Space for the Kids

The most important areas in a church building are the Sunday School rooms for the preschoolers and children.  Some might want to argue that point, but it’s important that the kids ministry area be top quality.

This is the area of the church that should be well-equipped and should “shine” as you enter the area.  When young families with children come to the church for the first time, they are evaluating the preschool and children space as they drop their children off for Sunday School and for preschool care during worship times.

Unfortunately some churches allow these areas to become cluttered, outdated and are placed in less than convenient areas of the church educational facilities.  Don’t let that happen.  Lead your Sunday School ministry to make preschool and children’s space a priority instead of an add-on.

There are several reasons for doing so.  Here’s a list of a few:

• Preschoolers and children need more space than youth and adults (it is recommended that preschool rooms have 35 square feet per child and children’s rooms have 25 square feet per child).  This may seem like a lot, but preschoolers need room crawl and toddle around.  Children are active and need some space to move and do activities during Sunday School teaching times.
• Parents are taking note.  If it’s not clean or updated, they probably won’t feel comfortable leaving their children in that room.  Make sure the floor coverings are clean and modern.  Have bright lighting and colorful painted and decorated walls.  Check the safety of the furnishings and equipment.  In recent years there have been new federal safety guidelines issued for baby cribs so make sure the cribs meet these standards.
• If the preschool and children’s areas are in an inconvenient place or not near the worship center, consider doing a swap with other age groups.  With the exception of the senior adult classes (which should also be on a main level near the worship center) you could possibly arrange for adults or youth to be further away or on other levels of the facility.  Parents want their children fairly close by and they like the ease of dropping off children soon after they enter the building, so try to have preschool/children rooms in convenient areas.
• It’s about the kids!  When Sunday School ministry started in the late 1700’s in England, it was a ministry for children.  Don’t forget the kids.  When children come to Sunday School, it is often an easy step or two to also reach their parents.

If you need to review the safety and security of your kids ministry facilities, here’s a link to a document  you can download.

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Richard Nations is the Church Health Team Leader at the Baptist Convention of Iowa.  Reach him at rnations@bciowa.org.