Girls on the Run serving Maricopa & Pinal Counties Spring 2024 Girl Program Registration

Welcome to Girls on the Run! – a life-changing, non-profit program for girls in the 3rd through 8th grade. Our mission is to inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running.

To learn more about Girls on the Run and our programs, visit our website here: gotrmc.org/programs

OVERVIEW

• The ten-week Girls on the Run (3rd - 5th grade) and Heart & Sole (6th - 8th grade) programs are offered each spring at schools and sites across the Valley.
• Participants meet twice a week, usually after school, for approximately 90 minutes. Heart & Sole (6th-8th grades) teams have the option to meet once a week for two hours. 
• Teams consist of 8-15 girls led by at least two trained coaches who guide the girls through research-based lessons that creatively incorporate running and physical activity.
• The season culminates with an end-of-season celebratory 5K event where all Girls on the Run participants throughout Maricopa & Pinal Counties come together, along with Running Buddies and members of the public, to celebrate their accomplishments. 

Timeline for the Spring 2024 Season:

• November 1 - November 30: General Registration period for girls 
• On or before December 5: Late registration for girls opens on a first come, first-served basis only for teams with space remaining. A late fee of $10 will be added to registration fees including all scholarship levels for the remainder of registration. This late fee covers the added expense of adding your girl to the team after the General Registration period. 
• Late January/Early February, 2024: Program will start for most teams (earlier or later for some teams depending on the team's schedule)
• April 20, 2024: Girls on the Run 5K 

Late registration for girls will open on or before December 5th on a first come, first-served basis only for teams with space still available. An additional $10 late fee will be added to all registration fees (including scholarship levels) for the remainder of registration. Late registration will stay open for a team until the team fills or until the team's first lesson, whichever comes first. If the minimum number of 8 girls is not met for a team by the first lesson of the season, that team will be canceled. Families will be notified and refunded immediately.

How to Register for Girls on the Run or Heart & Sole:

• Please review the location list and site schedule below to confirm the timing and venue will work for your girl.
• A parent/guardian must complete an online registration form for each girl via online registration.
• Please have the following information available when registering: doctor contact info, emergency contact info and a credit/debit card.
• Credit OR debit/bank cards may be used.
• Your account will be charged at the time of registration.
• Once you complete a registration, you will receive an email confirming that your registration has been received. Please check that you’ve received an email following your registration.

Registration Fees:

Building confidence and a healthy lifestyle is PRICELESS! However, there are real costs associated with operating a non-profit organization and delivering the Girls on the Run program to more than 1,500 3rd - 8th graders in Maricopa and Pinal Counties each year.

Though our cost per participant is more than $400, through generous donors we're able to offer the 10-week program for $200. Participant registration is $200 and includes:

• 20 ninety-minute sessions (or 10 two hour sessions for select Heart & Sole teams) conducted by certified GOTR volunteer coaches
• Curriculum and lesson materials
• A healthy snack at each session
• Official GOTR T-shirt
• Journal
• 5K Registration fee
• 5K Medal
• Post 5K team celebration
• Tools and lessons that will last a lifetime!

It also covers the cost of less visible things such as facility fees, insurance, training and background checks for coaches, transportation and site visits and support.

The actual cost of program delivery is much higher than $200 per girl, and we are grateful to the sponsors and donors whose contributions help us work to make GOTR as accessible as possible for all.

What if a girl is unable to pay the program fee?

It is the policy of Girls on the Run serving Maricopa and Pinal Counties to offer our program to all girls who desire to participate, regardless of their family’s financial status. We offer scholarship support to all qualifying registrants based on financial need. We have found that a strong sense of pride and ownership is developed when the recipient of scholarship funding has contributed to the cost of their involvement. Therefore, all scholarship recipients will be asked to pay a portion of the program fees. Program fees for girls receiving a scholarship range from $15 to $180 based on household income. All scholarship grants are kept confidential, as they are specific to individual and family circumstances. Scholarship funding is reviewed each season of Girls on the Run, and the financial sustainability of our program depends on the honesty and integrity of parents who contribute their appropriate registration amount. Registrants can apply for scholarship support as part of the online sign up process. Please be sure to answer all applicable questions in the sign up process in order to qualify.

Frequently Asked Questions:

• My girl isn't a big runner; is this program for her? OR My girl is already a skilled runner. Is this program for her? Yes! We are much more than a running program, and every participant can benefit from the experience of building confidence through accomplishment while participating in our rich, curriculum-based, age-appropriate, interactive lessons. Expect lots of games, talking, laughing and processing in addition to running at each practice. And know that when we say run, we mean run, walk, skip, roll or push, just as long as you are moving forward!
• We can't afford the program registration fee, but our child would love to participate. How does the scholarship program work? Don't let cost stop you from participating! We are committed to making Girls on the Run accessible to all who want to participate! Thanks to generous donors and community supporters, program scholarships are available to any family who needs it, and we can also provide appropriate running shoes if necessary. The online registration form will walk you through a few questions to find the fee that is right for your family based on a sliding scale.
• My girl's team is practicing twice a week. Do girls need to attend both days each week in order to register? Yes! Since most of our teams fill up quickly, if your girl will be unable to attend all the sessions, please save room for a girl who can, and consider joining us in a future season when she can enjoy the entire program.
• You are not at my girl’s school but I would like for her to participate. What are our options? GOTRMPC aspires to make our program accessible to as many girls as possible regardless of where programs are being offered. We often have site locations that are open to the public, and they will be highlighted on the location list. Our policy is to allow girls to participate at a school/site that they do not attend if: transportation is not an issue, the girl is able to attend the entire lesson, the school/site does not have policies in place that would preclude participation, and the girl is grade-eligible for the program. Girls who attend the school/site do get first preference to participate on the Girls on the Run team in the event of a lottery however. Our ultimate goal is to make Girls on the Run and Heart & Sole available to every interested girl in Maricopa and Pinal Counties so we also encourage you to bring the program to your location. Although we primarily partner with schools, other groups/venues can also participate such as public parks, neighborhood parks, churches, community centers, youth/athletic centers etc.
• Is there a way for me to sponsor a participant for a season? Yes! As a mission-driven 501(c)3, Girls on the Run relies on generous donors in order to provide more than $130,000 in program scholarships for families in need. Click here to sponsor a participant this season.