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Academy for Learning and Character Development (ALCD)

ALCD's mission is to provide safe, affordable, high-quality childcare in a developmentally appropriate environment for disadvantaged preschool and school-age children. 

🎉 Excitement is in the air! Get ready to be part of something extraordinary at Academy for Learning&#39;s (ALCD) fundraising event. Sponsorships are needed to make this event free to all. &nbsp;It&#39;s an event like no other, and we want you to be there! 🎉 ALCD is proud to host a Free Family Fun &amp; Learning Festival (ALCD Kids Fest 2026) at John Hunt Park, &nbsp;this community event is designed to bring joy, education, and connection to families across Huntsville and Madison County. While Kid&rsquo;s Fest will include fun activities such as inflatables, games, live entertainment, STEM and art experiences and more, a key goal of the event is to ensure families are informed about local resources and services available to support them year-round. This exciting festival will feature: <ul fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Inflatables &amp; Games for all ages</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Petting Zoo and hands-on animal encounters</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Live Music &amp; Youth Performances</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Face Painting&nbsp;</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Local Food Trucks</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">STEM Exploration Tables hosted by the U.S. Space &amp; Rocket Center</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Art Station hosted by Huntsville Museum of Art&nbsp;</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Fire Truck Demo &amp; Sparky by Huntsville Fire &amp; Rescue</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Science Demonstrations hosted by Nutty Scientist</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Community Giveaways &amp; Vendor Booths</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Community Outreach Agencies providing resources to families</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Media Coverage through WHNT 19&nbsp;</li></ul>Current Community Partners that will be present sharing their resources Include but not limited to:&nbsp;<ul dir="ltr" fr-original-style='margin-block: 1em; list-style-type: disc; color: rgb(29, 29, 29); font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;' id="isPasted" style='margin-block: 1em; list-style-type: disc; color: rgb(29, 29, 29); font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; box-sizing: inherit;'><li fr-original-style="margin-bottom: 4px;" id="isPasted" style="margin-bottom: 4px; box-sizing: inherit;">United Cerebral Palsy&nbsp;</li><li fr-original-style="margin-bottom: 4px;" style="margin-bottom: 4px; box-sizing: inherit;">Drug Free Partnership</li><li fr-original-style="margin-bottom: 4px;" style="margin-bottom: 4px; box-sizing: inherit;">Urban Strategies&nbsp;</li><li fr-original-style="margin-bottom: 4px;" style="margin-bottom: 4px; box-sizing: inherit;">Mommy Love Foundation&nbsp;</li><li fr-original-style="margin-bottom: 4px;" style="margin-bottom: 4px; box-sizing: inherit;">College Counts</li><li fr-original-style="margin-bottom: 4px;" style="margin-bottom: 4px; box-sizing: inherit;">Roaring Hearts</li><li fr-original-style="margin-bottom: 4px;" style="margin-bottom: 4px; box-sizing: inherit;">Life South</li><li fr-original-style="margin-bottom: 4px;" style="margin-bottom: 4px; box-sizing: inherit;">Invisible Warriors</li><li fr-original-style="margin-bottom: 4px;" style="margin-bottom: 4px; box-sizing: inherit;">Ross Recovery Community Center</li><li fr-original-style="margin-bottom: 4px;" style="margin-bottom: 4px; box-sizing: inherit;">My Father&#39;s Loving Arms</li><li fr-original-style="margin-bottom: 4px;" style="margin-bottom: 4px; box-sizing: inherit;">Shenanigan&#39;s Theatre&nbsp;</li><li fr-original-style="margin-bottom: 4px;" style="margin-bottom: 4px; box-sizing: inherit;">Habitat for Humanity</li><li fr-original-style="margin-bottom: 4px;" style="margin-bottom: 4px; box-sizing: inherit;">First Stop&nbsp;</li><li fr-original-style="margin-bottom: 4px;" style="margin-bottom: 4px; box-sizing: inherit;">Thrive Alabama</li><li fr-original-style="margin-bottom: 4px;" style="margin-bottom: 4px; box-sizing: inherit;">Huntsville AMBUCS&nbsp;</li><li fr-original-style="margin-bottom: 4px;" style="margin-bottom: 4px; box-sizing: inherit;">North Al Human Trafficking Task Force&nbsp;</li><li fr-original-style="margin-bottom: 4px;" style="margin-bottom: 4px; box-sizing: inherit;">Chill Out Huntsville&nbsp;</li><li fr-original-style="margin-bottom: 4px;" style="margin-bottom: 4px; box-sizing: inherit;">A New Leash On Life Adoption Center</li><li fr-original-style="margin-bottom: 4px;" style="margin-bottom: 4px; box-sizing: inherit;">Sydney Dough Bar</li><li fr-original-style="margin-bottom: 4px;" style="margin-bottom: 4px; box-sizing: inherit;">Animals are us</li><li fr-original-style="margin-bottom: 4px;" style="margin-bottom: 4px; box-sizing: inherit;">Clinica Medica Moscati</li><li fr-original-style="margin-bottom: 4px;" style="margin-bottom: 4px; box-sizing: inherit;">Aubrey&#39;s Love Foundation</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">305 8th Street</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Sleep In Heavenly Peace</li></ul> Sponsorships and donations will be used to pay for event essentials (venue, performers, incidentals, and much more) keeping this event free to the public&nbsp; Our goal is to create a day of celebration, learning, and unity&mdash;while keeping it completely free for families, especially those with limited means. Sponsorships are available to keep this event free to the public &nbsp;Every sponsorship to this event will bring us closer to achieving our mission of supporting families in Madison County. Together, we can create a brighter, more compassionate world for all. Thank you for supporting our mission, your support is invaluable.

