We welcome infants and toddlers and their parents to the Nursery every Sunday morning. The Nursery provides a safe and warm environment for our youngest children, so that parents are free to attend services and adult education programs in the Church.
This explains how the Nursery operates and outlines the policies and procedures that we ask parents to follow:
1. Time and Place. The Nursery is open prior to and until immediately following Sunday services. During the regular church year (September through May), the Nursery is open from 9:00 a.m. until 12:15 p.m. During the summer months and on “special” Sundays (e.g. Easter), the Nursery opens at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled service. Feel free to bring children to the Nursery before services begin or at any time during the service (e.g. after the Time With Children.) Please pick up children within 15 minutes of the close of the service. During First Service (9:30 – 10:30 a.m.) infants and young toddlers are cared for in Room 106 and the Toddlers and Twos Class meets in Room 108. During 11:00 a.m. worship both rooms are used depending on the age of the children present.
2. Staffing. The Nursery is staffed by three employees, all of whom have had significant childcare experience. They are…
Shanti Fernando
Geeta Shivram
Kavita Mangra
All of the Nursery staff members have completed the child protection training that is mandatory for our Church School workers. In addition, parent volunteers assist in the Nursery when additional “hands” are needed and as substitutes for the Nursery staff when necessary. This year, the Church School is offering a separate class for Two Year Olds in Room 108 during the First Service. Toddlers will have the option of moving up into this experience during the year when they turn two, depending on their readiness and comfort level with more structured activities.
3. Drop Off and Beepers. Please come into the Nursery with your child to greet the staff and make sure that a staff member has the necessary information about your child. Complete the sign-in sheet stating the name of your child, your name, and your location in the church (e.g. sanctuary.) We encourage parents to take a “Beeper,” particularly if your child is new to the Nursery, so that you can be discretely summoned if necessary.
4. Diapers. Bring at lease one diaper for your child. There is an emergency supply of diapers if they are needed and there are “wipes” in the changing rooms. Nursery staff periodically will check children to determine if they need a diaper change and children are taken one at a time to the changing station across the hall from the Nursery.
5. Bottles, Sippy Cups, and Snack. Bottles should be brought for infants. Toddlers are served a small snack, which typically consists of crackers and juice or water served in small cups. If a child needs a sippy cup, please bring one. Alert the staff if your child is not to have a snack, particularly if there is a concern about food allergies, or if you have brought an alternative snack for the child.
6. Separation Anxiety and Crying. Many toddlers have trouble separating from their parents. If a child is crying, the staff will defer to you and will not intercede until you have indicated that you are ready to leave. Stay in the Nursery for as long as you feel comfortable before departing. If you child is still crying when you need to leave, bring your child to a staff member and tell her that you are leaving. A staff member almost always can calm a crying child within a few minutes of the parents’ departure (although some will begin crying again when parents reappear to collect them!) Children who cannot be settled within a reasonable time will note be left to “cry it out.” If your child cannot be settled, the staff will beep you to come back to the Nursery (or send someone to the sanctuary or elsewhere to find you.) Parents are always free to stay with their child in the Nursery for as long as they like.
7. Sick Children. Please don’t bring a sick child (fever, vomiting, etc.) to the Nursery. Children should be illness free for 24 hours.
8. Activities. The Nursery is filled with age-appropriate and stimulating toys. Children have the opportunity to work puzzles, “play house,” build with blocks, and play with cars, dollhouses, and balls. We play music and read books.
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If you have questions or suggestions for the Nursery, please contact Cathy Creech, Chair of the Nursery Committee at 202/722-7171 or Lynn Jostes, Church Educator, at 202/363-2202. Other members of the Nursery Committee include Jennifer Mitchell, Marian Lally, and Cindy Walsh, Director of our Weekday Nursery School.