeps your child's place until the first day
- Supplies
- Paper, paint and the things that wear out with use.
Places by room change through the year. Ask at the tour.
Sample programs.
Our team
The people in your child's room
Every room has a lead teacher you'll meet at the tour.
Demetria Aiken
Infant and toddler room lead
Demetria cares for our youngest children and writes a note for every family at pickup: feedings, naps and what your baby tried today.
Maribeth Harrison
Threes and Fours teacher
Maribeth teaches story time, counting games and the Wednesday walk to the fellowship hall, and moves up with the children from Threes to Fours.
From families
What parents tell us
“We aren't Methodist, and nobody ever asked. Demetria knew our daughter's feeding times before I finished explaining, and we got a note at every pickup.”
Ladonna W.Parent of an infant
“I'm a civilian on the base, and the 6:30 opening gets me to work on time. Maribeth greets every child at the door, so drop-off is never a rush.”
Kinsey T.Parent of a three-year-old
“The tour started at the front door and ended with the exemption notice on the table. Earnestine answered every question, even the ones I felt silly asking.”
Cortney B.Parent of a toddler and a four-year-old
Sample reviews.
Through the year
Closed when the church and the schools are
Pillow keeps the church calendar and the school calendar, so you can plan around the weeks we close.
This school year
Fall open house
Early August · Walk through every room and meet the teachers. Church families and neighbors come together.
Fall classes begin
Mid August · Children visit their new room with a parent the week before.
Harvest supper
Late October · Families gather in the fellowship hall for supper.
Thanksgiving closure
Late November · Closed with the church for Thanksgiving week, when the local schools are out too.
Christmas closure
Late December · Closed from Christmas Eve to New Year's Day, with the church and the schools.
Spring open house
Early March · See the rooms again and meet the teachers your child will have next year.
Spring break closure
Mid March · Closed the week the local schools are on spring break.
Good Friday closure
March or April · Closed for the church's Good Friday observance.
Fall places open
Mid April · Applications open to church families and neighbors at the same time.
Memorial Day closure
Late May · Closed on the last Monday in May, with the church and the schools.
Independence Day closure
Early July · Closed for the summer holiday, with the church and the schools.
Sample dates.
A day here
A day at Pillow
From the front door at 6:30 to pickup at 5:30, in every room.
- Early morning
Step 1: Arrival
A teacher meets you at the room door, and your child hangs up a coat and picks a first toy.
- Mid-morning
Step 2: Story, song and a blessing
A short Bible story and a song at each age's pace, then a snack.
- Late morning
Step 3: Play and making
Blocks, paint, playdough and the kitchen corner, indoors or in the yard.
- Midday
Step 4: Lunch
We eat together at low tables. A blessing comes first, and anyone who doesn't join in simply listens.
- Early afternoon
Step 5: Rest
Infants sleep when they need to. Older children rest on mats with a book or quietly.
- Late afternoon
Step 6: Outside, then pickup
Yard time and a snack, and a teacher hands your child to you at the room door.
How to enroll
- 01
Step 1: Get in touch
Call the front desk, write to us or use the form. Earnestine or the office answers within a day.
- 02
Step 2: Book a tour
Come see the rooms with your child. It takes about half an hour, and you can ask anything, including how tuition works and what our exemption means.
- 03
Step 3: Apply
Fill in the application and tell us which room and schedule you're hoping for. Church families and neighbors apply the same way.
- 04
Step 4: Join the waitlist
If your room is full, your family joins the waitlist, and we call in the order families joined when a place opens.
- 05
Step 5: Register
Once there's a place, you complete the enrollment forms in private: your child's details, health and the people allowed to pick up.
- 06
Step 6: The first day
Bring a change of clothes and what your child sleeps with. A teacher meets you at the room door, and you're welcome to stay a while.
Questions we hear most
What does "exempt" mean?
Alabama lets a church ministry run child care without a state child care license. Pillow is exempt. Our notice of exemption is on file, and Earnestine will show it to you at a tour.
Do we have to be Methodist, or go to church?
No. Families of any faith or none are welcome, and we never ask which church you attend.
Which ages do you take?
From six weeks to five years, in five rooms: Infants, Toddlers, Twos, Threes and Fours.
How does tuition work?
Your child's room, the days a week and the hours set it. The tuition page explains each part, and we give you the figures in writing at your tour.
What if my child is ill?
Keep your child home with a fever, vomiting or a rash you can't explain, and until they've been well for a full day. The family policies page has the details.
How do I join the waitlist?
Book a tour or send the form, and tell us the room and schedule you hope for. We call in the order families joined when a place opens.