Please help the kids with crafts/projects/snacks if they need it. The person in charge of the station cannot do this alone. Support each other.
Please help your kids clean up after themselves at each station.
Please assist the Station Leader and children at crafts as much as possible.
Collect all items from the station that will go home with the kids at the end of each day and keep them organized, being sure the child’s name is on each item. You can either keep them in your crew bag or take them back to their blankets.
Some children have special needs, like sensory disorders, food allergies, etc… Please give these children the extra assistance they will need. There should be details on whatever the needs will be on your crew kids lists. Laura can help you with details, as well as talking with the parents each day.
Check-in & Check Out Procedures: On Monday the children check in at the check in table and get their card, which contains the child’s name and crew number. The parents/adult bring the children to their crews. At this time ask the child’s name and give them their lanyards. When the parents/adults come to pick up their child they must have the plastic card with the child’s name on it. Please retrieve the plastic card. Tue – Thur the kids will be brought directly to their crew with their parent/guardian. At this time you will give the parent their pick up card. They must have this card in order to enter the worship room to pick up their child(ren). Make eye contact with the parents/adults at drop off and pick up, as well as any instructions for them.
Physically handling children is rarely a good idea. Do not give piggy back rides or hold children in your arms. Never jerk or grab a child in an effort to remove them from a situation. It is important that each child feels as cared about as all the others in the crew.
Behavior management: Remove an obstacle; Redirect a child, Refer the challenge to an adult leader. If your child wanders away, please contact an adult leader immediately. Please keep your children together with one crew leader in the front and one in the back when traveling to different stations or bathroom breaks. If a child has become difficult to work with please be sure to reach out to Laura Uzzardo, Pastor Dana, or Chris Quemeneur. We’ll help to work things through.
Privacy Issues: Never enter the bathroom with a child. Please escort them to the bathroom and wait outside the door. If help is needed please find another adult leader, Laura, Pastor Dana, or Chris to go into the bathroom with you. Also, anything a child tells you should not be spread as gossip. If a child tells you something that may make you think that child could be harmed or is in a harmful situation, please speak with Laura or Pastor Dana.
Issues among crew/station leaders: If there are issues among the leaders, please inform Laura, Pastor Dana, or Chris. They can help to work things out.
Staying with your Crew: each crew will have 2-3 crew leaders. Please keep your crew together at all times. If one leader needs to leave for a few minutes, find Laura or Pastor Dana to fill in while they are gone to maintain 2 leaders in the crew.
Please keep the children occupied when there is down time: if you finish a station early please try to find something to occupy their time. Play a game, sing a song, review what they have learned from that day or previous days. Talk about different Acts of Kindness they can do, write on the hearts with them. We will try to help come up with other ideas for any down time. You are also welcome to come up with some fun down time ideas to occupy the kids.
Cell phones: We highly suggest no cell phones out while with the kids. Please deter the kids also from having their phones out and using them. You can keep your phone on you or place it in Laura’s office.
Monday & Calling In: arrive by 8:30 am. There will be a volunteer table with your lanyard and sheet showing your assignment. There is always the chance your assignment will change from day to day, but we try not to do that. If for any reason you cannot make it in please call Laura’s cell phone number (708) 710-3092 or leave a message on the church voicemail (708) 301-6998. Please be sure to leave your name and situation details on your messages to me.
Be aware of any allergies: some of these children have some very serious allergies. There will be notes on their crew list sheet, at the kitchen area, and on their lanyards. We’ll be discussing these with each crew leader.
Community Service Hours: Bring in your forms to Laura. She will fill them all out on Thursday or later.
Weather: If there is a weather alert we are watching Laura will walk around to quietly alert the leaders. If the sirens go off please bring your children to the hall outside of the 2 main bathrooms and the hall just outside of the single bathroom, if the siren does go off Laura will be blowing her whistle a lot to get your attention. Stay Calm. We will be giving instructions as needed. Children can sit on the floor with their head down and arms over their heads, if needed. Stay Calm and the children will stay calm too.
Special COVID Stuff: Since none of the kids will be vaccinated, we want to take precautions to make sure everyone is safe. So all volunteers should be fully vaccinated for COVID. We are also asking all volunteers and all kids to wear masks. (Make sure your masks are worn properly. Kids are usually pretty good about wearing masks, but they may need a reminder periodically.) Also, help the kids maintain distance – each child will be bringing their own beach towel for sitting to help maintain distance. Each child will also be brining their own water bottle, to avoid sharing from common cups, etc.
Thursday is Pizza Lunch for Volunteers. We love gathering after we finish up on Thursday with a lunch to just relax and talk about the week. There will be a sign up sheet for this, please be sure to mark if you will attend or not. We also ask for everyone to help clean up the VBS supplies before we start to eat. It goes pretty quickly with all the help.
HAVE FUN. People typically think this is a program for the kids, well that’s not completely true. All the volunteers/staff learn so much from their interactions with the kids and participating in the stations. Take it all in and have FUN! God is so very Good!
