BVAG NURSERY MISSION STATEMENT
The nursery at BVAG is intentional; we are not just babysitters, we
express the love of Christ to all children while implementing the best of care.
Please select the file at the bottom of this page to access the Policies and procedures Manual for printing purposes.
Thanks BVAG Nursery Staff
NURSERY POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
OUR PURPOSE
We recognize the importance of the early years when first impressions of the “church”
are being formed, and we want to make this a positive experience for both you and your
child. Bella Vista Assembly of God and the Nursery Ministry, therefore, will be doing
everything within their means to provide for your child’s physical, emotional, social,
intellectual, and spiritual needs, so that he/she will find coming to church a pleasant
experience.
Our Nursery Ministry is specifically two-fold:
1. It enables parents to participate in Sunday School and church services freely.
2. It exposes even the youngest babies to loving attitudes, actions, and a
Christian atmosphere, which begins to form their spiritual development.
To insure the success of this ministry, the nursery administrative team is committed to the
following:
1. strict adherence to health rules, including cleanliness and space requirements,
2. an environment where babies are happy and comfortable,
3. age-based opportunities for spiritual development.
The nursery policies have been set for the following reasons:
1. to ensure the safety and well-being of the babies,
2. to aid in the consistency and expectations for babies, parents, and workers
3. to prevent any unfortunate misunderstandings or accidents.
NURSERY SCHEDULE
A. NURSERY CLASSES FOR SUNDAY AND WEDNESDAY
We have one large nursery section located on the right as you enter the main
foyer. This large section is divided into two rooms. The age separations are as
follows:
Sunday a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Sunday school, 10:30 a.m. worship
1. Infants to walking located in the back room
2. Walking to four located in the main front room
Sunday p.m. – 6:00 p.m. worship
1. Infants to four located in the main front room
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Wednesday – 7:00 Family Night
1. Infants to four located in the main front room
B. TIME
The nursery is open 15 minutes prior to each service and remains so until 15
minutes following dismissal. If you wish to spend some time at the altar after the
service, please feel free to do so. As soon as you are finished worshipping,
however, please return for your baby. As other babies leave, your baby will begin
to anticipate your arrival. It will also aid workers as they begin to clean the
nursery in preparation for the next service.
During an all-church special event the Nursery Coordinator will specify how
many nurseries will be open. This will depend on the ages and how many
children need care.
COMING TO THE NURSERY
A. WHAT TO BRING WITH YOU:
1. a diaper bag (Your child’s diaper bag ensures that your child receives only
his/her bottle/food and wears only his/her own diaper. This is very important
many children have allergies and sensitivities, even to specific brands of
diapers.)
2. three to five disposable diapers,
3. a plastic bag for wet diapers (if cloth are used),
4. plastic bottles or sippy cup (enough for baby’s stay),
5. a pacifier if he/she is accustomed to one (please include a holder to attach the
pacifier to the child’s clothing),
6. a change of clothing, including undergarments.
7. Please assist us in seeing that your child is fed before registering them.
(Bottle fed babies will be the only exception.)
The diaper bag and all bottles should be labeled with your child’s name. You
may use a waterproof marker and label each item directly or attach a masking tape
label to each. It is a good idea to attach a baby’s pacifier to his/her clothing using
a pacifier holder made specifically for the purpose or with a pin and ribbon.
(Please do not hang around the baby’s neck.)
Please give your child and diaper bag to the worker and register him/her on the
“Check-in-Sheet” along with any special instructions. (There is also a place to
write down your pager number so the nursery attendants may reach you if
needed.) Please report any known allergies on the “Check-in-Sheet”.
C. NURSERY PAGERS
Upon your arrival to the nursery, you will be greeted by a nursery attendant.
The attendant will assign you a pager with a number on it. Your parental pager is
used as a claim check tag. This pager ensures that utmost in safety and protection
for your child. It also helps the greeters and teachers to feel more confident about
releasing a child to adults with whom they may not be familiar with. If you wish
for someone other than yourself to pick up your child, they must have this pager.
Without the return of the pager, your child will not be released from the nursery.
If you have more than one child enrolled in the nursery department at the same
time, the same pager will be used. If he/she needs you, you will be paged
indicating for you to come to the nursery area.
We believe that all crying is communication. If we have tried to comfort your
child through love, talking softly, holding, meeting physical needs, and prayer,
and are still sensing distress, we will immediately page you.
If picking up your child during a service after having been paged, please come
to the half door of the main nursery where you check in your child. (You will
notice that this half door remains locked.) We keep the inside half door locked
for several reasons:
1. Safety – We want to halt anyone from coming in the nursery that has no
business there.
2. Peace – It often causes unsettledness in children when other adults come in
that they do not know, as well as, they start anticipating the arrival of their
own parents which may not be for some time.
3. Cleanliness – Our facilities are regularly cleaned. All of our workers wash
their hands frequently and after changing each child. We want to facilitate
keeping our nurseries as clean and germ free as possible. Therefore, we desire
as little traffic as possible within the nursery other than the children and
attendants.
In essence, no one will be allowed to enter the nursery rooms except approved
workers and children ages 0-4. We offer a nursing mother’s room in the hall
directly across from the nursery. It is the fourth door down, on the right.
