Best Practices in Church Child Care

#1: Plan Ahead

Post your job as soon as you know you need a child care provider. For example, if your church needs child care every Sunday, post a recurring job in advance for an entire month, or even quarter.

This will help:

• Ensure your jobs get filled. Highly organized providers often plan their schedule in advance. Posting early gives you the security of knowing you’ll have the extra support to provide the best care possible, especially around holidays. It also gives providers peace of mind knowing they have job security with your church.
• Establish consistency with providers. The more repeat providers at church, the more seamless the experience will be for everyone involved- including providers! Once a provider has learned your unique protocols and practices, has met your team, and has made an impression on the children you serve, it’s a win/win when you’re able to rebook them.
• Develop alignment internally. Outlining a clear schedule in advance will create cohesion across your church’s departments, like Finance and Education. Getting everyone on the same page is key to a stress-free experience.

 

#2 Get Organized

Ashley recommends using the resources on the SitterTree app to make the best room placements for providers. Read profiles and reviews, and check provider Badges in advance of each job. 

For instance, if you offer care for children with special needs, placing a provider with a Special Needs Badge in that classroom would be ideal. If you have a repeat provider, consider placing them in the same classroom they previously served for consistency.

This quick and easy preparation goes a long way in showing your providers they are valued and seen, while ensuring children receive the best possible care. 

 

 #3 Treat Providers Like Your Team

One of the best ways to set up your church’s child care program for success is to efficiently and compassionately integrate providers into your operation. Ashley shares some practical ways Peachtree Church does this. 

• Provide informative resources. When providers arrive at Peachtree Church, they watch a short video that tells them everything they need to know to have a great experience. The video covers important topics like safety protocols, church expectations, and where to find items like smocks and kitchen supplies. Content like this provides clarity and establishes expectations upfront. 

 

• Ask for feedback. At the end of each job, Ashley asks providers to fill out a quick questionnaire to rank their experience and classroom. By doing so, she can then place returning providers back in classrooms that were a great fit, or move providers to a new opportunity if they didn’t quite mesh with their previous placement. Asking for honest feedback makes booking repeat providers even easier.

 

• Learn their names. Providers bring valuable, quality care for your children. Make them feel seen and appreciated with the simplest of acts—learning their name. Ask for clarity if you need help with the pronunciation, and ask again if you forget it. It goes a long way.