When You Arrive…

1. The nursery opens 15 minutes before the Worship Service.

2. Children stay in the same room for one year. Every September we promote the children. Toddlers will be promoted in October to the “Pre-2” & “2 yr. old” classes. This is determined by birth month and year.

3. Newborns are welcome in our nursery. You do not have to wait until they are 6 or 8 weeks old to leave them in the nursery. Whenever you are ready, you many fill out an information form.

4. Due to the crowded hallways and rooms, we ask that only one person drop off and pick up your child.

Check In Procedure

Each week when you check in, you will be asked to fill out a security sticker and a parent sign-in sheet. You will also receive a pager. Your child’s Diaper Bag will have a corresponding tag.

1. Please fill out the information on the sign-in sheet completely. Write your name and specific location, and the pager # on the parent sign-in sheet.

2. Write your child’s name, any specific instructions, and your pager # on the sticker. Attach the sticker to the child’s back.

3. The Diaper bag tag should match the pager #, and be placed on the diaper bag.

4. The parent keeps the pager. The pager must be turned in when picking up your child. If  someone else is to pick up your child, they must have the pager. Siblings may pick up a child if they are at least middle school age.

5. The parent must be on the church campus at all times.

6. In the event that you lose the pager, or another person has it, please go to the Nursery. The nursery caregivers will not release your child without proper authorization. Your child’s safety is our first priority, even if it requires extra time.

Ratios

1. Worker : child ratios have been established for your child’s safety and are as follows:

• Infants – 1:3
• Toddlers – 1:4
• Two Year Olds – 1:5

2. Children will not be accepted into the rooms until the adults scheduled to work that hour are present and the ratios are met.

3. The Nursery is staffed entirely by volunteers. The number of children we can care for is totally dependant on the number of volunteers we have. On some occasions, you many not be able to leave your child in the nursery due to a lack of workers. It is for this reason that we encourage all parents to serve as volunteers in the Children’s Ministry.

Check Out

1. Parents must have the pager to pick up their child. If the pager has been lost, please go to the Nursery as soon as possible.

2. Tell your child’s name and show the nursery volunteer your pager, but DO NOT hand them the pager. The volunteer will go into the room and bring out your child and diaper bag. At that time, you may give the nursery volunteer your pager and remove the security sticker off your child and diaper bag.

3. Due to congestion in the rooms and hallways, we request that only one parent pick up the child.

4. Siblings must be in middle school or older before they can pick up nursery-age children. They must also have the pager to turn into the nursery.

Helpful Hints

Sometimes, especially during the early years, there may be a difficult period of adjustment for your child. They may not want to stay in their room without you. Be patient. Continue to leave your child. Taking the child to the adult service or staying home only postpones the problem.  Reassurance, plenty of love and consistent attendance will often take care of the problem.

It is not necessary for you to “check” on your child. If your child does not settle down in 10-15 minutes, or if we need to page you, your pager will alarm you. The nursery staff will be delighted to talk with you, and work with you and your child.

Your Stay With Us

In an effort to make your child’s stay in the nursery as pleasant and safe as possible, we ask that you help us in the following ways.

Suggested Diaper Bag Contents

1. A small diaper bag or sack that will easily fit in the nursery cubbyhole.

2. One or two bottles or “sippy-cups” as needed (permanently labeled with your child’s full name). Please do not put milk products in sippy cups, as this protects those children with milk allergies.

3. Extra disposable diapers.

4. Pacifier (clip-on type or labeled, please)

5. Change of clothes

What NOT to Bring

1. Do not bring medicine of any kind. If your child needs any medication at all, it MUST be kept by and administered by the parent.

2. Please do not bring toys from home. They may get lost if they are mixed in with the nursery toys. We provide safe toys that are cleaned every week.

3. The nursery is comfortably equipped with blankets, burping cloths, etc. It is not necessary to bring these items from home. It is often difficult to track down the items that belong to your child.

4. Please to not bring infant carriers, car seats, and/or strollers into the nursery. We do not have the room to store them.

5. We will provide Animal Crackers & Cheese crackers. Please do not send additional food. Other children in the class will gravitate to your child’s snack. Even the presence of peanut butter inside a child’s bag can prove to be extremely dangerous to some children’s allergies.

6. We provide water at snack time. Please do not send beverages, especially milk products, in sippy cups.

Label All Belongings

1. Please label all bottles and pacifiers.

2. Please tie a string to the pacifiers and pin them to your child’s clothing.

3. All blankets should have your child’s name on them so that they are not confused with the nursery supply.

4. All coats and jackets should be labeled with your child’s name. The Security Sticker should be placed directly on the child.

Feeding Your Child

1. A nursing room is available in the nursery area.

2. We will do our best to give bottle-fed babies their bottle at the time you indicate. Please write specific instructions on the Security Sticker placed on your child.

3. Since powdered formulas vary, we ask that you mix up all bottles before you come.

4. We ask that you feed your child their baby/solid food before you come. If your child must be fed solid food during the service, it may be necessary to page you.

5. We do provide animal crackers, cheese crackers, and water each hour for children over 6 months of age. Please do not send additional food, gum, or beverages.

6. If your child is allergic to anything on the snack list, please tell the workers every time you check in. Write “No Crackers” on the Special Instructions space on your child’s Security Sticker.

7. The Quiet Room should not be used for feeding children of any age.

Diaper Changing

1. Please bring an extra disposable diaper each time you come. The one time you think you won’t need it, you will.

2. We make the effort to check and/or change every child every hour. If you need to change your child, please do so in the nursery.

3. The Quiet Room is not for this purpose.

Illness

1. In consideration of others, please do not bring sick children to the Nursery or to the Quiet Room. Your child must be free from colds, fever, diarrhea, vomiting, pinkeye, and other symptoms for at least 24 hours before coming to the Nursery or to the Quiet Room.

2. If your child becomes ill or injured during the service, the Nursery Staff will determine  whether to notify you immediately or wait until the hour is over.

3. All medication must be administered by parents.

Lost and Found

The lost and found is located behind the counter at Check In. Please check there or in your child’s room for missing items.

Fire Alarm

If the fire alarm should go off during the service, please do not come to the nursery. The nursery caregiver’s primary concern is to get the children out of the area safely. During the fire alarm, the children WILL NOT be released to the parents until calm has been restored and security tags can be checked properly.

Nursery Caregivers

Our ministry team and volunteers are here to pray for your child, play with them, and read to them every time they are with us in the Nursery. We desire for your child to want to come to church, and to learn truths about God. As our church continues to grow, there is always a need for more nursery caregivers. If you are willing to serve either on Sunday morning, Sunday evening, or Wednesday night, please call Julie Scott, Nursery Director at (225-5991). We will be glad to schedule and screen you to care for these precious children. The nursery is dependent on volunteers, and we encourage all parents to serve.