Policies and Procedures

 

As the Nursery Ministry of Family in Christ Community Church, it is our goal to make every child’s nursery experience a happy one by providing a loving, nurturing environment. Our vision is to build a children’s nursery where infants and toddlers can experience God’s Love and hear God’s Word while parents worship in peace knowing their children are safe and secure with caring, competent attendants. We strive to make your time as a volunteer enjoyable so you may be a blessing to the children and parents who use the nursery.

 

 

Guidelines for Nursery Service

Volunteer attendants are adults and youth who wish to serve with a willing heart, a desire to minister to children and an ability to ensure the safety of each child. Attendants must be growing in his/her relationship with God and the church. Attendants are nursery parents, grandparents, child care professionals, youth or anyone with a heart for children and willing to train. Nursery parents are not required to serve but are encouraged due to high volume.  

 

Adult Nursery Attendants

  • Must be a regular attendee of FIC.
  • Must complete a children/youth work application and pass a background check.
  • Must arrive 15 minutes prior to the service starting and not leave until all children have been picked up by their parents.
  • Must find a qualified substitute in the event that he or she cannot be at their regularly scheduled service. Please notify Angela if you are switching with someone or if you cannot find a substitute.

 Youth Volunteer Attendants

  • Must be a youth who is a regular attendee of FIC.
  • Must complete a children/youth work application.
  • Must arrive 15 minutes prior to the service starting and stay until dismissed by adult.
  • May not substitute for an adult volunteer but may substitute for another youth.
  • May be supervised by an adult attendant.

 

Guidelines for Nursery Families

  • Nursery is designed for children aged 0-4. (Exceptions made on individual basis.)
  • Nursery is available in both the Infant and Toddler room as staffing permits.
  • Nursery allows the following people in the room: attendants, parents/guardians, nursing mothers and nursery-aged children.
  • Nursery is available at all weekend and holiday services and most midweek classes.

 

Guidelines For Each Service

 

Attendant Arrivals

  • Please arrive 15 minutes before church service starts.
  • Wash your hands.
  • Put on the provided volunteer apron and your name tag.
  • Be sure the sign-in sheet and pen are ready for children’s arrival.
  • Turn on the music in the CD player.
  • Make sure the blinds are open.

 Parent/Child Arrivals & Departures

  • Please welcome each family at arrival.
  • Ask parents to sign-in their children on the attendance sheet.
  • Ask parents to place the child name tag on the child and to take the parent name tag.
  • Provide each visitor a stick-on name tag, asking parents to fill out the tag and sign-in.
  • Ask visiting parents to fill out a registration form. (All parents must fill this out.)
  • Give parents a pager when asked or when a child is a visitor, an infant or fussy.
  • Return child to parent only when the parent tag is presented to claim the child.
  • Ensure each child leaving the room is being taken by a parent at that time.
  • Watch closely for any child trying to leave the room at any time.
  • Lock the door from the outside after each child enters or leaves the room.

Closing the Room

  • Please stay until all the children have been picked up by their parents.
  • Please help close up after the last service.
  • Put away all toys, books, puzzles, etc. left out by children.
  • Put any toy that was put in a child’s mouth into the sink; they will be washed during the week.
  • Vacuum the carpet and sweep the floor.
  • Turn off the music and the CD player.
  • Take sign in sheet after the 10:30am Sunday service and put it in Angela’s mailbox in the workroom by the office.
  • Take out the trash if full or if there is a stinky diaper in it.
  • Turn off the lights.

 

How to Handle:

 

Diaper Changes / Toilet Use

  • Adults only will change diapers and help children in the bathroom.
  • Wear rubber disposable gloves while changing diapers.
  • After each use, disinfect the diaper changing table after every use.
  • Wash hands after every diaper change, toilet use or assisting child to toilet.

Snacks

  • Check the sign-in sheet for snack permission and allergies. Due to the increase of food allergies we will only serve nut free snacks in the nursery, such as goldfish, cheerios and animal crackers.
  • Children under ONE year of age are not usually given snack unless parent permits.
  • Wash hands before serving snack.
  • Make sure all children wash their hands or use the No Rinse Hand Sanitizer.
  • Make sure all children are seated at a table while eating snacks.

Crying Children

  • If a child is crying and does not clam down after 10 minutes, page the parent. If the parent did not take a pager, send a volunteer to get them. Parents may stay with the child in the nursery or may take the child to the cry room for the remainder of the service.

Sick Children

  • We will not accept children who show signs of illness. This includes fever, vomiting, diarrhea or rashes for the 24 hours prior to attending nursery. If a child has already been admitted to the nursery and is exhibiting these symptoms, page the parent.

Injuries, Vomiting, and Potty Training Accidents

  • Use disposable rubber gloves to handle open wounds, vomit or excrement.
  • Wash wound or us Bactine to clean wound. Band-Aids and first-aid equipment is available in all nursery rooms. (First aid kit is available in the right hand cupboard.)
  • Fill out the Nursery Incident “Ouch Report”. Make sure you keep a copy and give one to the parents.
  • In case of illness or severe injury, notify the parents immediately.

 

ALWAYS USE DISPOSABLE GLOVES (Please let us know if there is a Latex Allergy.)