If you’ve seen the new Grow Wednesday brochure, you may be thinking what does this mean for Early Childhood Ministry? Here, you will find detailed information pertaining to changes in Early Childhood Ministry your family needs to know about these exciting changes so you can feel prepared for the start of our program year. Scroll down to any/all information that pertains to your family.
- Curriculum
- Worship – Early Childhood on Sundays @ 9am
- Worship – Early Childhood on Sundays @ 10:45am
- Grow – Early Childhood on Wednesdays
- Next Steps – Registration & iPad Donations
Curriculum
Hannah and the Family Ministry Team attended the Orange Conference back in April. After experiencing Orange Curriculum, she decided it was the best of the best and WCC needed to use it! The Orange Group has taken their knowledge of early childhood research and development and paired it with relevant bible stories, music, and creative hands on experiences to reinforce one clear and simple bottom line each week. Knowing this simple bottom line, kids can walk into life outside of church knowing how to make wise decisions, build stronger relationships, and develop a deeper faith.
Q&A
Who gets to experience this curriculum?
In Early Childhood Ministry, we believe there is no such thing as being too young to experience and learn about God; even our littlest infants have their own lesson plans. We don’t wait until a child is 18 months to start talking to them so, why would we wait until then to start talking to them about God? Starting from birth up through Pre-K, all groups will experience faith through music, talking, and affirmation. As infants grow into wobblers, and toddlers into preschoolers, we gradually add more to deepen the experience. Preschoolers will experience developmentally appropriate hands on experiences, discussions, and bible stories to fully engage all of our senses in learning.
When will this curriculum be used?
This wonderful curriculum will be the core of everything Early Childhood Ministry. Whether your child attends Wednesdays, Sundays, or both, they will have the opportunity to explore the same weekly bottom line in various ways.
When are we using this new curriculum?
We’ve tested out a few of the units this summer and we are ready to officially kick it off at the start of program year on Rally Sunday. It is going to be a COLORIFIC celebration! Colors are a huge part of a preschoolers world. As we explore the colors of the rainbow, we will learn that God loves us, and that He always keeps His promises. Head to our
@WCCEarlyChildhoodMinistry Facebook page to see a preview video of the month to come!
Worship – Early Childhood on Sundays @ 9am
Look for more information in the upcoming weeks about electronic check in!
Drop off will now be at the main entrance to the Early Childhood Center located nearest the East Entrance starting at 8:45am. The side doors will remain closed and locked for safety reasons. If you enter from the West Entrance, follow the blue stripe down the hallway and it will lead you to the Early Childhood Center main entrance.
Based on registration, we will assign your child to a classroom with their peers for the full year because we know that consistency is so important to all of the age groups in Early Childhood Ministry. We want your child to feel safe and loved and to build relationships with consistent peers, teachers, volunteers, and youth leaders.
At 9am Sunday School, all classes will experience a variety of age appropriate hands on activities during free play, the weekly bible story, as well as developmentally appropriate small and large group experiences.
Worship – Early Childhood on Sundays @ 10:45am
Look for more information in the upcoming weeks about electronic check in!
Drop off will now be at the main entrance to the Early Childhood Center located nearest the East Entrance starting at 10:30am. The side doors will remain closed and locked for safety reasons. If you enter from the West Entrance, follow the blue stripe down the hallway and it will lead you to the Early Childhood Center main entrance.
Based on registration, we will assign your child to a classroom with their peers for the full year because we know that consistency is so important to all of the age groups in Early Childhood Ministry. We want your child to feel safe and loved and to build relationships with consistent peers, teachers, volunteers, and youth leaders.
At 10:45am Sunday School, class is a mixed age group. Depending on the ages of children, the experience will include several age appropriate hands on activities during free play and the weekly Bible story. We love seeing our families at 10:45am Sunday School, but we highly recommend coming to 9am Sunday School if you want the full Early Childhood experience.
Grow – Early Childhood on Wednesdays
Family calendars can get nuts and church shouldn’t add to the craziness! We now have offerings for all ages and stages of Early Childhood Ministry on Wednesdays so that all children can grow spiritually allowing parents to take time to grow in their own spirituality as well.
