Information and Guidelines for Parents 

We will provide for your child: 

• An inviting, safe, clean, climate controlled space in the church sanctuary
• An experienced and loving caregiver (and an assistant when necessary)
• Fun, age-appropriate materials and activities
• Singing and story reading
• A group of peers for social interaction but no more than 6 children per adult
• Potties available for children who are toilet trained and/or training.  (Please let us know if your child should receive regular reminders).
• Snacks and bottled water- Please let us know about any dietary restrictions

Please supply in a labeled bag: 

• Plastic drinking cup (labeled with your child’s name)
• Diapers and wipes
• Change of clothes and slippers/indoor shoes for colder weather months
• Healthy snacks for your child

The Hours of Operation for the Toddler Drop Off Program are 9:00am – 11:30am.  Children are welcome to arrive at any time during the session, but please be on time to pick up your child(ren).  

Payment (for the day or week) is expected when you arrive.  We will accept cash or checks made out to Grace Church Van Vorst with “DOTP” and the dates the check will be covering in the memo line.  

The Toddler Program is not intended to be a substitute for daycare as our space and resources are more limited than those of a daycare center.  The aim of the program is to provide much needed respite for as many families as possible.  Therefore, there will be a maximum enrollment of three days/week per child as space allows.   

A waiting list will be maintained for families who are interested in the program, but for whom space is not yet available.  Members of Grace Church Van Vorst will be given top priority on the waiting list.  Thereafter, families will be contacted in order of their length on the waiting list.  For last minute cancellations, all of the families on the waiting list who have provided email addresses will be contacted, and the space will be given to the first person to request it. 

We request a minimum of 24 hours notice if your child will not be attending the program on a day that he/she is regularly scheduled to attend as this will allow us to contact families on the waiting list so another family can take advantage of the program on that day. 

Please do not bring your child to the program if he/she is sick or would not be comfortable participating in the morning’s activities. If your child has a fever of 101.0F or higher, please keep him or her home.  Our policy is that your child must remain free of fever for 24 hours before returning to the program. If your child has diarrhea, please keep him/her home.  If your child vomits while at the program, you will be called immediately to pick him/her up.  Please keep your child at home until 24 hours after the vomiting has stopped.  When children return too soon, there is a much higher rate of recurrence and contagiousness.  Colds are a common occurrence.  However, there are some symptoms that warrant keeping a child home.  These include, but are not limited to:  bad cold with hacking or persistent cough, green or yellow nasal drainage, productive cough with green or yellow phlegm being coughed up.  

Should your child experience a difficult morning or if we discover that he/she is not well or displays any of the symptoms described above, we will call you and ask for your return.  Thus a cell phone number is required! 

It is common for children who are new to the program to have a difficult time adjusting to being away from a parent or familiar caregiver.  If this is the case with your child, you are welcome to remain at the program with your child to help him or her adjust to the new environment and caregivers.  Parents who remain with their children for the entire drop off period will not be charged.  You may also gradually decrease the amount of time that you remain with your child and the daily rate will be prorated.  For each hour that a child is left unattended by a parent or guardian, a $10 fee will apply. 

If you are interested in remaining with your child and assisting in caring for the other children in the program, please let us know.  Parents who are scheduled to volunteer on a given day will receive a credit for a free drop off on a subsequent day. 

In the event of a medical situation, the primary caregiver for the morning (Síle Dooley or Anne Rubin) will take responsibility for the child in need of care.  A church employee and the parent volunteer will become responsible for the remaining children. If necessary, the child will be taken to the Jersey City Medical Center located at Jersey and Grand Streets.  The church staff will immediately contact you so that you can meet us at the hospital.  

Sile Dooley will be the primary caregiver on Tuesdays and Fridays and Anne Rubin will be the primary caregiver on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.