New Eden Kids Update
Our primary aim for New Eden Kids is to disciple kids in the way of Jesus and proclaim the gospel to their young hearts week after week. To accomplish this aim, we desire for volunteers to serve from a place of health, so they can fully invest each week as they engage with your kids. After about six months of regular Sunday gatherings, we've learned some things, and we think making some adjustments will allow us to accomplish these goals more fully.
CLASS DIVISION
The first change will be to the way our classes are structured. Currently, we offer two different classes each week. One classroom hosts kids from birth through 2 years old, and the other classroom hosts kids from 3 years old through 2nd Grade. We've had one primary teacher in each classroom, along with a floater who can move from class to class as necessary.
We have recently experienced some growth, which means we need to add one more volunteer and split the older class into two separate classes. We will have one primary worker in each class, with a floater who will help wherever they are most needed. This change will also allow us to keep our class size small and give each kid more attention. Beginning this Sunday, this will be the new format.
INFANTS & TODDLERS CLASSROOM
Newborn - 2 Years Old
PRESCHOOL CLASSROOM
3 - 4 Years Old
SCHOOL AGE CLASSROOM
K - 2nd Grade
Kids can move to the Preschool Classroom as soon as they turn three, but they must be potty trained in order to move up.
Kids will not move into the School Age Classroom until they begin Kindergarten. Each year, we will have a Promotion Sunday in line with the local school calendar, which is when they will move up.
We ask for kids in 3rd Grade and up to sit in the service with their parents. As we grow, we plan to offer mid-week discipleship opportunities for kids in these grades.
CLASS LENGTH
The next change we will be making will be the length of the upper two classes. Currently, we invite all kids from birth through 2nd Grade to go to their class as soon as they check-in when they arrive at the gathering. However, asking our volunteers to keep young kids engaged for this long with our portable setup is difficult. The way we currently do it means that some kids can be in class for almost two hours (including the time before and after the service), and most kids get restless before dismissal.
Because of this, we are going to adjust when the upper two classes receive kids. Parents can still drop off kids in the Infants & Toddlers Class when they check their kids in, but beginning this Sunday, we're going to wait until after the first song set to dismiss kids to the Preschool and School Age Class.
Every week, we will make an announcement, and at that time, those two classes will begin. The primary teacher for each class will be at the door, ready to help your kids settle into class and start their lesson. We still ask that you check all of your kids before the service to make the process easier mid-service. Doing it this way also allows our kids to join in with us in singing to King Jesus at the beginning of the service. For a summary of the way this will work, see below.
NEWBORN - 2ND GRADE
Check-in when you arrive.
NEWBORN - 2 YEARS OLD
Drop off at class immediately after check-in.
3 YEARS OLD - 2ND GRADE
Send to class after the first song set when the announcement is made.
3RD GRADE & OLDER
Stay in the main gathering with their parents.
CLASS STRUCTURE
The last change we are making will be more helpful for our volunteers to know than our parents, but we wanted to keep you all in the loop. We currently use the Gospel Project as our curriculum, and we don't plan on changing that. The Gospel Project is an excellent resource for our teachers, and it keeps Jesus at the center of every lesson.
However, due to us being in a portable space, using the lesson in its entirety is difficult. Moving forward, we plan to simplify the lesson each week to keep the kids engaged in the best way we can. Here is a simple structure that you can expect your kids to have each week in both the Preschool and School Age Classes.
FAMILY TIME (10 min)
ACTIVITY PAGE (5 min)
INTRODUCE & TELL THE STORY (15 min)
EXPERIENCE THE STORY (10 min)
SNACK & REVIEW (10 min)
COLORING & PLAYTIME (10 min)
Thank you for understanding the above changes and entrusting your kids to us for the short time we have them on Sundays. We don't take that lightly. We pray that we can supplement and aid in your discipleship efforts throughout the rest of the week.
As an assurance to each of you, let me remind you that we background check every volunteer before serving in New Eden Kids. We also ask that all kids' volunteers either be a member or on their way toward becoming one. And our policy is to never allow a volunteer to be alone with kids in an enclosed space. We take your kids' protection very seriously, and if you ever have any concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out by emailing me at joel@newedenchurch.org.
In Christ,
Joel McCarty
Pastor for Preaching & Oversight