FAQs
What do you have in place for my child's safety?
At Hope Church we take the safety of our young ones very seriously. For this reason, we do not consider allowing volunteers to serve with our young ones until we’ve spent a year building a relationship with them as members of the church. At that point, we ask all volunteers to submit to a thorough background check to ensure our kids are in the safest of hands. Some classrooms have middle school or high school helpers serving under the adult leadership of the class. These students are asked to submit to the same level of accountability as our adult helpers. If you have further questions about this process, please feel free to ask.
Where do I check in my child?
There are check in stations by the Nursery, the Preschool area and the Elementary area. If you have trouble finding our check in stations, please ask someone at the Welcome Center for directions. Our children’s ministry greeters will help you check in and print name tags for your child.
After check-in what can I expect?
At the check in station, Three stickers will be printed out for each child. One sticker is put on the child as their name tag, one sticker is given to the teacher for attendance, the third sticker (which does not have a name on it) is the parent's pick up sticker and must be presented before the child is released.
How do you make sure my child is not given to the wrong person?
We match codes on the child’s name tag with the parent tag at pickup. Our staff is trained to only let a child go home with an adult who has the matching parent tag. We do not allow siblings to pick up other children.
What if I lose my parent pick up sticker?
If you lose your pick up sticker, we will ask you to show your driver's license to the supervisor who will verify that you have permission to pick up the child.
Do you allow sick children to come to the nursery or classroom?
No. Please keep any sick children home until they are better/no longer contagious. If you are unsure whether your child should come, we ask that you keep them home so we do not spread illness. Our illness policy requires that you wait until your child has been fever free for at least 24 hours before returning.
How do you handle allergies or special medical needs?
Please inform the staff if your child has a restriction of any sort. For regular attenders, the restrictions will print on their name tag. We also provide labels for your child at check in for visitors.
What if I have a child with special needs?
We welcome all children into our regular classrooms, however, we do not have a class specifically for children with special needs. It is often helpful for a parent or guardian to stay with a child with special needs until they are comfortable with the teachers and other students. If possible we will find a one on one helper for your child.
Should I bring a diaper or extra clothes for my child?
Yes! Please send more than one diaper with any child who is not potty trained. Please send potty training children with a pull up and an extra set of clothes. We do have diapers and some clothing should you forget.
How do you handle potty training?
We ask that you remind our workers each time you drop off if your child is potty training. Please send potty training children in a pull-up if possible, as sometimes they do not feel comfortable going in the potty without their parent. Both the nursery and 2 year old classrooms have toddler sized toilets that the kids love to use.
How do you keep track of the items I bring for my child?
We ask that you label everything that you bring with your child. There are sticker labels by the check in stations for anything that comes out of your bag. Labeling your items helps us make sure they are returned to you. We ask that you do not send your child into the classroom with toys from home.
Is my child being adequately supervised in the rooms?
We have two workers in the nursery and classrooms at all times with your children. All workers have complied with the church's child protection policy.
Can siblings stay together?
We place children in classrooms according to their age. However, for first time visitors and under special circumstances, we will allow siblings who are different ages to be in the same room. Our experience is that they will quickly be acclimated into their correct room.