What Makes ALPS

We are honored and will take every opportunity to partner with you to provide your child with an exceptional early care and education experience. Atonement Lutheran Preschool opened in 1985 as a missional outreach of Atonement Lutheran Church. Over the past 30 years, we have grown and changed with the community in which we reside.

Below are three fundamental cornerstones of ALPS success:

Play-Based Learning

At ALPS, we teach our children in a play-based learning environment. Play-based learning is based in the understanding that:

• Children grow and develop holistically, meaning that we cannot isolate any one development from all of the others - physical, social, emotional, cognitive, language and moral development.

• The development of knowledge (learning) is grounded in a child’s innate ability, curiosity, and desire to learn about the world around them

• Consistent, nurturing relationships have a dramatic effect on the development of knowledge in small children. Relationships provide children with knowledge about family, culture, community, religion, language, and more.

• As early childhood teachers, providing a child with a rich environment where the child can initiate his/her own discovery and play as a means to learn is important.

• We have the responsibility to provide and environment that is rich for EVERY child by careful observation and assessment of the children as they learn and play, using the information to provide an individualized learning experience for every child

Christian Education

Christian Care is based on the rationale that it takes a Christian congregation of many families to help raise a Christian child in God’s loving grace. Christian Care holds to these basic assumptions:

• All children are created by God.

• Each child’s self-image is one of worth because he or she is God’s blessed child.

• Young children need to develop positive social relationships with peers and grown-ups.

• Attitudes and life values are formed at an early age.

At ALPS, we provide your children a grace-filled, Christian environment through meal prayers, worship, VBS in the summer, and in our classrooms everyday.

Access for All

At ALPS, we stand as an example for our larger Columbus community as a center of excellence for all children – specializing in providing an excellent learning environment for young dual language learners. We have, and continue to serve families from 35+ countries and over 30 languages. We are mindful and careful to respect the beliefs of others and encourage dual language learners in the classroom. We are also recognized as a Public Funded Child Care (PFCC) school, as well as an Inclusive Child Care Program (ICCP). Learn More

2026 Enrollment

Enrollment Open for PALS Summer 2026 and ALPS 2026-2027 school year.

Photo: Mrs. Fryman leading opening last year at PALS Summer Camp VBS week. Visit our gallery to see photos and videos.

Meet the Team

Carmen Fryman

ALPS Director and Preschool Teacher

Carly Fryman

ALPS PreK Teacher

PALS Teacher

Prova Hasan

ALPS PreK Teacher

PALS Teacher

Lois Smith

ALPS Assistant

PALS Assistant

Logan Fryman

ALPS 2/3s Teacher

PALS Teacher

Heeseon Seo

ALPS 2/3s Teacher

PALS Teacher

Rana Mamlouk

ALPS Preschool Teacher

PALS Teacher

Afifa Saifi

ALPS Preschool Teacher

PALS Teacher

Luke Dunker

PALS Teacher

Ian Fryman

PALS Teacher

Ashlyann Carrasquillo

PALS Teacher

Nolan Place

PALS Teacher

Maggie Fryman

PALS Teacher

Carly Fryman

PALS Teacher

Julia Browning

PALS Teacher

Carly Fryman

PALS Teacher

Carly Fryman

PALS Teacher

Carly Fryman

PALS Teacher

Carly Fryman

PALS Teacher

Nadia Braik

ALPS Assistant

PALS Assistant

Nermeen Abdasalam

ALPS Assistant

PALS Assistant

Becky Hoberty

ALPS Music Teacher

ALPS/PALS Substitute

Laurie Chapman

ALPS Assistant

PALS Assistant

Joni Dunker

PALS Teacher