life kids
Volunteer Training | 2-3 YEAR OLDS
Scheduling
PLANNING CENTER
At New Life, we use a helpful tool called Planning Center Services to communicate volunteer schedules and lesson plans. Planning Center can be accessed on a desktop, mobile device, or through the Planning Center app. Once you join the team, you will receive an email welcoming you to Planning Center Services. Through this email, you can set up a password and access the database. If you forget your password at any time, please contact the Life Kids Director for a password reset.
ACCEPTING SERVING REQUESTS
Life Kids schedules volunteers approximately one month in advance. For example, during the month of November, you may receive a request to serve during the month of December. When you receive a serving request, please respond by selecting Accept or Decline based on your availability. Please respond to requests as soon as possible. This helps our team plan ahead and ensure every classroom is adequately staffed.
WELCOME TO THE LIFE KIDS TEAM!
Thank you for choosing to serve in Life Kids! Your willingness to serve allows parents to worship, knowing their children are being cared for in a safe, loving, and Christ-centered environment. This training will walk you through everything you need to know before, during, and after serving in the. Please keep this training as a reference throughout your time serving with Life Kids.
VOLUNTEER ARRIVAL
LIFE KIDS VOLUNTEER EXPECTATIONS
Please arrive 30 minutes before the service begins. This gives you time to prepare your classroom and attend the Team Prayer Huddle, located outside the Nursery.
As a Life Kids volunteer, we ask that you:
Serve with patience, love, and grace toward both children and fellow volunteers.
Keep conversations godly, positive, and age-appropriate.
Remember that even our youngest children are impressionable and should be treated with care and respect.
Be mindful about your phone use while serving. If you need to step out of the room for a private conversation or for assistance, please contact Chris or Life Kids staff anytime during the service.
Pre-program the appropriate staff contact number into your phone so you can quickly reach someone if needed.
Chris Schafer: (623) 451-9109
CHILD DROP-OFF
WHITEBOARD
Each classroom has a whiteboard with questions to ask parents during child drop-off. Please ask all of the questions listed on the whiteboard and record the appropriate information for every child.
This information helps you know important details about the child, including:
Feeding times
Allergies
Special instructions
Other important information provided by the parent
Take a moment to review the information before the parent leaves so you understand how to best care for each child.
CRYING AT DROP-OFF
It is normal for some children to cry when their parent leaves. If a child is crying at drop-off, ask the parent:
“How long would you like me to allow them to cry before contacting you?”
Respect the parent's wishes. If the child continues crying beyond the amount of time requested by the parent, contact a staff member. The staff member will then contact the parent.
policies
SAFETY POLICIES
REMAIN IN THE CLASSROOM
If you need to leave the classroom for any reason, please notify a member of staff.
A child is not allowed to be taken out of the classroom except by a member of staff or their parent/guardian.
CHILD INJURY
If a child is injured in any way, including a bite, bumped head, or paper cut, please notify a staff member.
EMERGENCY
In the case of an emergency, use the radio to dispatch a member of staff or the Safety Team.
FIRE ALARM
If the fire alarm goes off, carry all babies to the parking lot and find a member of staff.
Do not release a child to a parent without the pick-up tag.
LOCKDOWN
If a lockdown occurs:
Lock the doors.
Close the windows.
Turn off the lights.
Quiet the children.
Do not unlock the doors for any reason.
Staff members will have a key to unlock the doors once the lockdown is over.
CHILD DIAPER CHANGING POLICY
Please follow these steps for every diaper change:
Collect all supplies needed, including a clean diaper from the child's bag, wipes, etc., and place them at the changing station before beginning.
Grab a sanitary paper from the board and place it on the bottom of the changing pad.
Put on gloves, which can be found on the board.
Place the child on the changing pad. DO NOT LEAVE THE CHILD UNATTENDED ON THE CHANGING TABLE.
Remove the soiled diaper from the child.
Place the soiled diaper in the trash can located to the left of the changing table.
Wipe all soiled areas from the child's skin with wipes.
If a diaper rash is evident, notify the parents at the time of pick-up.
Place a clean diaper on the child.
Remove the child from the diapering station.
Toss the gloves and sanitary paper.
Thoroughly wipe down the changing area with sanitizing wipes.
Wash your hands after each diaper change.
If the trash begins to stink, notify a member of staff to take the trash out.
CRYING CHILD
We have a 10-minute rule in our ministry.
If a child cries for more than 10 minutes, or earlier if a parent requests, please contact the Early Childhood Coordinator.
TOY SANITATION
Toys are deep cleaned weekly.
If a child dirties a toy during service, please place it in the black bucket under the sink.
We ask that the 10:30 AM volunteers put all toys in the bucket at the end of service.
NOTIFYING PARENTS
If you need to notify a parent during service for any reason, please contact a member of staff.
Staff will then contact the parents via text message, phone call, or by presenting their unique 4-digit code, found on the child's tag, on the screens in the Main Auditorium.
CHILD PICK-UP
MATCHING NAME TAGS
When a child is being picked up, ensure that the parent's pick-up tag matches the child's name tag.
Verify that the 4-digit code matches and remove the child's name tag from their shirt.
You can then place both the parent tag and child name tag in the trash.
COLLECTING THE CHILD'S BELONGINGS
Before the end of service, collect all of the child's belongings and place them on the hooks near the door.
COMMUNICATING WITH PARENTS
Upon child pick-up, communicate with the parent any important information from their child's experience that day.
This includes:
Diaper changes
Feedings
Behavior
Etc.
WHAT IF A PARENT LOSES THEIR PARENT TAG?
Contact the Early Childhood Coordinator or the Life Kids Director.
The parent's ID will be checked with the “Trusted People” we have in our database.
EXAMPLE OF CHILD NAME TAG
EXAMPLE OF PARENT TAG
SAFETY CHECK-INS
WHAT ARE SAFETY CHECK-INS?
Safety Check-Ins occur approximately 10 minutes after the start of each service.
During Safety Check-Ins, one teacher in each classroom will pick up the classroom radio and read off a script to our Safety Team, checking in and notifying them of how many kids you have in your classroom.
WHY DO WE DO SAFETY CHECK-INS?
New Life has been blessed with an incredible Safety Team that strives to serve our Life Kids Ministry.
The goal of Safety Check-Ins is to:
Establish good communication with our Safety Team.
Grow your comfort with using the radio in case of an emergency.
Allow the Life Kids Ministry staff to have awareness of the condition of your classroom before your teaching time begins.
EXAMPLE OF SAFETY CHECK IN “SCRIPT”
Completion of online training
This online training will continue to be a reference for you throughout the entirety of your serving career in the Life Kids Ministry.
If you have any questions about the Life Kids Ministry, please contact the Early Childhood Coordinator or the Life Kids Director.
THANK YOU!
Thank you for completing this online training.
We appreciate your commitment to the Life Kids Ministry and are so grateful for your investment in the next generation of Christ-followers.
Please acknowledge your completion of the online training by filling out this form.