STAFF AND VOLUNTEER EXPECTATIONS

All children’s ministry staff and volunteers share a particular responsibility for:

Loving the children as Christ loves them.

Setting an example of proper Christian conduct in the way we live our lives.

Ministering to the children.

Understanding that the care of children is not a right, but a privilege; and this privilege embodies responsibilities to God for ministering to and caring for the children.

CHILD PROTECTION 

Our first concern is that children be safe while they are in our care. To this end we:

Perform background checks on all children’s ministry volunteers.

Ensure that all children’s ministry volunteers are members at New City Church.

Perform background checks on all full-time church staff, regardless of whether or not they have direct contact with children.

Require training for all children’s ministry volunteers.

Employ scheduling procedures and volunteer/child ratios that optimize safety.

Equip each room with a first aid kit.

Educate our staff and volunteers to recognize suspected child abuse, require them to understand and follow any applicable reporting laws, and encourage them to report suspected abuse to church leadership.

Adhere to a healthy child policy for admittance to children’s ministry.

Adhere to a two-volunteer room policy whenever possible.

Equip our volunteers to know how to evacuate children safely in case of an emergency.

CHECK-IN PROCEDURES

Children will be checked in through Planning Center. Please see a church staff member for more information. 

Parents must remain on the church premises while their child is checked-in to childcare.

CHECK-OUT PROCEDURES

Children will be brought back to the worship gathering and delivered to their parents by our two City Kids volunteers. 

GENERAL CLASSROOM SECURITY

City Kids volunteers will wear t-shirts with the City Kids logo at all times.

All classrooms are staffed by a team of two or more volunteers. Under no circumstances is a child to be left in a classroom or anywhere unattended. A parent must stay with a child until a teacher arrives.

One adult should never be alone with a child in a classroom. Children should always be in the presence of two unrelated adults.

Head counts of all children should be made whenever the class or portion of the class leaves the classroom for any reason (including restroom trips). 

Ministry volunteers should never take photographs of children and post them online.

SICKNESS POLICY

Parents are asked not to bring their child to a City Kids class if one of the following conditions exists:

Temperature of 100 degrees or higher within the last 24 hours 

Vomiting

Diarrhea

Severe Coughing

Colored nasal drainage

Pink eye

Head lice

Undiagnosed rash

Open skin lesions

Any infectious disease

If a child shows signs of sickness (including but not limited to, all of the listed above, service coordinators should contact the parents and ask that the child be removed from the kid’s ministry area.

FOOD POLICIES

A snack will be served to children one year old and up.

It is the responsibility of the volunteers to check each child’s Planning Center profile for allergies. 

RESTROOM AND DIAPER POLICY

0 Months through 2 Years Old:

Parents of children with dirty diapers are asked to change their children prior to signing them into the classroom. Volunteers will change diapers at least once or as needed during service. Both men and women are allowed to change diapers. Diapers must be changed in the presence of at least on other adult.  

2 Years Old through Pre-K:

Parents should take their children to the restroom prior to signing them into a class.

At check-in, parents should let volunteers know if their child is potty training. In the event that a child needs to use the restroom 1 volunteer from the classroom and the flex volunteer sitting in church will take the child to the restroom. The volunteers should wait outside the closed restroom door unless the child requires assistance (which will be done by whichever volunteer the child is most comfortable with). The child and volunteer must wash their hands with soap and water or hand sanitizer before returning to the classroom. 

*A note on flex volunteer: A flex volunteer is a person who is sitting in the worship service in the back and is available to accompany children and a volunteer from the classroom to the restroom. If there are 2 female volunteers in the classroom, a male flex volunteer will be available for restroom breaks to prevent females from having to enter the men’s restroom and prevents boys from having to use the women’s if they aren’t comfortable doing so. The flex volunteer will also be a substitute in the event a volunteer can’t fulfill their duties for that Sunday. 

SANITATION & HYGIENE

Wash hands before and after any contact with bodily fluids, including wiping noses, changing diapers, cleaning vomit, and treating a blood spill.

Always wear disposable gloves when dealing with any bodily fluids.

Treat all soiled clothing as potential infectious agents.

Remove toys that children have mouthed from the general play area. Set aside to be sanitized.

