Childcare Guidelines 2022-2023

 

Childcare is available on a limited basis for your little ones in the church nursery. Young infants are welcome to stay with their mothers during the General Monthly Meetings, provided they are not disruptive.

 

Morning MOMS Meetings

We do not require reservations for childcare during our morning meetings. However, childcare is first come first served and once the nursery is full we cannot admit more children.  So we encourage you to sign up with jotform provided monthly in the newsletter so we can plan accordingly.  Two childcare workers will be on duty which will allow up to 24 children to be in the nursery. We recommend arriving 15 minutes early. The charge for child care, regardless of the number of children, is $5. Please sign in with the church’s nursery sign-in sheet and the MOMS sign in sheet. You will be provided with the QR code at drop off to pay for childcare that day and then please check the box on the MOMS sign-in sheet indicating that you have paid. 

 

Guidelines for Morning Childcare

What to bring for your child in childcare:

• Stroller if your child is not yet walking

• Lovey or stuffed animal if they would like

• Diapers, wipes and change of clothing (if necessary)

• Bottle or sippy cup

• Snack *please see snack/food policy

 

*Please label everything, including diapers.

 

Instructions for Check-In:

Nursery check-in begins at 9:15 am. Please pick up your children promptly after the meeting ends.

 

• Childcare Workers: Childcare workers who are scheduled to work have completed the Safe Environment training requirements promulgated by the Diocese, and have been cleared as paid workers within the St. Francis Community. In addition to the childcare workers, the nursery may have other volunteers working, such as other moms. Volunteer mothers must also be Safe Environment cleared through the parish office. It is an individual decision for each mother whether she is comfortable leaving her child(ren) in the nursery. If a specific incident comes up, please notify Ashley Mejia or Laura Kate Bishop. Please do not take it up with the nursery workers at the time because: A) You may not know the entire situation, and/or B) It would distract them from the other children.

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• Please evaluate the appropriateness of our childcare arrangements for your child. Some children need more personal attention than our arrangement can provide. Mothers of inconsolable children will be called to the nursery after 20 minutes. You may try to comfort the child in the nursery and, if successful, return to the meeting. If not, you should be prepared to leave the meeting and try again next month. Please do not repeatedly re-enter the nursery as it may upset the other children.

 

• Health of Children: If your child exhibits any signs of being ill (fever, runny nose, cough, diarrhea, etc.), please do not place the child in the nursery. Children recovering from illness must be free of symptoms for 24 hours prior to the meeting.

 

• Please check your child’s diaper before dropping them off. Leave clean diapers in case a change is needed, labeled with your child’s name. If nursery staff deems it necessary, you may be paged to come to the nursery and change your child’s diaper.

 

• Snack/Food Policy - You may bring a snack from home for your child. Please label it clearly. No nuts or nut products are allowed! At sign-in, please alert the workers to any pertinent allergies. Bottles and sippy cups are permitted provided they are clearly labeled. If there is a specific time for a bottle to be given, please hand the worker a written note with this information. Clearly label all items with your child’s first AND last names.  Small cups of water are served at snack time or when a child asks for a drink.

 

• Children will be returned only to the mother who signed them in. It is suggested that no more than 2 moms be in the checkout area at a time. The rest of the mothers should wait outside and out of view for their turn. This is because children can only be released one at a time. It is very hard on your child if they see you but can’t get to you because we are releasing other children. If the children will be picked up by the father or another guardian, please provide that name and approximate time to the childcare workers when you drop off.

 

• Videos may be shown in the nursery. Since many of the children in the nursery are very young the videos will be age-appropriate.

 

Evening MOMS Meetings

 

Evening childcare is provided by St. Francis free of charge. However, the nursery is open to the parish, not exclusively for MOMS. Therefore space is very limited! If you require childcare in the evening, we strongly encourage you to arrive early. You cannot make advance reservations for evening childcare. It is space available only, first come first served.  So we encourage you to sign up with jotform provided monthly in the newsletter so we can plan accordingly.

 

Payment : If QR code will not process invoicing is available.