Friends General Conference

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Childcare Policies and Information for Parents

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The following is portions of the childcare policies approved by the Children and The Life of The Meeting Committee (CALM).  These parts of the policy are ones that seem important for parents to be aware of.

Two Adult Guideline:  There are to be two adults present at all times with the children, unless the adult present is a parent or other close relative of the child(ren) who is/are there.  The purpose of this policy is to prevent the potential abuse of children.  We have no way of knowing who is a potential danger to the children, so we ask everyone to be aware of this possibility.  We expect persons to do what they can to prevent abuse and report to the childcare coordinator, currently Bruce Thron-Weber (see the meeting directory for contact information), any abuse they see or suspect.  If two childcare providers are not present in the room when the parent arrives with their child(ren), the child(ren) is/are not to be left in that room.  When two childcare providers are present, the parent may leave the room.  Anyone leaving child(ren) in a room when there are not two adult childcare providers present is doing so at their own risk.  One childcare provider may leave the room for brief periods of time to do specific childcare-related tasks such as taking a child to the bathroom or going to the kitchen to obtain snacks.  S/he may also take care of personal necessities.

Those considered an adult for childcare purposes:  The first adult present must be at least 18 years of age.  The second person may be considered an adult if s/he is at least 12 years of age. Twelve (12) to 14 year olds will be asked to provide a certificate stating that they have received babysitting training, such as is given by the Red Cross.

Event coverage expectations:  

  • Childcare providers are to be present in the room where the care will be provided 10 to 15 minutes before the scheduled beginning time for the event for which childcare is being provided in order to allow parents to drop off their children before the event.  
  • Parents are asked to pick up their children within 15 minutes of the end of an event.
  • When possible, cleanup should be done with the children’s help while the provider is waiting for parents to pick up their children. 

Locations where childcare can be provided:

Usually childcare will be proved in the meetinghouse nursery or one of the classrooms on the second floor in the meetinghouse, whichever the childcare providers thinks will work best.  If the children are of an age that they are able to appreciate the program for which childcare is being provided and behave appropriately, the childcare providers may bring the children to the program and supervise them there.  If the weather is satisfactory and the children have proper garments for the weather, the childcare providers may take the children. 

Childcare Provider Expectations:

A childcare provider must create a safe inclusive environment that seeks to build community. A childcare provider must respect the needs and differences in children from a variety of backgrounds and ages. 

A childcare provider must affirm the self-identity of the child, whatever that may be, regarding gender, sexual orientation, and behaviors that our society ascribes to one gender or another. If a child has a preference for what gender and gender pronoun is used to refer to them, childcare providers are to use the gender and the gender pronoun chosen by the child. 

A childcare provider should try to engage children in age appropriate activities, such as games, imaginative play, arts and crafts, music, and books. 

A childcare provider must understand and agree to our meetinghouse policies which are in place to protect children from abuse. 

 

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