Purpose: To allow for a quiet, uninterrupted, worshipful
atmosphere in the sanctuary for worship services, we have provided a
bright, cheerful, safe environment for your infants, crawlers, and
toddlers. Tender, loving care in the form of books, hugs, songs,
play, and rocking children are just a few of the services available.
The following Policies and Procedures are for the benefit of your child as well as the other children.
Staff
MCBC has a Nursery Coordinator who oversees all aspects of the
nursery. We also have Team Leaders who assist the Nursery
Coordinator in her duties. The caregivers of the children include
the Nursery Coordinator, Team Leaders, and volunteers. The church
approves all individuals working in the nursery by having adult workers
go through a “screening” process.
Eligible Children
Only children three years old and under are allowed in the
nursery. The exceptions to this are children who may have
“special needs” or during special services. We currently have
separate nurseries for crawlers and toddlers. Babies and children
just learning to walk are placed in the crawler room. Children
who are walking are placed in the toddler room.
Illnesses
Please keep your children home until they are free from illness.
Children with fever, questionable rashes, persistent cough, green or
yellow runny nose, vomiting, open sores, diarrhea, or other contagious
illnesses will NOT be permitted in the nursery. This is to keep
the other children free from illness.
If your child has had a fever, we ask that he/she be fever-free without
being on fever-reducing medicine for at least 24 hours prior to being
brought to the nursery.
If your child is taking an antibiotic, we require they be on it a
minimum of 24 hours before being brought to the nursery. The
nursery staff is not allowed to administer medications.
If, after checking your child into the nursery, one of the above is
observed in your child, you will be notified and asked to pick up your
child from the nursery. This will help keep the rest of the
children, as well as the staff, healthy. This is the same
courtesy you would wish another parent of a sick child to observe.
Belongings
Parents are to bring a diaper bag with diapers, etc., for their
child. The nursery will not provide your child with diapers on a
regular basis. We encourage you to bring a spare change of
clothing as well. Please label all of your child’s belongings,
i.e. diaper bag, bottle, cup, pacifier, etc. Favorite blankets
are VERY welcome; however, personal toys are discouraged to avoid them
being mixed in with other toys.
Delivery of Children
To avoid confusion and to keep the rooms as sanitary as possible,
parents are encouraged to stay out of the nursery area. As you
check your child in at the desk, the caregiver will pass your child to
the Team Leader or another caregiver or the child will enter through
the “tunnel” under the check-in desk. You will be given a pager
that we will use to alert you if we need you for any reason. The
pager will need to be returned when you pick up your child.
Parental Involvement
Parents of the children are encouraged not to stay with their child in
the nursery. The children seem to adjust much more easily with a
quick departure on the parent’s part. If your child is known to
cry at length, please write this on the check-in sheet; otherwise, if
your child is not consoled within fifteen minutes, we will page or
notify you.
We will require mothers using the nursery, who are regular attendees of
our church, to serve in the nursery on a rotating basis. This
will give you hands-on insight into our nursery and its function.
Foods
A snack will be given with your permission. PLEASE be sure you
note any food allergies on the check-in sheet. If a bottle needs
to be given or if you prefer that the child eat a snack that you
provide, please indicate this on the check-in sheet.
Checking On Children
Opening the door often disrupts and upsets the children in the
nursery. A two-way glass window on each nursery door allows you
to check on your child at any time.
Behavioral Problems
A caregiver will give no physical discipline. If your child
becomes disruptive, the caregiver will instruct the child on the
appropriate way to behave. If your child continues to be
disruptive, the child will be removed from the situation.
However, if your child exhibits persistent biting or hitting or other
behaviors harmful to the other children, you will be notified and your
child will be removed from the nursery and not be permitted back into
the nursery until such behavior is corrected at home. This is to
allow for a harm-free environment for ALL children.
Picking Up Children
Please pick up your child, or children, promptly after the church
services. This will allow our nursery staff to prepare the
nursery for the next session. The Team Leader will be the one to
release the children. For safety and security reasons, we will
not release a child to a sibling or to someone other than the parent
unless the parent has given us permission to do so. The pager
must be returned when the child is picked up.
Before leaving the nursery area, check to see that the identification
(ID) tag has been removed from both your child and diaper bag.
Return any ID tags to the nursery worker. Be sure your child has
all of his/her belongings.
General Information
All workers will be well informed of the rules and policies of MCBC’s Nursery.
There will be a team of at least two or three workers in the nursery
for Early Church and five or more workers in the nursery for Late
Church. Wednesday Prayer Service will have two or more
caregivers. Of these workers, one adult will be in charge.
Any concerns, questions, comments, or suggestions need to be directed
to the Nursery Coordinator. She will frequent the nursery and
oversee its operational use.
There is a Sleeping Room located off the Crawler Nursery. We have
cribs and a swing in this room for the little ones. We also have
a baby monitor so that we can monitor any sleeping babies.
Nursing mothers can use the Nursing Mothers’/Sleeping Room to feed their babies.
Dads, moms, or others simply needing to change their baby’s diaper may use one of our diaper changing areas in either nursery.
In regards to diaper changing and toilet training, workers are to:
- Thoroughly wash their hands prior to caring for your child and after each diaper change.
- Disinfect the changing table after each diaper change.
- Make sure that children using the restroom wash their hands after each restroom use.
We
want you to be free of worry when you leave your precious little one in
our care. Please give suggestions at any time. We want this
to be the best possible nursery and to honor God in all ways!
Thank you for entrusting your little ones to our care and allowing us
to minister to your family in this way!
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