If you currently do not offer a childcare ministry alongside your Coffee Break; starting one may not be as difficult as it seems. Many Coffee Breaks offer Little Lambs and Story Hour as an important complement to their program.
Consider starting a something fun for children in order to attract young mothers. Perhaps you do not have enough volunteers in your church to support a program, so if necessary, consider hiring someone from another church. One large church church that has several hundred women attending Bible study and (even more in their children's ministry) chooses to pay all their children's staff. Why do they do this? When asked, they indicated that the church talked a lot about its concern for the next generation and felt the church should put its financial resources behind what they said was important.
You can begin small with even two babysitters. If you only have a couple of individuals willing to babysit, you can do some simple things with even very young children. The God Loves Me Series, available through Faith Alive Christian Resources, are books that are designed for preschoolers. There are even some ideas for easy projects, songs, and activities with these books that tell simple Bible stories. Consider purchasing the Story Hour Sing-Along Praise Songs, or the Songs for Little Lambs CD, also available through Faith Alive. Young children will love to sing along with the music.
If you have a number of babies a great idea is a “rocking grandmother or grandfather.” Perhaps an older member of your congregation, unable to run after a toddler, or unwilling to change a diaper, might love simply to rock a baby during Coffee break. Having one or two of these older volunteers makes it easier for other personnel to engage the remaining children.
Naturally it will be essential to employ safe church practices such as background checks with all your volunteers. If you need more information on these practices, a free brochure is also available through Faith Alive.
What creative ideas do you have for serving preschoolers and their moms?
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