At the end of the gathering, disinfect the room with Lysol disinfectant spray.

APPROPRIATE DISCIPLINE

All children’s ministry volunteers are responsible for providing a loving, respectful, and orderly atmosphere in which children can learn, play, and interact with others. This atmosphere should be maintained by preparing beforehand, proactively directing children towards acceptable activities, verbally encouraging positive behavior, and, when necessary, correcting or redirecting inappropriate behavior.

Acceptable means of redirecting inappropriate behavior may include correcting the child verbally, withholding a certain privilege or activity for a brief time, or separating a child from the situation or problem for a brief time (particularly if his behavior is endangering or upsetting other children). During the correction, a child should never be removed from the classroom. Correction should be discrete; in the classroom (not in the hallway); and never outside of the sight of others.

Steps of correction might include (depending on the age of the child): 

Removing the child from the situation or problem; 

Pointing out the problematic behavior; talking to the child about his/her sin and need for Christ; 

Praying with the child and redirecting to a new activity; 

Helping the child to reconcile with the offended children when appropriate. Volunteers should view misbehavior as an opportunity to introduce children to the gospel.

Children’s ministry volunteers and staff members are strictly prohibited from using any form of corporal punishment such as slapping, kicking, punching, spanking, or hitting. They should never speak harsh words, insults, belittling comments, threatening words, or any other verbal humiliation to children.

If a child’s behavior is uncontrollable or the child does not respond to the acceptable means of discipline indicated above, a volunteer should call the parents. If the child assaults, harasses or bullies other children, misbehaves beyond minor correction, or has a pattern of misbehavior, the parents should be immediately called so the child can be removed. Volunteers are allowed to physically restrain a child if he/she is physically endangering other children. Please report any of these problems (as well as the appropriate response taken to deal with the behavior) to the Children’s Ministry Director. Once a child is removed from children’s ministry, reinstatement is possible at the determination of the Children’s Ministry Director. A child may be reinstated if the risk of re-offense has been adequately reduced.

PHYSICAL TOUCH POLICY

Volunteer-to-Child:

While appropriate physical contact with children can be an effective means of aiding in communication, redirecting attention, calming restlessness, or showing godly love and care, it can also be misinterpreted. Particularly in our interaction with children, we want to be blameless and above reproach. The following will help workers to avoid any compromise or concerns in the area.

Always remain in open sight of other adults.

Appropriate touch is positive physical contact that nurtures children and develops a sense of emotional security and maturity in their interactions with adults. Appropriate touch is applied to meet the needs of children and not the adults.

Appropriate physical contact will vary according to the age of the child. What is appropriate for nursery children (holding, rocking, sitting on laps, etc.) will not be appropriate for grade school children. 

Inappropriate touch involves but is not limited to coercion or other forms of physical contact which exploits the child’s lack of knowledge, satisfies adult physical needs at the expense of the child, violates laws against sexual or physical contact between adult and child, and any attempt to modify child behavior with physical force.

Sitting on laps is only appropriate for ages 0 to 4.  

In general, all volunteers will work to limit physical contact to only what is necessary. For example, using appropriate physical contact to console an upset child. 

Volunteers should refrain from rough-housing, wrestling, shoulder or piggyback rides, rubbing, massaging, or any physical activity that might make a child feel unsafe or uncomfortable.

Only touch children in “ safe” areas and for a brief time. “Safe” areas generally include hands, arms, shoulders, upper back, or gentle pats on the top of the head. Never touch a child on or near any region that is private or personal, unless when necessary while assisting in a diaper change or restroom visit.

Never touch a child out of frustration or anger. Physical discipline is not an appropriate means of correcting someone else’s child.

SECURITY AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE

Emergency Situations 

In emergency situations, if appropriate, 911 will be called to secure help and/or a volunteer will be used to summon staff and other volunteers to the children’s ministry area to assist with the emergency.

Accidents, First Aid, and Medical Emergencies

All classrooms are equipped with basic first aid kits. In the event of life-threatening injury or illness, emergency medical services will be called and parents should be located and informed immediately. Volunteers should complete an Accident Report Form for all injuries, whether major or minor, prior to leaving the premises on the day of the accident. Depending on the severity of the situation, someone may also call 911.