Here are the Grow Early Childhood basics:
[Block One] – 4pm-5:15pm – Drop your child off starting at 3:45pm and attend one of our various Adult Core Classes or stay and volunteer* your time with one of our Early Childhood Ministry class groups
*if you are interested in volunteering during Block One please contact Hannah, Early Childhood Integration Specialist hcruzen@www.wayzatacommunitychurch.org
[Block Two] – 5:15pm-6:30pm – Enjoy a community with your family and church family right after you attend a Block One class or join us before you head to a Block Three class. $5 per person will get you a healthy meal and a chance to connect with this community
[Block Three] – 6:30pm-8:00pm – Drop your child off starting at 6:15pm and attend one of our various Adult Core Classes, Parenting Classes, or Choir Rehearsal.
Here is what we have to offer on Wednesdays if:
your child is an infant or turning 1 this year…
[Block One] 4pm-5:15pm
Child care is available for the infant group during this block. Children will experience the love of God through affirmation and care in a loving and calm environment. Teachers and volunteers are CPR/First Aid certified and background checked.
[Block Three] 6:30pm-8:00pm
Child care is available for the infant group during this block. Children will experience the love of God through affirmation and care in a loving and calm environment. Teachers and volunteers are CPR/First Aid certified and background checked.
your child is 1 turning 2 this year…
[Block One] 4pm-5:15pm
Join us for the “wobblers” class! Children who are 1-2 years old, will enjoy play time and a hands on experience in the classroom. They will join the 2 year olds for worship and music time at the end of this class period.
[Block Three] 6:30pm-8:00pm
Child care is available for the infant group during this block. Children will experience the love of God through affirmation and care in a loving and calm environment. Teachers and volunteers are CPR/First Aid certified and background checked.
your child is 2 this year…
[Block One] 4pm-5:15pm
Join us for the 2 year old class! This group will have play time, enjoy the weekly Bible story and a hands on activity in the classroom. Then, they will head to worship and music time at the end of this class period.
[Block Three] 6:30pm-8:00pm
Join us for our mixed age group class! This group will have play time at various hands on stations in the classroom that are related to the weekly Bible story.
your child is 3 or 4 this year…
[Block One] 4pm-5:15pm
Join us for the 3-5 year old classes! These groups will have an intro activity, head to worship and music, enjoy the weekly skit and Bible story in large group time, and explore a hands on activity in their small groups.
[Block Three] 6:30pm-8:00pm
Join us for our mixed age group class! This group will have play time at various hands on stations in the classroom that are related to the weekly Bible story.
Q&A:
What if Block Three is too late for our family?
We understand that the timing of programming is a change and may affect your family. We would love for you to join us anyway and know that you can always leave early. We also offer amazing morning programming on Sundays, which may be better suited to your family’s needs. No matter what class you come to, we love getting to see you and your child around WCC!
Next Steps – Registration & iPad Donations
This year, it is more important than ever to register your child for Early Childhood Ministry. Our number one goal is to keep your child safe while they are in our care and the best way to achieve safety is by collecting important information through registration. Our new registration is streamlined Filling out this new registration also allows us to implement electronic check in for all of our Sunday and Wednesday classes and events throughout the year.
We are using iPad’s to run our electronic check in and we could use a few more. If you have an old iPad sitting around, or are looking to replace your current one, we would greatly appreciate the donation of your iPad to the Family Ministry Team to help keep all of our kids safe! 3rd or 4th generation iPad’s are preferred, but we would gladly accept a 2nd generation iPad.
Contact Kjerstee Miller, Family Ministry Team Admin, at kmiller@www.wayzatacommunitychurch.org if you would like to donate.
Q&A:
Where do I register?
You can register your child for Early Childhood Ministry INSERT LINK HERE
Why should I register before Rally Sunday?
Registering your child before Rally Sunday, on September 16th, will allow your family to move through the check in stations as quickly as possible. Preregistered families will be able to arrive at any check in station, enter their phone number to print their child’s name tag, and be on their way to drop off in the Early Childhood Center. Unregistered families will be able to register on the spot at our designated check in for new families, but this process is a bit more time consuming. All children have to be registered in order to be dropped off in our Early Childhood Center.