What is MOPPETS?

Our MOPPETS program provides care for children from infancy through kindergarten. While mothers attend the MOPS meeting, the children enjoy a program designed to meet their needs. Children are divided into age groups and are involved in planned activities that provide social growth and spiritual enrichment. Games, stories, crafts, and play enhance their physical and creative development... and allow the Moms to more fully enjoy their MOPS meetings.

MOPPETS Policies

Registration
Registration forms must be completed for each child with pertinent information/health issues that your child’s teacher/care giver will need to know. These forms are kept in the room where your child will be staying while you attend the MOPS program.

Signing Children in and Out of Classroom
Sign in starts at 9:15 AM and sign out is no later than 11:45 AM. Each time upon arriving for the MOPS meeting, please take your child to their MOPPETS room and sign them in. Add any specific instructions regarding your child – i.e., diaper change needed, bottle at 10:30 AM, needs to go potty before treats, etc. You will be given a sticker with your child’s name, your name, and the MOPPETS room name. Please put the sticker on his/her back. You personally will be given a permanent name tag that will show the same information. Please return YOUR tag each time you leave the church. For security reasons, we will match each of the tags and stickers at the end of the MOPS session. This is for the safety and protection of your child who is very important to us. Soon, we will know which mom goes with which child. Please let the teacher know if someone other than you is going to take your child home – e.g., if your child needs to leave early for some reason.

Labels
Most of you already know the importance of labeling everything that belongs to your child. So this is just a gentle reminder to label everything – e.g., coats, diaper bags, boots, special blankies or toys etc. with your little ones’ name.

Unattended Children
In advance, we thank you for understanding that we are not set up to be responsible for children whose mothers are not on the church premises. Thus, please do not leave your child at the church if you have to leave, even if it is to run and get preschoolers or drop off kindergartners. Accidents do happen and we need the mothers here at all times.

Illness
We really appreciate and thank you for keeping your child home if they meet any of the following conditions:

• Has had a fever in the last 24 hours
• Has an excessive runny nose
• Has a rash
• Is feeling nauseous
• Has diarrhea
• Has a sore throat
• Is generally not feeling well

We are trying our best to minimize the sharing of illnesses. We don’t want you to bring your healthy children and take them home less than well. Thank you so much for thinking of others.

Babies Less Than 6 Months Old
If your child is 6 months old or younger, they may join you in the MOPS meeting. If they stay with you, please keep them as quiet as possible so as not to distract what is happening in the meeting. We know we didn’t HAVE TO WRITE this last sentence, but we did anyway. Also, please be as quiet as possible when and if you wish to take your child to the nursery. Thank you.

Inappropriate Behavior
We will use “time outs” with a book to read or some other activity if your child is disrupting the class for some reason – e.g., tired or just cranky from a busy morning. However, children that push, hit, bite or bully other children will be removed from the class for the day if the teacher feels their behavior is disrupting and upsetting the others in the class. Your child’s teacher or care giver will share with you what happened when the time is appropriate – i.e., after the MOPS meeting or if we need to come to get you.

Upset Children
Please be prepared for some anxiety from your children during the first couple of meetings. This is a natural response to being separated from Mommy. Hopefully, after they get used to their surroundings and teachers, they will not be so upset. If your child is suffering from separation anxiety or crying when you put them in their classroom, we recommend that you spend some time with them in the room to acclimate them. If this doesn’t work, try leaving them for 15 minute increments and see how they do. Or, better yet, have another mom go in the room to check on your child and report back to you. This will help your little one acclimate better than if you were personally checking in on them. We will come get you if your child is inconsolable. Please DO NOT take your child into the MOPS meeting room. Only children 6 months and younger are allowed in the meeting.

Snacks
Due to the increasing prevalence of allergies, we are a peanut-free zone. A snack will be provided for your child during their stay. We will offer things like water, juice, crackers, goldfish, pretzels, graham crackers and Cheerios. If your child has any food allergies, please be sure to include it on your child’s information form.

Children’s Program
We have a full house this year which means we have 55 children. We will assign children to the rooms based on their age and physical abilities. Children aged three, four and five will be doing selected activities centering around traditional Bible stories.

Moms On-call for Childcare
We are a volunteer based ministry. Should we be short on volunteers any given week, moms from pre-assigned tables will be asked to help out in the MOPPETS rooms. We hope that we will not need to use moms in the MOPPETS rooms. Any one table will not be on call more than two times a year.