Ave Maria Catholic Church

9056 E Parker Road, Parker, CO 80138
Office 303.841.3750 | Fax 303.841.2412

Guidelines, Polices, and Procedures for Childcare Providers in the Parish Nursery

Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Qualifications
  3. Duties
    1. Supplies
    2. Sessions
    3. Christian Nurture
    4. Situations
    5. Personal Duties
    6. Replacements
    7. Procedural Precautions

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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Please accept my congratulations and sincere gratitude for your decision to assist the Ave María Catholic Church and parish community by sharing and/or volunteering your time, talent, and skills in the Parish’s Nursery. As you will soon read in the attached parish-level handout, concerning our established Nursery Childcare Providers Program, it is a vibrant, worthwhile, and tremendous ministry that directly affects the quality of our faith community’s life. Please know that I, our parochial vicar, and the Coordinator of Volunteers are available to assist you and answer any questions you may have or receive your comments/ suggestions. May God bless you abundantly in this ministry at the service of Our Lord, His Children, and His People.

Respectfully Yours in Christ,

Fr. Don Brownstein
Pastor

Introduction

The Ave Maria Catholic Church provides a nursery on-premises (in the church’s office area) for children of registered parishioners needing childcare while their parents/family participate in the Mass; periodic training sessions; religious education or formation classes; etc. In doing so, the mission of the parish’s nursery is to: provide a safe, nurturing environment in which young children are introduced to the love and grace of Jesus Christ—love God and love neighbor. The goal and objective of the parish’s nursery is to complement the child’s on-going parental efforts and encourage them in their learning of God’s truths. Parents are given a sheet of general information and guidelines concerning nursery operations and their obligations and responsibilities. Please refer Attachment #2 of this handbook for a copy of this sheet. Our nursery room is designed primarily for children from newborn to age 5 (for Masses and other liturgies) and newborn to age 12 (for other church functions).
The nursery's capacity limit is 15 children, plus 2 or 3 adult providers.

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Qualifications of a Nursery Childcare Provider

The preferred character, education, experience, physical demands, knowledge, skills, and abilities of the parish childcare provider include, but are not limited to:

  1. Background experience in child care or early childhood development (desirable and preferred).
  2. Must be a nurturing, caring, and patient caregiver who enjoys working with young children.
  3. Has a genuine love and appreciation for children.
  4. Has a friendly and cheerful demeanor.
  5. Is a dependable and flexible person.
  6. Has good communication skills and displays common sense, patience, good judgment, and an ability to work well with children and parents/guardians.
  7. Knowledgeable of current methods, skills, and principles appropriate to child care (e.g., appropriate arts and crafts, games, storytelling, etc).
  8. Shall be able to stand; walk; sit; use/reach with hands and arms; stoop; kneel, crouch, or crawl; talk and hear.
  9. Able to lift and/or move up to 30 pounds.
  10. Possesses a current CPR and First Aid certification.
  11. Must be 21 years of age or older; with a high school diploma or GED.
  12. Must submit to a background check and attend required diocese and parish-level Child-Safety training.
  13. Possesses a desire and willingness to grow in their personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

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Duties & Responsiblities of a Childcare Provider

Essential job duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

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Childcare Room & Supplies

  1. Arrive and prepare the parish nursery at least 15 minutes before a scheduled event (e.g., turn on lights; etc).
  2. Clean room and sanitize toys thoroughly upon completion of childcare session.
  3. Report all supply needs and repairs to the Volunteer of Coordinators (verbally or in writing).
  4. Immediately report any safety hazards found in the nursery room to the Volunteer of Coordinators (verbally or in writing).
  5. Ensure all unused electrical outlets are plugged with safety caps.
  6. When not in use, keep all chemicals locked in cabinets or kept well out of the reach of children.
  7. Ensure televisions, VCRs, etc., are secured to the wall, shelf, etc.
  8. Ensure bookshelves are secured to solid walls.
  9. Ensure floors are swept, mopped, and/or vacuumed daily.
  10. Ensure the installed smoke detector is operational and an updated fire extinguisher (in or near the nursery) is available in the event of an emergency.

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Childcare Sessions - General

  1. Welcome and greet parent(s) and children in a friendly manner and assure each child is properly checked-in.
  2. Check diaper bags and other belongings to insure that they are properly identified with the respective child’s name.
  3. Check diaper change needs frequently.
  4. Interact with children – read, play, hold, comfort – create a loving Christ-like environment, where each child is comfortable, safe, and welcomed.
  5. Communicate child’s activities to the parents and follow proper check-out procedures.
  6. Demonstrate good judgment in various situations that impact the well-being of each child.

