Cokesbury Kids Blog

Jesus said, “Let the little children come…" and as much as we miss the children in our churches and look forward to seeing them, it is hard to wrap our heads around what children’s ministry will look like in the weeks and months ahead.

Opinions vary on when churches should reopen, how they should be reopened - in phases or all at once, and whether or not the children’s ministries should be included initially or delayed. It is a complicated issue. There is no master template; no one-size-fits-all solution. Each congregation will be deciding what is best for them. No matter the congregation, we all want to care for our members and provide the safest environment possible.

Approaching this with an abundance of caution, hospitality, Christian love, and a Wesleyan desire to “do no harm”, here are some questions to consider before reopening your children’s ministry.

Who is making the decision?  An excellent place to begin is to form a task force including clergy, senior staff, the Children’s Director, Youth Director, Preschool Director, Maintenance Supervisor and a member of the Trustees. If any church members are part of the medical community, particularly those who may be dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, have them serve as a medical advisory team to the task force.

What factors or criteria will influence the decision?  Will you base your decision on when public schools reconvene? When local daycare centers move to a normal schedule? Social distancing is no longer encouraged? When a vaccine is available and widely distributed? Be clear on what criteria you will use in your decision-making process.

How will you enforce new additions to your Child Wellness Policy to include social distancing and any COVID-19 protocols? Be diligent. Communicate often with parents in advance of opening and post policies visibly that no one with COVID-19 symptoms may attend preschool, Sunday school, worship, or any other gathering.

Are your children’s spaces compliant with new cleaning and sanitizing protocols set forth by CDC Guidelines and are you staffed to handle the extra work? Conduct a walk-through to see which toys, supplies, and furniture may not be conducive to the new cleaning standards. Think through the new cleaning schedule and regimen you will need to implement.

Will all of your volunteers want to return - and should they? Some volunteers may be hesitant to return right away. Be sure they do not feel pressured to serve before they are comfortable returning to church. You may also have those who are considered vulnerable - over 65 or those with underlying health issues - who should not serve in person at this time.   

How will you enforce social distancing with children?  Children will need to be six feet apart from other children. Older preschoolers through older elementary children can probably understand social distancing. Toddlers and young preschoolers will have the most difficulty understanding this concept, which will be problematic. Infants and any child still in diapers should stay with their parents.  However, if nursery is going to be provided for that age, abide by a 1:1 ratio. Can your classrooms hold all children if social distancing? Will you need to restrict numbers? Will any furniture need to be removed to support the capacity limit?

Will you require children to wear masks? If so, what ages? Will preschoolers truly be able to keep them on? The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children 2 years of age and under do not wear masks or face coverings. 

Will you take children’s temperatures at check-in? Do you have appropriate temporal thermometers as recommended by the CDC? Do you know cleaning protocols for said thermometers? Staff and volunteers will need training to make this a safe and nonthreatening process.

Will you need to adapt part of your programming? Singing is not recommended because droplets spread at greater distances than casual conversation. Bringing food/serving snack is discouraged. Think through helping children keep their hands away from their faces in every activity. Toys will be tricky for young children, especially preschoolers, who love to put toys in their mouths.

How will you keep children from sharing supplies?  Consider creating bags of supplies with each child’s name on them to be used each week. (Crayons, pencils, scissors, glue sticks, etc.).  Encourage children to bring their own Bibles. (There should be NO sharing of supplies, papers, cloth worship bags, etc.) 

Can traffic be limited to drop-off and pick-up locations?  The less movement of people throughout the building, the better.  Consider having a teacher escort children to the classrooms rather than parents.

How will you ensure a smooth transition? Communicate, communicate, and communicate with parents, volunteers, and staff using various means such as email, newsletters, social media, personal calls, etc.

So, those are some of the practical considerations for reopening, but here are three less tangible aspects worth reflection:

Consider hitting a restart button. No matter when we return to our church campuses, and as anxious as we all are to be together again, we will not be going “back to normal.” We will be creating a new normal. This is an opportunity to decide what we want the new normal to look like. Reexamine your vision, goals, and what God may be calling your ministry to next. Tap into your creative side! Gather input from parents, volunteers, and other children’s ministry leaders in your area. Focus on connections over content.

Remember the why.  Remember why you do what you do. For the love of children! What do you want the experience for children and families to be when they return? Can you envision a warm, loving, environment with play, hugs, singing, children and adults sitting together for Bible stories?  Or do you envision a sterile, restricted environment with very few toys, where children wear masks and are constantly cautioned to “sit still, don’t move, don’t touch?” 

There is no rush. Perhaps continuing to offer ways to reach families and children virtually for a little while longer has greater benefits than opening the doors too soon. Yes, let the little children come.  I long to see them coming hand-in-hand, no masks, sitting together as a class for Bible story, singing “Jesus Loves Me” at the top of their lungs, sharing crayons with each other - even if it takes a little while longer to get there.

Amy A. Harriman is Director of Children’s Ministry at Myers Park United Methodist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.