General Security
We want parents to be confident their children are secure in Grace Bible Church’s Children’s Ministry. There are several elements of general security that we must follow:
All ministry workers must go through the process of application, screening, training, and approval before they can begin to work in the children’s ministry.

  • There must be at least two unrelated adults assigned per classroom: one class teacher and one class assistant.
  • Keep the classroom doors closed when class is in session.
  • Ministry workers are to occasionally scan doorways and the perimeter of classrooms, and to report any suspicious persons to the person on security duty.
  • Even if you are not on duty as a ministry worker, please report any suspicious persons or behavior to the person on security duty. You can really help keep our kids secure by keeping your eyes out for potential security problems.
  • Do not allow children to roam the church unattended by their parents. Return them to their parents’ supervision.
  • All Sign-in/Sign-out sheets and Child-Parent Profile forms must be kept with the Class Assistant. Do not leave these documents where they could be taken, since they contain important information about the children.
  • Any child who leaves the classroom (for example, to go to the restroom) must be supervised by a ministry worker.
  • Sign-In/Sign-Out Requirements
  • The goal of our Sign-In/Sign-Out Procedure is to make secure exchanges of children between parents and the staff of Grace Bible Church’s Children’s Ministry. It is very important to meet these requirements for each child signed-in, regardless of how familiar a volunteer is with a child or parent, and regardless of how long a line of kids are waiting to be checked-in or out:
  • All children must be signed in by the adult responsible for them each time they come to a Grace Bible Church classroom. The Class Assistant is responsible to:
  • Make sure parents complete the Sign-in/Sign-out sheet, and
  • Make sure each child has a Child-Parent Profile Form on file.
  • The Sign-in/Sign-out sheet must record:

1. The child’s full name

2. The parent’s full name

3. The parent’s driver’s license number or other state identification number

4. The parent’s signature in and signature out

  • The Child-Parent Profile Form must record:

1. The child’s full name and age

2. The parent’s full name

3. The parent’s address

4. The parent’s emergency contact phone number

5. The parent’s driver’s license or other state identification number

6. The parent’s signature

7. Any special care notes for the child, such as allergies

  •  The security system must match four elements at minimum every time a child is signed-in or out:

1. The name of the child

2. The name of the parent

3. The signature of the parent

4. The driver’s license or state identification number

If a parent requests to have any other adult sign their child into our out of class, we must have the parent sign the authorization on page 2 of the Child-Parent Profile form, and we must have the other adult sign on page 2 and write down their contact information. We must have advance, written authorization from the parent at sign-in that they have authorized a non-parent adult to sign their child out.

Children’s Safety Policy

We want parents to be confident their children are safe in Grace Bible Church’s Children’s Ministry. There are several elements of general safety that we must follow:

  • Whether you are on or off-duty as a ministry worker, keep an eye out for any unsafe condition of the facility, and report it to the person on security duty.
  • Keep an eye on the conduct of kids outside of class, and do not allow any behavior which could result in injury, such as wrestling, jumping from platforms or chairs, running in a crowd, blindfolding, playing in the street, shouting or screaming, hiding, etc.
  • Do not let any children roam the church unattended by their parents.
  • Classroom Safety
  • Kids love to have fun. It is our job to lead them in activities which are fun and safe. And the key word is lead – we must maintain control and lead them in the fun they have so that they are safe from injury. To have safe classes, we must be skilled at effective discipline.
  • Review the Child-Parent Profile Forms for all kids in class, making sure to note any allergies the kids have, so that you can restrict them from foods or activities that could make them ill.
  • Review the Child-Parent Profile Forms for all kids in class, taking note of any activity restrictions or other requests that parents have made concerning their child’s safety.
  •  Boys and even some girls are prone to wrestle. Do not allow any amount of wrestling at Grace Bible Church. Stop it immediately, reminding all children involved that it is not allowed. Injuries can happen very quickly even when kids appear to be “harmlessly” wrestling.
  • Kids love to hide. But do not allow it because you must keep them all easily visible to you, and because some hiding spots can cause bumps or scrapes.
  • Kids love to make noise. A certain amount is healthy, but stop any shouting or screaming which could hurt other kid’s ears or feelings or cause them to panic.

Updated and revised 11/2013

Sermons

Plan a Visit