SJA's Nursery Program

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE ST. JOAN OF ARC NURSERY

Facility

The Sunday Nursery is located in the lower level of the parish center. The children are placed in the Infant Room (0 to 14 months), the Toddler 1 Rom (14 to 26 months) or the Toddler 2 room (26 months and up.) Each room is stocked with age appropriate toys and books. Toy cleaning positions are available. Fun! Fun! Fun!

Program

The program for the infants and young toddlers is to play. This year, thanks to the hard work of Steve Friedrichs, the children in the Toddler 2 Room are receiving religious instruction. After a period of free play, the children listen to a Bible story and then sing songs and do a craft project related to the story. If you are interested in teaching or singing with these children, please contact Steve at (612) 823-8205 (ext. 236.) Steve’s email address is sfriedrichs@stjoan.com.

Staff

We have a high ratio of volunteers to children. In the Infant Room, we have one volunteer for every 2 babies. In the Toddler 1 Room, there is one adult for every four children. The Toddler 2 Room has a ratio of five children for every volunteer.

Regular volunteers, lead volunteers and a nursery coordinator staff the nursery:

Regular Volunteers:The nursery is run as a cooperative. Most of the regular volunteers are the parents of children who use the nursery. Volunteers are asked to work in the nursery during one mass a month for six months. Their job is to play with the children and help the Toddler 2 children with craft projects. Although most of the volunteers are parents, any parishioner who enjoys the company of the very young is encouraged to apply.
Lead Volunteers: The role of the lead volunteers is different. They are responsible for checking the children in and out of the nursery. They also diaper the children and take them to the toilet. In order to become a lead volunteer, a person has to have a clean criminal background check and Red Cross first aid training. In addition, many of the lead volunteers have annual CPR training. Lead volunteers are also responsible for administering first aid and filling out incident report forms.
Nursery Coordinator: Steve Friedrichs, the nursery coordinator, and performs the same jobs as the lead volunteers. In addition, he schedules the volunteers, leads the nursery advisory committee and is the staff liaison.

Communication

Every parent receives a chip with a number on it when he or she drops off a child. The chip must be turned in to the lead volunteer when the child is picked up from the nursery. The chip number is also used when a child is having a difficult day in the nursery. If a child cries for more than 5-10 minutes, the child’s chip number will be flashed on the screen in the gym. Parents then know they should go down to the nursery to pick up their child.

For More Information

If you would like to learn more about the nursery program, come on down before mass some Sunday. A lead volunteer would be happy to take you on a tour and answer your questions.

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