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Christian Child Nurture

  1. During worship services, special events, and selected regular weekly programs, interact and play with the children, if/as needed.
  2. Pray with and for the children during their time in the nursery, particularly at meal/snack times.
  3. Follow the scheduled plan for the time children spend in the nursery to include, but not limited to: prayer, Bible storytelling; Bible songs; and Bible-peculiar crafts – all of which will relate to and reinforce their young faith formation needs.

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Periodic Situations

  1. Handle emergency situations properly as outlined in this handbook and in the parish’s Emergency Response Procedures (red) book.
  2. Attend CPR/First Aid training sessions, as needed, to obtain and maintain current certifications. Documentation of initial and recurring certification training/classes are to be provided to the Coordinator of Volunteers for record keeping purposes.
  3. Change diapers for infants (through 30 months of age), as needed.
  4. Page parents for all potty training children (30 months or older) who need assistance at the toilet. Childcare providers are not to assist in the toilet area activities (e.g., dressing and/or undressing; lifting the child on/off the toilet; wiping bodily parts clean; etc).
  5. Page parent of crying children:
    0-12 months – after 3 minutes
    13-30 months – after 5 minutes
    31 months and older – after 10 minutes
  6. Complete incident reports (including minor events i.e. falls, inappropriate behavior), and submit report to the Coordinator of Volunteers and Parent(s) of all children involved. Incident reports of major events (incident outlined in the Emergency Response Procedures book) will be submitted to the Coordinator of Volunteers and the Pastor.
  7. On occasion, a church coordinator or parent may contact the Coordinator of Volunteers to attempt to arrange for a specific childcare provider to be working in the nursery during an event/activity. Such requests for ―by-name‖ providers will not, in any way, affect the scheduling of providers in the nursery.

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Personal Duties & Responsibilities

As the parish nursery childcare provider, you are expected to:

  1. Ensure the sign-in/out sheet is used.
  2. Ensure all children are dropped off/picked up by a parent or legal guardian.
  3. Ensure a Child Care Agreement has been signed by parent(s) or legal guardians (and is on file with the Coordinator of Volunteers). (See Attachment #3 for a Sample Child Care Agreement)
  4. Offer and provide for the emotion, physical, and social needs of young children (of registered parish families) during the time they are in the parish’s nursery.
  5. Interact with the children and encourage their involvement in
  6. scheduled activities.
  7. Prepare and maintain a warm, safe environment that is orderly, clean, and appealing.
  8. Establish, foster, and maintain good communications and be sensitive and responsible with the children, parents/ guardians, and the pastoral and parish staff.
  9. Read, understand, and follow the parish’s published nursery policy and procedures.
  10. Be on-site (physically in the nursery or approved location) for the entire time you are scheduled. If children are taken to the playground or another approved location, a sign must be posted on the nursery door denoting your location and anticipated time of return.
  11. Comply with the Employee Guidelines for Parish Employees and the Sexual Misconduct Policy of the Diocese of Colorado Springs.
  12. Refrain from discussions and/or contractual work (occurring off-premises and/or involving your private childcare provider services outside the Ave Maria Catholic Church) while working in the nursery. In such instances, the childcare provider is instructed to provide such individuals with their private home or cell telephone numbers and ask them to discuss the matter outside of your designated work hours and the church.
  13. Refrain from providing childcare services for children in the nursery who are not associated with church activities and/or whose care is as a result of a private contractual obligation of which you are an involved party.

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Finding a Suitable Replacement

All scheduled shifts must be documented on the Nursery Calendar. In the event you are unable to participate in nursery childcare during a scheduled event, you must arrange for a suitably and cleared parish substitute to work for you. Substitute information must be written on the Nursery Calendar. You must notify the Coordinator of Volunteers at least 24 hours in advance, if possible, of such absences and the name(s) of the substitutes. Note: At the discretion of the Coordinator of Volunteers, if the proposed replacement is not suitably training or cleared, you may be directed to find another replacement.

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Procedural Precautions

  1. Never leave a baby unattended on a bed, table, or other surface the baby could roll off.
  2. Make sure children can’t get small objects they can choke on.
  3. Don’t give infants toys that are heavy, breakable, or that have parts that are open and/or may come loose.
  4. Keep an eye on babies around furniture.
  5. A new pair of disposable gloves is to be available for each diaper change; including an alcohol hand wash after each change.
  6. Sick children should not be allowed in the child care area.
  7. All childcare providers must be aware and familiar with the location and use of emergency exits.
  8. To strictly comply with the Bishops’ Charter on the Protection of Children, the nursery will never be staffed by a single individual (staff or volunteer). The nursery will be manned by at least two qualified individuals at all times when children are present in it.
  9. In conjunction with the Coordinator of Volunteers and/or Pastor or Parochial Vicar, conduct fire drills on a regular basis and document these drills and any corrective actions taken.

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Ave Maria Catholic Church