ALCD Kids Fest 2026 Sponsor Sign Up

Become a sponsor for a future leader&mdash;and&nbsp; help a parent keep moving toward financial independence. For more than 30 years, the Academy for Learning and Character Development (ALCD) has helped families overcome financial barriers to safe, affordable, high-quality childcare. Today, Alabama&rsquo;s deepening childcare crisis makes that work more urgent while threatening our ability to sustain it. Your support can help protect access to care for Huntsville&rsquo;s most vulnerable families. Many parents face a difficult catch: they need employment or education to qualify for childcare assistance, but they cannot work or attend school without childcare first. At ALCD, we help qualifying families break this cycle of financial instability by enrolling their children at little to no cost while parents seek employment or enroll in educational programs. Donor support typically covers approximately two months of childcare, giving parents time to establish employment or schooling and qualify for assistance through the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR). But shortages and interruptions in childcare assistance funding have disrupted that path. Families who would ordinarily transition to DHR assistance now face an indefinite wait for funding. We are continuing to provide care at little to no cost, extending support far beyond the two months our donor funds were intended to cover. Those funds are being depleted, and there is no clear timeline for assistance to become available. Additional support is needed to cover childcare for families during this extended gap. We cannot simply turn these families away. Losing affordable childcare could mean a parent misses an employment opportunity, leaves a job, or gives up an educational goal. Yet absorbing these costs without additional funding threatens our ability to keep serving the families who depend on us. The consequences reach beyond individual households. Local businesses need a reliable workforce, employers need qualified employees, and children need early educational experiences that support their future success. By helping sustain childcare, you can help a parent keep a job rather than lose one, continue school rather than put it on hold, and preserve a child&rsquo;s safe, stable learning environment. About Us: ALCD is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in Huntsville, Alabama, dedicated to providing safe, affordable, high-quality childcare and early education for children ages 3 weeks through 12 years. Since 1998, ALCD has served families through a unique sliding-scale tuition model based on their ability to pay, helping parents pursue employment, education, and financial independence while their children thrive in a nurturing, developmentally appropriate environment. Our enriched, hands-on curriculum promotes academic achievement, creativity and lifelong love for learning. Through our STEM in Motion (SIM) program, children explore STEM concepts through interactive activities, gardening and real-world experiences. We also introduce children to diverse cultures and communication skills through foreign language instruction in Persian (Farsi), Spanish, and American Sign Language (ASL), helping develop curiosity and an appreciation for the world around them. Our goal is to create Future Leaders! For decades, we have worked to bridge the gap between families who can afford childcare and those who cannot. We cannot carry this growing burden alone. Thank you for your continued partnership, generosity, and commitment to our community&rsquo;s children and families. Donate to sponsor a child&#39;s education, or connect us with a potential partner today. Stand alongside ALCD to help Huntsville families maintain access to childcare while parents work toward a more secure future. Thank you for your support,Mrs. Tequila Slocum, DirectorAcademy for Learning and Character Development (ALCD) (O) 256-533-3300 (C) 404-751-7809<a fr-original-style="" href="//www.alcdkids.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">www.alcdkids.org</a><a fr-original-style="" href="//www.facebook.com/alcdhsv" rel="noopener noreferrer noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/alcdhsv</a>

