Nursery/Pre-school Room Policies
(birth through 2-year-olds)
What to Bring
Please include the following in your child’s diaper bag: two to three diapers, wipes, a change of clothes in case of an accident, a bottle/sippy cup of formula, milk, water, and/or juice. Please make sure the diaper bag and everything in it (bottles, change of clothes, pacifiers, etc.) are labeled.
Arrival Procedures
The safety and happiness of your child is important to us. To make this a speedy, smooth process, please follow these instructions:
· Please check-in at the Preschool Door. During check-in you will receive a wrist band which must be turned in to pick up your child. On the sign-in sheet, please write your location so that we may find you if necessary as well as any information the staff should have to ensure a happy experience for your child.
· Please pick up a pager so we may contact you should your child require you during your stay.
· After the service, please present your wrist band and pager at the door and remember to sign out. No child will be released without the corresponding band. Siblings under 16 years of age are not permitted to pick up preschoolers.
For your convenience, a private nursing area is provided in the Comfort Room in the Narthex. It is located in the coat area outside the Sanctuary.
Room/Age Locations
During the 9:00 Sunday School hour, the Nursery/Pre-school Room is available to all children infant to 3 years of age.
Pick-up Procedures
Please have your wrist band handy when picking up your child/children. The Nursery/Pre-school staff will check to make sure your band number matches your child’s; you are then free to go. Also, please double check to make sure you have all of your child’s belongings. We have a lost and found for blankets, socks, shoes, and other personal items that is located in the upper coat room, by the Sanctuary doors.
Feedings and Snacks
Infants will be bottle-fed according to each individual child’s schedule. We offer peanut-free snacks, including Cheerios, Goldfish, and animal crackers to children who are developmentally ready to chew. We are aware that many children have food allergies, and we ask that you alert the staff if your child has a food allergy.
Health Policy
Children will not be accepted in the Nursery or classroom if they have any of the following:
· nasal discharge (other than a minimal, clear discharge)
· any discharge or matter around the eyes,
· fever (must be fever-free for 24 hours),
· rash, inflamed throat and/or mouth,
· head lice,
· open wounds without proper bandages,
· unusually listless or irritable behavior.
Children being treated with antibiotics should be on the drug for at least 24 hours before coming to the Nursery. If you have any questions, please check with the Nursery Supervisor on duty; the supervisor’s decision will be final. For the welfare of all, parents are heartily encouraged not to bring sick children to church.
Early Childhood (3 through 5 Years)
What to Bring
Water will be served during snack time. If you prefer, you can send a "sippy" cup with your child's favorite drink. If your child is not potty-trained, please bring wipes, diapers/pull-ups, and an extra change of clothes. Please have all of your child’s personal belongings labeled.
Arrival Procedures
The safety and happiness of your child is important to us. To make this a speedy, smooth process, please follow these instructions:
Please check-in at the Pre-school Door. During check-in you will receive a wrist band which must be turned in to pick up your child. On the sign-in sheet, please write your location so that we may find you if necessary as well as any information the staff
· should have to ensure a happy experience for your child. Please pick up a pager so we may contact you should your child require you during your stay.
Health Policy
Children will not be accepted into the room if they have any of the following:
· nasal discharge (other than a minimal, clear discharge),
· any discharge or matter around the eyes,
· fever (must be fever free for 24 hours),
· rash,
· inflamed throat and/or mouth,
· head lice,
· open wounds without proper bandages,
· unusually listless or especially irritable behavior.
Children being treated with antibiotics should be on the drug for at least 24 hours. If you have any questions, please check with the Early Childhood Supervisor on duty; the supervisor’s decision will be final. For the welfare of all, parents are heartily encouraged not to bring sick children to church.
Room/Age Locations
During the 9:00 Sunday School hour, children ages 3-5 (not in Kindergarten) can participate in a class in room 104, downstairs in the Crossroads area. During 10:30 Worship, they are invited to spend time in the Nursery/Pre-school room.
Pick-up Procedures
Please have your wrist band handy when picking up your child/children. The Nursery/Pre-school staff will check to make sure your band number matches your child’s; you are then free to go. Also, please double check to make sure you have all of your child’s belongings. We have a lost and found in the upper coat room for blankets, socks, shoes, and other personal items.
After the service, please present your wrist band and pager at the door. No child will be released without the corresponding band. Siblings under 16 years of age are not permitted to pick up preschoolers.
SNACKS:
A snack and water will be provided during worship. The snack is usually something like Goldfish or animal crackers. The snack may change depending on the lesson or special holiday. We are aware that many children have food allergies, and we ask that you alert the Nursery/Pre-school Room staff if your child has a food allergy.
Due to the number of children with severe peanut and tree-nut allergies, foods conaining such products are not allowed. The nursery/pre-school is a PEANUT and TREE NUT FREE environment. Please read labels to assure that food products do not contain traces of peanuts or were not FIRST-TIME VISITORS:
The first time your child is placed into the nursery/pre-school, you will need to fill out an information card to give the nursery/pre-school workers some background information on your child which will aid them in ministering to him or her. This information card will be kept on file in the nursery/pre-school for future reference. (see figure 1)
CHECK-IN PROCEDURE:
When your child arrives in the nursery/pre-school room, a nursery/pre-school minister will assist you in checking-in your child. During check-in you will receive a wristband which must be turned in to pick up your child. Please fill out the sign-in sheet with necessary information to receive your band.
We also ask that your diaper bag and any incidentals also be labeled.
When you return to pick up your child, this band MUST be presented, or you may be asked to present a driver’s license or other picture ID. We are protecting the safety of your child. No child will be released without the correct identification.
PAGING SYSTEM:
We have been blessed with a paging system in our infant nursery/pre-school. This paging system is used to notify parents should their child need them during his or her stay in our nursery/pre-school. Parents may secure a pager when checking in his or her child. This pager number is noted on the child’s check-in sheet. Should the parent be needed during the service, he or she will be paged. The signal from our paging system is currently capable of reaching any pager on our church grounds.
You can enjoy the service, knowing that you can be easily contacted in the event your child should need you.
NURSERY/PRE-SCHOOL MINISTERS:
Our nursery/pre-school is for the most part a cooperative ministry. We have dedicated volunteers who teach and care for children each Sunday during the morning services.
Parents joyfully serve on a rotation basis during the church worship time. Each parent should serve at least two times every three months. If each does a little, none will be overburdened.
We also have volunteers from the congregation who do not have children in the nurseries. These servants minister on a regular basis, making the load lighter for the parents. We appreciate our volunteers!
We take child safety seriously in the Second Family. All volunteers and staff are screened with law enforcement agencies prior to participation on our children’s ministry team
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