Resuming Preschool

The goals of FBC’s Preschool Ministry are: 
To love little children for who they are
To model Christ’s love for little children
To teach little children in a manner that speaks to their needs and abilities
To include little children in God’s kingdom work
To help parents pass our faith onto their little children

As FBC looks to restarting on-site Sunday morning Preschool Ministry activities at some point this fall, two things are certain: 1) The goals of the Preschool Ministry will not change. 2) Some of the methods by which we achieve those goals will have to change in light of the pandemic and guidelines as put forth by the CDC and MS Department of Health.

Here is a list of who will be needed:

Preschool Rotation Volunteers: This group of individuals serves on a quarterly rotation usually 1-2 times per quarter. They care for and teach a simple lesson during one of the worship service times. These simple lessons do not require any advance preparation but are laid out and ready to go. Pick them up from the Preschool Welcome Desk.

Sunday School Teachers: This group serves during the 9:45 am Sunday school. They are responsible for preparing and teaching a Bible story lesson for their individual class of children.

Check-in assistants: will take temperatures of children and will help to check in families at iPad stations.

Here are some of the changes that will be coming and that you will need to be aware of if you are a parent, grandparent, or guardian of a preschool child. A more detailed list will be sent out to parents of preschoolers closer to the restart date.

Volunteer Needs: The Preschool Department will need a small army of volunteers. Because of CDC recommendations for high-risk groups, many of the volunteers the Preschool Ministry has heavily relied on in the past are not able to continue their service this fall.

As such, all parents of preschoolers will be expected to volunteer on Sunday mornings at least one hour a month. When we have enough volunteers in place, our Sunday morning program will more closely resemble what it looked like before Covid-19 regulations.

Gradual start to Preschool Ministries: Preschool ministry activities will begin at some point this fall with worship care for preschoolers (Babies-4s) during the 8:30 am worship service only.

Health policy: If a child or child’s family member tests positive for Covid-19, they will be asked to remain at home from church activities for a minimum of two weeks. All volunteers and children will have their temperatures taken before entering the Preschool Department. No one with a fever over 100 degrees will be admitted.

Check-in: One designated person will check in all families and give them their labels. The number of people allowed into the Preschool Department will be very limited. Siblings, family friends, etc. will be asked to wait in the foyer.

Masks: Will be worn by all adult volunteers but not by preschool children.

Child’s Personal Items: We will ask that children’s personal items (sippy cups, personal toys, large diaper bags) remain at home. 

Limited Resources: Toy resources will be limited in classrooms. We will still have what is needed to teach our Bible story lessons, but we will focus on simplifying and doing more targeted teaching activities. 

Social Distancing: Preschoolers by their very nature don’t social distance! And we can’t care for them adequately if we do, so it won’t be an emphasis in Preschool Ministry.

Classroom Logistics: Individual preschool classes will be limited to 8 children with 2 adults. Serving of snacks will be suspended for several months.

Sunday Morning Pre-registration: When Community Groups begin again, we will ask church members to register their preschool child for a specific worship service. This will help us to more effectively set up classes with adequate volunteers.

Cleaning: Will be on-going all Sunday morning and long after our Sunday ends. We will continually wipe down hard surfaces and toys, and we will help little ones to frequently wash and sanitize their hands.

It is going to take a joint effort between Preschool Ministries and parents to make sure that our preschool children are able to learn and grow in a safe and healthy environment.