Preschool Ministry

FLOURISHING IN PRESCHOOL MINISTRY  

The Preschool Ministry cares for children ages birth through PreK and their families. During these first few years, we aim to partner with parents to begin to sow seeds of gospel truth in young hearts. By welcoming families into a warm environment where children are encouraged to be little, to build relationships, and to ask questions, we hope to foster the kind of curiosity about God and his creation that will blossom into faith, hope, and love as our children grow. In teaching the truths of scripture, our goal is to make it simple, make it stick.

PARTNERING WITH FAMILIES 

We believe that every stage of a child’s development matters, and as children grow, their parents are growing, too. We love to come alongside parents as they navigate how to raise godly children by providing community, offering opportunities for education, and encouraging specific ways for families to grow in their love for Jesus together in their daily lives. We also seek to give parents respite and time to care for their own spiritual and relational needs as they participate in the life of the church. Preschool Ministry is open during all Sunday worship services (9 & 11 AM) and also for most church-wide events.

CELEBRATING MILEMARKERS 

Few things rock our world more than the milemarkers we experience as children and with our children. From the birth of your first baby to Kindergarten graduation, a child’s first communion to heading off to college, we want a front-row seat to the joys you celebrate as a family, and we’re here to cheer you on through each stage! It goes without saying that some milemarkers are bittersweet, and some are hard-earned. As you roll up your sleeves and dig in to the more challenging aspects of parenting, we want to be a resource and support system, helping you to discover beauty and truth even when parenting gets tough. After all, it’s just a phase, so don’t miss it. 

SAFETY & SECURITY  

Welcoming our little ones into a space where they can flourish requires our utmost care for safety and security. Protecting our children includes attentive care by both paid and volunteer caregivers, age-appropriate classrooms, thorough cleanliness, and of course a comprehensive system for securing the floor. All doors leading to the Children’s Floor are secured at all times. All volunteers and paid caregivers are required to attend training and complete a background check. Parents are required to check-in children at kiosk stations and print off a security tag for each child, and only parents or legal guardians may pick children up. If this is your first time visiting with us, see a check-in volunteer to get squared away with a temporary tag, and on your next visit you will be able to use the kiosks. Lastly, in order to protect our children with food allergies, we maintain a nut-free facility. We offer plain Cheerios, Stauffer’s Animal Crackers, and Pepperidge Farm Goldfish for snack and water to drink. If your child has an allergy or carries an epi-pen, please notify us.  

WHAT TO EXPECT

SUNDAYS

Kids ages birth–3 are invited to the 1st floor, Cornerstone Building, during all Sunday worship services (9 & 11 AM). Kids age 4-Kindergarten who stay in the Sanctuary with their families may choose to join us for Kingdom Kids (Cornerstone Building, Room 300) during the sermon portion of Sunday worship. Kingdom Kids is one way we partner with families to help kids learn about worship and how they can participate. It is a joy and privilege to have children in worship — and we want to make sure that parents and kids alike are set up to succeed in this transition! After the service, parents simply pick-up children at Kingdom Kids. Parents are also welcome to join us on any Sunday to learn what Kingdom Kids is all about!

WEDNESDAYS

4’s and PreK children are also invited to Kids Discipleship on Wednesday nights, 6-7:30 PM. Kids Discipleship is our primary environment for shepherding and discipling kids. It’s a mix of large group worship and teaching, small groups, and of course, FUN!

Embrace Ministry for kids with additional needs

At the heart of our ministry is a desire to see all members of our community have opportunities to participate in the life of the church. If your child has additional needs or would benefit from personalized support in the Preschool setting, please contact Cara Rock, Director of Embrace Ministry. Embrace Ministry offers many kinds of support and respite, including two sensory rooms staffed by trained caregivers, one-on-one support, and monthly date nights for parents of children with special needs and their siblings. We would love to talk to you about creating a personalized care plan for your family! 

WHAT’S MY NEXT STEP?

Take a look at upcoming programs below to get a sense for where you might want to plug-in. If you’re coming to one of our special events or weekday programs, we’d love to set you up with a host to help you navigate campus and get introduced to other families with young kids. To get set up with a host, contact our Director of Preschool Ministry, Elizabeth Collins. In the meantime, please fill out a brief info form for your kid(s) so we can be ready for your visit! 

Preschool Ministry Staff

Elizabeth Collins

Director of Preschool Ministry

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