Keeping Children Safe at Church

Today’s parents are becoming more and more concerned about the safety of their infants and young children during Sunday worship services and other church events that provide care.

Here are some practical suggestions you can incorporate to keep your church children safe:

Develop your church safety and security

After the recent rash of church and school shootings, some churches are hiring security guards to monitor outside and inside children’s areas. Churches also can provide more safety outside the building with additional and well-maintained lighting in parking lots. They can provide safe playgrounds for children that are securely fenced, monitored at all times and a safe distance away from woods, public areas and roadways.

Another way churches can make sure they are safe is for fire safety and emergency evacuation procedures to be written down, understood and practiced by children’s workers.

Have a church/parent alert system

In case of accident, excessive crying, illness, choking, vomiting, fever, etc., children’s workers must be able to reach parents immediately. Some churches use a discreet private paging system that connects workers and parents.

Choose safe classroom and nursery spaces

It matters where the children’s area is located within the church. For best safety, choose classrooms with outside windows that lock to prevent falling and unauthorized access.

Classrooms also shouldn’t have entrance or exit doors that open out to the grounds, parking lots or streets. It’s also a good idea for there to be a viewing window in the classroom door so that pastors, staff and parents can see inside at all times.

Also make sure you have fire department-approved smoke alarms within or near children’s areas.

Create and practice safety in classrooms

Children’s areas must be clean, childproofed, and equipped with safety plugs in electrical outlets.

They also should have cleared surface spaces to prevent items falling on children.

Cabinets and drawers should have childproof locking devices to prevent accidental openings.

Have on hand a first-aid kit for minor injuries.

Make sure there are no toxic cleaning chemicals or hazardous materials stored in lower cabinets, and make sure trash cans and plants are out of reach.

Choose and equip qualified children’s workers

Whether churches hire children’s workers or enlist volunteers from the congregation, all adults who work with church children must be interviewed by church leadership and approved to work responsibly with children.

They must also undergo a criminal background check and be a member of the church for at least six months.

They should not work alone but with at least one additional church-approved worker in the classroom. The two workers should not be married or related to each other.

Children’s workers should be healthy, have no contagious diseases and be up to date on vaccinations. They should understand church safety policies, have access to a phone in case of an emergency, be trained in CPR and understand what to do in situations such as fire drills, evacuation procedures and potentially violent situations.

Know who will be picking up children after services. Each worker should have church-approved and parent-signed written instructions determining the individuals who are allowed to take children from classrooms.

Report any inappropriate parental behavior to workers or children in classrooms, and any suspected parental child abuse (visible bruises, cuts, etc.).

Have good practices for food

Recently at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary’s child care center, a 2-year-old choked to death while eating lunch. Children can choke on food, and they can die from food-related allergies.

Children’s workers must allow children to eat only the food sent with them by their parents and disallow children sharing each other’s snacks. Have on file an up-to-date list of each child’s food-related allergies and emergency information on treatment in case the child accidentally consumes food to which he or she is allergic.

Know CPR if a child becomes choked and understand church policies concerning child emergencies.

Enable family members to take responsibility

Parents and approved family members can help church workers keep children safe by providing valuable information and observing church rules. For instance, parents can fill out and sign a church-approved information form that includes emergency contact information, food allergies and any special needs the child might have.

Be appreciative

Encourage parents to be appreciative, respectful and kind to children’s workers. Parents should refrain from any type of conflict, from engaging busy workers in long conversations to interfering in classroom policies, but they should report to the pastor or a church leader any problems they see or experience with children’s workers.

When pastors and churches carefully plan and prepare safe children’s areas and classrooms, choose and train competent children’s workers and work to make church a safe place for children, parents will worry less about their children as they attend worship services and events in another part of the church.

— Adapted from an article first published in the Alabama Baptist. Reprinted with permission.