Nursery

Nursery care is available for children under 3 during the 9:30 service and for children 5 and under during the 11:00 service

Mission statement

The mission of First United Methodist Church childcare is to establish a safe, secure, loving, and nurturing Christian environment for little ones to play and learn in. A child’s first experience of “church” is often in the nursery. Our goal is for the experience to be positive and rewarding for both children and parents. We believe that providing quality childcare is a vital part of our church’s ministry.

Childcare staff

Our childcare staff is experienced and love children. We have assembled a dynamic, diverse group of caregivers to help meet the varying needs of your children. The staff is CPR and First Aid certified. A minimum of two staff members are scheduled for all church services and specific events. We follow licensure rules closely, but we are not a licensed program. This means that YOU CANNOT LEAVE THE BUILDING while you are in the nursery.  

My child’s experience

We provide safe, age-appropriate toys and books, which are sanitized regularly. Older children have access to crayons, paper, art supplies, games, and puzzles. Our changing table, high chairs, and cribs are clean and safe. The nursery is also equipped with a fenced-in outdoor playground with age-appropriate equipment for outdoor fun. 

Snacks

Snacks are served if needed or if a child is in the nursery for more than 90 minutes. Parents are more than welcome to provide their children with a snack. Please inform the caregivers if your child needs a bottle or a snack at other times. Inform caregivers about any allergies your child might have.

Parents as partners

Your children will be welcomed into the nursery by a childcare staff member. If needed, we are available to help your child transition to the nursery as easily as possible. Please sign your child in by filling out all of the information on the sign-in sheet. We need the child’s name and age. Please make note of special comforts, blankets, pacifiers, bottles, etc. Make the caregiver aware of any allergies or health issues. LABEL EVERYTHING! Including your child! We CANNOT let a child go with anyone except the person who signed them in unless prior instruction has been given by the person dropping off. We encourage parents to remain outside of the gate when dropping off. This is a matter of safety for the children.

What to bring

Change of clothes, 2 diapers, bottle/sip cup, security items, special comfort items, and a special snack if needed. 

Healthy and Happy  

As a childcare facility, we provide care for many different children which leads to many different germs. We are diligent in our efforts to keep the nursery as clean and healthy as possible.

Health Care Procedures

We request that parents keep their children out of the nursery if they exhibit any of the following symptoms within the last 24 hours. The following list is NOT all-inclusive but are general guidelines:
*Fever
*Green/colored runny nose
*Questionable rash
*Coughing
*Diarrhea
*Conjunctivitis (pink eye)
*Sore throat
*Open sores
*Chicken Pox
*Persistent biting

If a caregiver suspects any of these conditions, you will be asked to pick up your child immediately. If your child demonstrates or is diagnosed with a childhood disease (Measles, Mumps, Chicken Pox, Pink eye, etc.) after being in the nursery within the previous week, please notify the Childcare Coordinator immediately. This allows us to notify other parents of children and staff regarding potential health issues. When a child is on antibiotics, he/she should be on the medication for a minimum of 24 hours prior to attending childcare.