When picking up your child at the end of service, please have only one parent
per child, if possible, return for them. This will help cut down on traffic
congestion. At this time, we ask that you return the pager to the attendant.
Infants - Toddlers: Cheerios, infant/toddler fruit puffs, and dissolvable cereal bars
If the bottle or sippy cup of juice/milk is used and the child is still thirsty, we will
fill it up with water. If an infant needs to be fed cereal or baby food, it may
be necessary for the parent to come back and do it at the appropriate time,
depending on how many infants are there and the demands of the day on our
nursery staff.
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Two’s - Fours: Water, goldfish, saltine crackers, animal crackers, graham
crackers, & Cheerios are served as a snack at least once during every service and
often twice.
1. If your child is not feeling well, please keep him/her with you. We cannot
allow children in the nursery if they are sick. We feel that:
a. A child who is sick is best comforted by mom or dad.
b. Well children should not be exposed to sick children.
c. The teacher cannot teach and take care of a sick child at the same time.
NOTE: Our policy will not allow nursery workers to dispense medication to
your children under any circumstances.
2. Please do not bring a child to the nursery that has the following symptoms:
a. a runny nose with discolored mucus,
b. an above normal temperature (over 98.6),
c. an irritating cough that has persisted for more than 48 hours,
d. drainage in the eyes, conjunctivitis, or pink eye,
e. irritability and fever due to immunization in the last 24 hours,
f. undiagnosed rashes or eruptions of unknown origin
g. diarrhea or vomiting within 24 hours,
h. irritability and pulling at ears,
i. parasites such as lice, mites, or ringworms.
What if my child has been sick during the week? According to physicians that we
have spoken with, if a child has been on antibiotics for 24 hours, without fever for
24 hours, and shows no other symptoms, it is considered safe for them to be in a
nursery setting.
STAFFING THE NURSERY
A. PARENTS
We encourage all parents, grandparents, or guardians to volunteer their time for
the nursery. However, we will only put you on the schedule once you have
attended the church for at least three months and have passed a background
check through our church’s office. When you have received your schedule and
you notice a conflicting date you will need to make arrangements to trade
days with someone who is on the list of workers. You will then need to call the
nursery coordinator/assistant coordinator and give the name of the person trading
days with you. (If you cannot find a person to trade with, you may call the
Coordinator/Assistant Coordinator, but we ask that you try to find your own
replacement first.)
It is our goal to have one hired staff person rotating between the two nurseries.
This person will be responsible for arriving 30 minutes prior to service,
preparing the room to receive children, changing diapers, assist teachers, assist the
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Coordinator/Assistant Coordinator as needed, and stay until all children have
been picked up. They will also need to tie up trash bags, vacuum, and carry
out other duties.
Volunteers are a vital part of church ministry and are needed to make any ministry
in the church succeed. We need volunteers to teach, substitute and help with
general caring of children. Volunteers must also pass a background check
through the church office.
WHAT WORKERS ARE NEEDED?
Nursery Coordinator – LaVerne Goodsen (Toddler – Four’s Nursery)
The nursery coordinator is in charge of all the nursery rooms. This person is
responsible for overall planning, for the care of the rooms and materials, and for
recruiting and scheduling workers. The nursery coordinator will manage hired
nursery employees and assist the children’s pastor with duties that apply.
Assistant Nursery Coordinator – Beth Johnson (Infant – Walking Nursery)
This person shall assist the Nursery Coordinator with her responsibilities
Teachers and Assistants
We always have two adults in each nursery at all times.
Nursery teachers and assistants are responsible for meeting the physical needs of
children as well as for teaching through their attitudes, actions, and activities with
the children.
Qualified men are also needed in the nursery. (Married couples seem to be a
great team in the nursery.) Many authorities feel that a baby gets a better start in
life if he/she has both a feminine and masculine influence. Some children do not
have a good male image at home with whom to identify. The nursery can help
meet this need by providing qualified male workers.
WHAT WORKERS ARE NEEDED?
The Nursery Coordinator, teachers, and assistants have the awesome
responsibility of influencing the baby’s first impressions of Jesus, God and the
church. These are not “factual” impressions based on concepts he/she learns, but
rather “feeling” impressions based on what he/she senses. However, these first
experiences affect the lasting impressions the child will have of the church, as
he/she grows older. These impressions are formed primarily through the baby’s
contacts with the nursery worker. In order to ensure good first impressions,
nursery workers should meet the following qualifications:
1. Be a mature, committed Christian with a deep devotion to Christ. The
worker must possess what they profess. Their life will continually reflect
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their relationship with Jesus Christ as they care for the children and minister
to the parents.
2. Be committed to service. Tangible rewards will be few and recognition may
seldom come. The nursery worker must be motivated to serve because of
commitment and a desire to minister to His children.
3. Keep a loving attitude with children. A genuine love for children must
dominate the nursery worker’s attitudes, thoughts, and actions. This will be
reflected through body language and verbal communication. A child senses
whether or not a loving person is caring for them. They will develop a sense
of trust, as they feel secure in the caretaker’s love.
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| Nursery Policies and Procedures | 47.0 KB | PDF Document | 10/27/2009 10:53:24 AM |
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