Nursery Safety & Wellbeing Policy

Nursery Policy:

Personal:

  1. All Committee members and Supervisors of the nursery on any occasion will have a police screening done. All supervisors must be 18 years of age or older.
  2. All volunteers who have not been screened may not serve in the nursery without supervision.
  3. All nursery pre-adult helpers must be 10 years of age or older.

 

Program design:

  1. All children shall be tagged for identification purposes using an approved method.
  2. Volunteers are encouraged to arrive 15 minutes early for their turn in the nursery.
  3. Parents are encouraged to pick up their children immediate after the service. Nursery attendants must stay until the last child is picked up.
  4. A change table must be kept in plain view of other volunteers.
  5. Two persons (one supervisor and one other attendant) must always be present in the church nursery.
  6. Any parent or guardian not working as an attendant may be in the nursery with their child but must sign in as a parent, write the reason for being in the nursery, and wear a parent name tag. The parent or guardian may stay as long as they deem necessary.
  7. No couples are to be in any one section of the nursery together
  8. When a child goes to the bathroom and no assistance is required, the nursery attendants should remain outside the bathroom door.
  9. Children should not be taken out of the nursery area with the exception of an emergency. If they are taken out of the nursery they must be signed out.
  10. Any medical problems must be reported immediately to the child’s parents or guardians.
  11. No food and drink are allowed in the nursery, except water in a labelled container. Bottles of milk and formula are allowed as long as the child is held for the feeding.
  12. Doors should be secured from the inside to prevent anyone from entering unnoticed.
  13. Incidents that occur in the nursery should be logged in a book i.e. a child hurting themselves, or a conflict with a parent or volunteer.
  14. All incidents in the nursery should be reported to a nursery committee member and a council member.
  15. Age limit for children in the nursery is birth to 36 months.

 

Supervision

  1. One adult supervisor must always be present in the church nursery.
  2. Volunteers should not meet or supervise a child alone in a private or isolated area.
  3. If adequate supervision cannot be provided, the nursery must be cancelled.
  4. Anyone not following the rules stated must be reported to the nursery coordinator/committee and failing that – to the Administration Board.
  5. Random checks by appointed persons will take place as approved by Administration Board.

 

Responsibilities of the Nursery Committee

  1. Ensuring identification system is in place.
  2. Adequate staffing of nursery is provided
  3. Sufficient supplies are always present
  4. Ensure a safe environment in the nursery
  5. Supervision of supervisors and volunteers

 

Identification and signing procedures

    • When a child is brought to the nursery the child will be identified with an ID piece and the parent will receive the other half of the ID piece. The child will be signed in by the parent and nursery volunteer.
    • When a child is taken from the nursery, he/she can only be signed out by the parent with the ID piece.  The parent must show/hand back ID piece and sign child out on appropriate sheet.
    • The supervisor will wear a name tag identifying that person as a supervisor
    • The volunteers will wear a name tag identifying that person as a volunteer. The volunteers must sign in, in a log book, this way there is a record of who was in the nursery in case an incident is reported.
    • A parent that is in the nursery to take care of their child will wear a name tag identifying them as a parent.
    • When a parent of a child wishes to enter the nursery the parent must sign in on the appropriate sheet, state the reason to stay with their child, and attain a name tag. When the parent leaves they must sign out and if they take the child with them they must sign the child out of the nursery. The parent needing to be in the nursery is encouraged to wait till before or after the busy times of check-in to sign themselves in. If the parent is in the nursery at the end of the service they are encouraged to wait till check-out is over to sign themselves and the child out.  Parents must wait until checkout is over to enter the nursery.
    • Volunteers should also stay in the nursery until checkout is over.
    • No person who is not a supervisor, volunteer or parent/guardian may be in the nursery.

     

    RR # 1 Blackfalds, AB T0M 0J0 Phone/Fax: 403-885-4427 churchoffice@woodynookcrc.org