Five S's of a Guest Friendly Nursery

There's an old saying that goes "Mom decides where the family goes to church. The kids decide if they return." Although that's largely true (and universally true of families with little or no church experience), if your nursery isn't above and beyond, it'll be the mom who makes sure the family doesn't return.

Therefore it's critical that your nursery must meet the criteria of the Five S's.

• Staffing: It should be Staffed by at least two unrelated adults who have had thorough background checks (no, youth are not adequate nursery workers unless they are a third or fourth pair of hands).
• Safe: It should be a Safe environment with no dangling cords, no open electric outlets, no chairs with rockers that can crush little fingers and toes, no cleaning supplies or poisons that can be accessed by curious kids, and so on. And don't forget to check the recall orders for your cribs, playpens, and toys.
• Sanitary: Your nursery should be visibly Sanitary with prominent wall mounted hand sanitizer dispensers next to the changing table, in the restroom, and by the nursery door. All hard surfaces should be sanitized after each use (not just at the end of the service) and bedding should changed after each use as well.
• Security: This is a huge issue in the church today. The nursery, and the whole children's wing for that matter, should have restricted access so that a non-custodial parent (or anyone else) can't easily get to the children. We find that small churches often minimize these concerns, but we want to ask ... how's that working for you? Are young families visiting and staying? You'd be sadly surprised how many parents are affected with custodial issues. A word to the wise - don't blow this off.
• Sizzle: And finally, your nursery (and all of your child-space) should Sizzle. Today's parents go out of their way to provide learning environments for their children, beginning at the newborn stage. Bright colors, learning-based toys and manipulatives, and 3-D décor are the orders of the day even for the church. Rooms painted in institutional greens and pink, furnished with little tables and chairs, and stories on flannel graphs won't inspire children to drag their parents back. The adage "Mom decides where the family will go to church, the kids decide if they'll return" is more true today than ever.