Preschool Ministry
At First Baptist Smyrna, there are many opportunities for preschoolers, birth through Kindergarten, to learn about God and Jesus. Hands-on activities and events are planned with the needs of the child as our first priority. We want every experience the preschooler has at church to be a safe, happy, positive one and have worked hard to make sure this happens.
Cindi White
Minister to Preschoolers and
Director of Weekday Education
cwhite@smyrnafirst.org
The Bible teaches us to “train up a child in the way he should go” and we want to help you guide your child toward God and foster his or her spiritual development. To accomplish this, we have set the following goals:
- Reach each preschooler and his/her family for Bible Study
- Encourage the growth of each child spiritually, emotionally,
mentally, physically, and socially
- Provide a safe, secure loving environment
- Associate God and church with happy times
- Lay foundations for conversion when a child reaches the age of accountability
The first five years of life are crucial to the development of the child’s mind, attitudes, and concepts. By teaching preschoolers at their level of understanding and using the methods through which they learn best, we can help them learn about God, Jesus, and the church.
Preschoolers are important to us and we want this to
be a healthy and safe place for your children. We screen all volunteers
who work with children from birth through teens. We follow certain
rules of hygiene to keep disease transmission at a minimum. This includes,
but is not limited to, specific crib assignment for each baby; disinfecting
cribs and toys after use; frequent hand washing; and using gloves
when changing diapers.
Sunday |
Preschool Sunday School 9:30 am Loving care, hands-on activities, and Bible-learning experiences while parents participate in Bible Study.
Extended Teaching Care
(PAL) 10:45 am Preschoolers are Learning (PAL) and enjoy loving care, hands-on activities, group time activities and Bible-learning experiences while parents participate in Worship.
Worship KidStyle 10:45 am
Worship Childcare 6:00 pm
|
Wednesday |
M&M's For Preschoolers (Music & Missions)
6:15 pm – 7:30 pm
Childcare During Adult Choir & Orchestra Rehearsal
7:30 pm
|
A
special time of worship and Bible learning activities for
preschoolers in four year Pre-K and Kindergarten, Worship
KidStyle guides children and their leaders to worship through
music, Bible stories, key Bible phrases, arts and crafts,
dramatic play, games, and exploration and discovery. Join
us each Sunday as we learn to worship God…KidStyle!Preschool
Ministry
Partnering with Parents to…
…lay spiritual foundations
of love and trust
Preschoolers are special to us at First Baptist Smyrna. We are dedicated
to meeting their needs in an environment of love and trust so they
may associate God and the church with happy, positive feelings. Our
preschool ministry’s purpose is to help you guide your child toward
God and help establish a spiritual foundation that can be built upon
as he or she continues through life. This includes encouraging the
growth of each child, spiritually, emotionally, mentally, physically,
and socially.
…provide safety, security,
and a sense of well-being for each child
Our preschool security system includes:
- Security form for parents to provide information and special
instructions for child’s care. This also serves a claim card required
for picking up child.
- Vibrate-only pagers for children birth – two years to notify
parent if needed.
- Allergy alert stickers
- Volunteer screening
- At least two teachers in each room
…use play and hands-on
activities to teach preschoolers God’s truths
Preschoolers, by God’s design, are made to play. It is their work
and it is the best arena for learning. Play provides many teachable
moments for preschoolers to learn about God, Jesus, the Bible, church,
nature, self, families, and others. We do this through hands-on activities
using art, blocks, books, music, puzzles, nature items, toys, and
homeliving and dramatic play. We also use Bible stories and Bible-related
conversation. These experiences help infants through Kindergarteners
learn Bible truths through play and during the day-to-day activities
of life.
…provide materials for
Bible-learning to continue at home
Each Sunday, preschoolers receive take-home pages to help parents
reinforce the Bible-learning for that session. This material includes
the Bible story and some related activities that your child hears
and experiences at church. We are so happy to be partners with parents,
building foundations for conversion as children grow in their relationship
with God.
Bringing Your Child to Church
We begin receiving children 15 minutes prior to the
church service or event. Please plan to pick up your child no later
than 15 minutes after its completion. Preschoolers must be brought
to their class by a parent or adult guardian along with a completed
security form. The child will be released only to the parent or adult
guardian with the matching security form. A vibrate-only pager will
be issued for children birth – two years to notify parent, if needed.
Under no circumstances should preschoolers be left unattended.
To avoid congestion in the halls, only one adult should deliver and
pick up the child from his or her room. Please slide the security
form under the door, knock, and wait for your child to be brought
to you. We suggest that only preschoolers and teachers be permitted
in preschool rooms.
When babies begin to crawl or walk, they will be promoted to their
new classroom and will stay for the remainder of the Sunday school
year. All other children are promoted annually. Parents are asked
to label all items belonging to their child, i.e., diaper bags, bottles,
pacifiers, clothing, sippy cups. Please use disposable diapers while
at church.
Keeping Your Child Healthy and Safe
We want our preschool rooms to be a healthy and safe place for all children. We have a responsibility to protect well children from exposure to sick ones. Therefore, a child with any of the following symptoms should stay at home:
- A fever in the previous 24 hours
- Vomiting or diarrhea
- Any symptom of a childhood disease such as chicken pox or whooping
cough.
- A cold or nose with excessive or discolored drainage
- Sore throat
- Croup
- Any unexplained rash
- Any skin infection such as boils, ringworm, or impetigo
- Any hair or skin infestation such as head lice
- Pinkeye or other eye infection
A child exhibiting any of these symptoms will not be
allowed in a preschool room. Any child who becomes ill during a session
will be isolated and the parents notified. If your child has been
attending preschool sessions and should develop an infectious disease
(i.e., measles, mumps, chicken pox, strep throat), please notify the
preschool office immediately, 770-435-3549 or cwhite@smyrnafirst.org.
We take reasonable precautions to protect all of the children entrusted
to us from abuse. Therefore, our church has developed a position statement
that includes screening those adults who work with children from birth
through teens, setting requirements for workers, and providing a response
plan. We have a minimum of two teachers in each room and follow certain
rules of hygiene. This include, but are not limited to: using gloves
when changing diapers; frequent hand washing; specific crib assignment
for each baby; disinfecting cribs and toys after use.
Are Parents Required to Work in Preschool?
We ask that at least one parent work in the preschool area. Most of our Sunday morning teachers are volunteers. Only a few are paid staff. While we look forward to teaching your child, we are generally in need of many more volunteers than we have. There are times when we have to combine rooms because we simply don’t have enough help. We have a PAL – Preschoolers Are Learning – ministry. The PAL ministry spreads the workload and will helps to energize the regular volunteers. It allows for consistency of classrooms and minimizes the need to combine classrooms. Being a PAL means better ministry for your children. All moms, dads, grandparents, and other adults are welcomed to be involved in the PAL Ministry. We will provide you with the tools you need to volunteer within the child protection guidelines of our church