Become a sponsor for a future leader—and help a parent keep moving toward financial independence.For more than 30 years, the Academy for Learning and Character Development (ALCD) has helped families overcome financial barriers to safe, affordable, high-quality childcare. Today, Alabama’s deepening childcare crisis makes that work more urgent while threatening our ability to sustain it. Your support can help protect access to care for Huntsville’s most vulnerable families.Many parents face a difficult catch: they need employment or education to qualify for childcare assistance, but they cannot work or attend school without childcare first. At ALCD, we help qualifying families break this cycle of financial instability by enrolling their children at little to no cost while parents seek employment or enroll in educational programs.Donor support typically covers approximately two months of childcare, giving parents time to establish employment or schooling and qualify for assistance through the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR). But shortages and interruptions in childcare assistance funding have disrupted that path. Families who would ordinarily transition to DHR assistance now face an indefinite wait for funding.We are continuing to provide care at little to no cost, extending support far beyond the two months our donor funds were intended to cover. Those funds are being depleted, and there is no clear timeline for assistance to become available. Additional support is needed to cover childcare for families during this extended gap.We cannot simply turn these families away. Losing affordable childcare could mean a parent misses an employment opportunity, leaves a job, or gives up an educational goal. Yet absorbing these costs without additional funding threatens our ability to keep serving the families who depend on us.The consequences reach beyond individual households. Local businesses need a reliable workforce, employers need qualified employees, and children need early educational experiences that support their future success. By helping sustain childcare, you can help a parent keep a job rather than lose one, continue school rather than put it on hold, and preserve a child’s safe, stable learning environment.About Us:ALCD is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in Huntsville, Alabama, dedicated to providing safe, affordable, high-quality childcare and early education for children ages 3 weeks through 12 years. Since 1998, ALCD has served families through a unique sliding-scale tuition model based on their ability to pay, helping parents pursue employment, education, and financial independence while their children thrive in a nurturing, developmentally appropriate environment.Our enriched, hands-on curriculum promotes academic achievement, creativity and lifelong love for learning. Through our STEM in Motion (SIM) program, children explore STEM concepts through interactive activities, gardening and real-world experiences. We also introduce children to diverse cultures and communication skills through foreign language instruction in Persian (Farsi), Spanish, and American Sign Language (ASL), helping develop curiosity and an appreciation for the world around them. Our goal is to create Future Leaders!For decades, we have worked to bridge the gap between families who can afford childcare and those who cannot. We cannot carry this growing burden alone. Thank you for your continued partnership, generosity, and commitment to our community’s children and families.Donate to sponsor a child's education, or connect us with a potential partner today. Stand alongside ALCD to help Huntsville families maintain access to childcare while parents work toward a more secure future.Thank you for your support,Mrs. Tequila Slocum, DirectorAcademy for Learning and Character Development (ALCD)(O) 256-533-3300(C) 404-751-7809www.alcdkids.orgwww.facebook.com/alcdhsv

Academy for Learning and Character Development (ALCD)

Academy for Learning and Character Development (ALCD)

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Past events

Past events

View event

ALCD Kids Fest 2026 Sponsor Sign Up

More ways to support us

Donate now

Sponsor a Child's Education

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Academy for Learning and Character Development (ALCD)