If you’re like most churches, your nursery depends on volunteers.
After all, volunteers are more than just extra hands—they're the heart and soul of your Children's Ministry. They keep your nursery program running smoothly, and provide quality, loving care for the kids in your congregation.
There are a number of ways to recruit volunteers to meet the needs of your congregation. However, if your church is growing quickly, or offers events throughout the week, keeping up with schedules and child care ratios can be a challenge.
Many leading churches prioritize the needs of their families by hiring background-checked, paid child care providers.
5 benefits of paid church nursery staff
#1: Build consistency with repeat sitters
Volunteers are a blessing, there's no question. But when church nursery volunteers change weekly, it can be challenging to create consistency. And we all know, consistency is key for little ones.
Booking paid church nursery staff is an easy way to establish predictability for the kids in your congregation. Seeing the same smiling faces in the nursery each week makes children more comfortable, which can mean fewer tears at drop-off. Plus, consistent staffing (whether volunteers or paid sitters) helps ease the minds of parents, allowing them to ready their hearts for worship. We'd call that a definite win-win.
#2: Get last-minute call-outs covered
If you coordinate nursery volunteers for your church, you know how stressful last-minute cancellations can be. While call-outs can happen with both volunteers and paid staff, signing up with a church child care platform like SitterTree can be a reliable back-up option in times of need.
SitterTree boasts a 99% job fill rate. That means chances are high that you'll find a quality sitter—even if you're posting a job for the same week. Plus, if you receive a call-out from a sitter booked on SitterTree, you can easily repost the job at no cost.
#3: Enjoy increased reliability
As child care professionals, paid church nursery staff tend to be both reliable and punctual. This means nursery coordinators will save a ton of time scheduling and covering shifts.
Plus, paid sitters typically complete a background check and have experience caring for children. Experienced sitters are likely to create a well-structured nursery environment, helping assure parents their little ones are in capable hands.
#4: Support volunteers when they’re spread thin
If you have a smaller nursery team, a practical way to support and acknowledge volunteers is by supplementing with paid nursery child care. By booking paid church nursery staff, you offer hard-working volunteers a chance to enjoy service, while ensuring the nursery is appropriately staffed.
Or, maybe you have enough volunteers day-to-day, but scramble during busy seasons like Christmas and Easter. Booking nursery staff can keep your child care needs covered during times when your church needs it the most.
#5: Find extra help for weekly programs and events
If your church is experiencing rapid growth, you may struggle to maintain proper ratios for nursery child care. Additionally, if you offer bible study, MOPS, Parent's Morning Out, or other programs throughout the week, paid nursery staff can fill in the gaps to ensure events are well-attended and families are supported.
If expanding your church's programming has been a challenge due to child care, rest assured: you can find quality sitters for any day and time that your events are scheduled.
Ready to try paid nursery support for your church?
You can find the sitters you need for free on SitterTree today.
Paid child care providers aren’t volunteers—but they are reliable, caring child care professionals who serve as an extension of your team. Churches on SitterTree feel confident booking thanks to reviews from other churches, as well as SitterTree's thorough background-check and vetting process.
Plus, leading churches don't view sitters as strangers. After just two bookings, sitters may feel more familiar to kids than many volunteers. It's easy to build consistency by re-booking favorite sitters, keeping parents and kiddos calm and happy.
Or get started with an introductory call or demo.