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The Nursery at Berean Baptist Church:
A Volunteer's Guide


Nursery Coordinators
Russ & Carol Reed and Joe & Sharon Mollica


THANK YOU!

You are a vital part of the ministry at Berean. We appreciate the time, love and energy you give to ensure the children have an enjoyable and safe experience at our church.

The nursery is often the first exposure visitors get to our church family and we want them to be impressed by our cleanliness, cheerfulness and professionalism.


Our GOAL is to create a safe, healthy and loving environment in our nursery. The following guidelines will help you accomplish this important task.

ROOM ASSIGNMENTS

During the second service we will open a third room. The BUNNIES room will be for 0-10 months, the CATERPILLARS room for 11-20 months and the TADPOLES room for 21-30 months.
The first and third services will use only the two rooms, combining the BUNNIES in the CATERPILLARS room.
Wednesday nights all nursery kids will be in the TADPOLES room.

NURSERY PARENTS

Nursery parents attend each week, like a Sunday school teacher. They will assist the other volunteers in the three rooms and will read a Bible story to the toddlers during snack time.

GRADUATION

BUNNIES and CATERPILLARS can be moved to the next room up when their birthdays match the age range.
However, TADPOLES meeting the requirements listed below will be moved to the TURTLES Sunday school class downstairs in March.
[1] AGE: must be over 30 months old
[2] READINESS: must show ability to focus on teacher throughout the short story time, and follow activities with the rest of the class. The nursery parents in consultation with the child's parents will determine readiness.

VOLUNTEER SCHEDULING

The nursery year runs from September 2003 through August 2004. A schedule is posted in each nursery room and has been sent to all the workers. Mark your days on your kitchen calendar so you won't forget! You will also receive reminder calls from the nursery shepherds.

If you can't make your scheduled time:
FIRST: Call someone on the schedule to switch with you. SECOND: Call the subs listed on your schedule. THIRD: Call the nursery shepherds.

Please arrive 15 minutes before your service. This allows your team members to be relieved and fulfill other obligations. It also allows parents in other aspects of ministry to drop off their children in time.

Plan ahead to wear appropriate clothing. Sign in at the volunteer notebook. If you are subbing for someone please indicate who you are subbing for in parentheses. Put on an apron and remove shoes or put on shoe covers, (no bare feet, please)! Find your photo ID card in the box and clip it on.

VOLUNTEER PROCEDURES


* Greet the children and their parents when they come in.
[1] Direct parents to register at the dri-erase board.
[2] First time visitors should fill out a registration sheet.
[3] Pin the matching number on the back of the baby's clothes and on the diaper bag. Give the number card to the parent.
[4] Place a Parents' Guide into the diaper bags of first-time visitors.

* Clean your hands before and after changing each diaper as well as before and after feeding a child.
You can use the sink in the bathroom or the waterless sanitizer dispensers. Check diapers by feeling the outside for heaviness. Gloves are provided if you prefer to use them when changing diapers. Wipe the changing table with disinfectant after each diaper change.

* Place used crib sheets in the laundry sack on the wall.
Wipe the mattress and bed frame with the disinfectant wipes but leave it unmade. For cleanliness' sake, cribs should only be made on an as needed basis.

* Use the time in the nursery to minister to the children.
Play, sing songs and interact with them.

* Any toys used by a child should be put in the proper basket at the end of the service. These toys are disinfected in the dishwasher by the coordinator each week. You do not have to wash the toys. Do not allow a toy to go from one child's mouth to another child.

* Never leave the children alone.
They must be supervised at all times.

* Do not remove a child from the nursery, even to look for a parent. Contact parents by placing the number of their child (cards are in the sound room) on the parent notification board in the sanctuary, or by sending one of the volunteers to their Sunday school class.

* Keep a joyful spirit at all times.
Your attitude speaks volumes to the child and the parents.

* Fill out Care Sheets.
Even when busy, do your best to inform a parent how their child was cared for that day. Parents greatly appreciate this information.

* Save nursery clothes for re-use.
The shoe covers and aprons are washable. Please do not discard them, but place them in the dirty laundry bag in the crib room when finished.

* ONLY GIVE A CHILD TO THE PERSON WITH THE CORRECT NUMBER TAG. ABSOLUTELY NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO PICK UP A CHILD WITHOUT HIS OR HER NUMBER CARD.
Even if a child recognizes the adult, he or she may not be the custodial parent. Enforce this rule even if it means the adult has to leave to get the card they left elsewhere.

* Close down at the end of each service.
Refer to the volunteer notebook for a list of cleaning and administration duties that will help us run the nursery more efficiently and help us attain our goals of safety and health.

SIGNS OF ILLNESS

NO CHILD IS ALLOWED IN THE NURSERY IF SIGNS OF ILLNESS ARE EVIDENT. If these signs appear while the child is in the nursery, contact the parent so that they may remove the child. It is your responsibility to strictly enforce this policy. This is the area where most nurseries fail-- let us serve all our children safely and with integrity.

The signs of illness are:
  • Unusual fatigue or irritability
  • Coughing, sneezing, runny nose and eyes.
  • Fever of 101 degrees or higher.
  • Vomiting or diarrhea.
  • Inflamed mouth and throat.

The Parents' Guide includes incubation and contagion information on common childhood illnesses. Refer to these as needed.

Sometimes a runny nose may be due to allergies. Therefore, our policy states that children are not allowed in the nursery if [1] the fluid is discolored or if [2] a clear fluid is joined with any other sign of illness listed above.

Emergency number for need of helpers is 000.

If there is a need for more volunteers because of absent help or an abundance of children, post the green triple 000 card (found with the other number cards in the old sound room. The number cards for contacting parents are also stacked on the same counter in this room in numerical order.

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