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:

1. Thoroughly wash their hands prior to caring for your child and after each diaper change.
2. Disinfect the changing table after each diaper change.
3. 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!