Change is inevitable, but often challenging. As our ministry to children grows, we have an exciting and challenging season ahead of us as we change some things in our age groupings and locations for Genesis Kids. These changes will take affect on Sunday March 2. So here is the game plan.
1. We will be dividing up our Genesis Kids ministry into three groups
a. Babies/Toddlers: birth – three years old
b. Younger Children: four years old – 1st grade
c. Older Children: 2nd – 5th grade
*Children will be placed in the group based on their age on September 1 of the current school year or the current grade.
2. We will be changing the meeting location of these age groups
a. Babies/Toddlers: This group will begin meeting where the Elementary children currently meet on the northeast side of the EHS Commons.
b. Younger Children: This group will be meeting adjacent to the Babies/Toddler area in the L-shaped portion of the Commons on the north end.
c. Older Children: This group will be meeting where the Babies-Preschool currently meet on the south end of the Commons.
d. These changes will allow for better security for our youngest children as these areas provide some natural barriers inherent to the layout.
3. There will still be two check-in stations for parents
a. Babies/Toddlers and Younger Children: These parents will check in at a new location conveniently located in the central area of the commons close to these age divisions.
b. Older Children: These parents will continue to check in at the table in the foyer before entering the Commons.
c. We will continue to maintain our current Genesis Kids Table in the foyer for guests and to check in older children.
4. We are also going to be making a shift in Preschool and Children’s Curriculum. We have already begun using Gospel Project Curriculum in the Elementary-aged group and it is going really well. Changes in curriculum for the Younger Children will be within the next 6 months. The reason we are changing to Gospel Project is because the curriculum focuses on teaching our children about the Gospel. The former curriculum was very good, however, there were many adjustments that had to be made each week to keep the focus on who Jesus is and what He has done for us rather than what we can be doing to find favor with God. We are very excited about this change and the children seem to be enjoying it.
Reasons for making these changes
1. Age Division changes: With the current age breakdown of our children and the volunteer team that serves in Genesis Kids, these changes will allow an age division that accounts for the developmental abilities of our children and the best means for teaching them about Jesus. Currently, we have Kindergarteners combined with 5th Graders in the Elementary Group that leaves a huge social and developmental gap for teaching. Many times, teachers are left either simplifying the material too much for the younger children or teaching to the oldest without the youngest being able to understand. This promotes disinterest and limited teaching to both age groups.
2. By dividing the children into the new groups, we will be organizing children based more on their developmental abilities and level of understanding. This will allow teachers to be able to better provide teaching and learning activities geared toward those ages and promotes understanding and enthusiasm during class.
3. This age division allows us to use the current volunteer team more effectively and does not necessitate recruiting an entire new team for a new age division. There may be a few more volunteers needed as the size of the groups are determined but will be minimal.
So there you have it, the changes for Genesis Kids that will begin next week. Pray for us as we go forward and adjust to the new plan.
