Policies & procedures

Arrival & Dismissal

Bible Camp is 6/23-24/22 5-7pm and 6/25/22 10-1pm. Children may arrive at Eastland Mall's Eventful Creations, 10-15 minutes before each opening session. Park near the food court entrance and walk your child(ren) to Eventful Creations. Parents will follow the posted signs for drop off and pick up. Volunteers will be stationed to welcome students and families. Children will only be released to the person(s) designated on the VBS Registration Form you submitted. If someone else will be picking up, Staff must be notified at drop off.

Absences

Please call or text, 6306733783, to report your child’s absence from the VBS. Our camp councilor will call emergency number to verify the absence if no prior notification is received.

Accident or emergencies

There will be an adult designated as the VBS First Aid Volunteer. This person, as well as the Group Leader, will be informed of any child with an allergy or disability as indicated on the registration form. The emergency phone number listed on the VBS Registration Form must connect the VBS staff to a person who is responsible for attending to the health and well being of the child during the VBS hours.

Food and drink

Fruit juices, bottled water, food and snacks will be offered to the children during snack time. Dinner will also be provided at the conclusion of each day. Exceptions/allergies to certain types of food or drink must be indicated on the VBS Registration Form. If you think your child would prefer something familiar to his/her tastes, please feel free to pack a snack(s).

Incidents

The VBS Director or Camp Counselor will call the emergency number on the VBS Registration Form to report any incident due to improper behavior and/or accident immediately to the parent/guardian.

COVID 19

For all of us to celebrate Vacation Bible School, we must move forward together by practicing physical distancing, wearing masks, regular hand washing and other regular habits to reduce our risk of exposure and the risk of exposing others to the virus that causes Covid-19.
To keep our staff and campers healthy, we will need to continue the following practices:
• Staying home when sick
• Physical distancing (staying 6 feet away when possible)
• Frequently washing hands or using hand sanitizer when soap and water are not available
• Wearing masks
• Avoiding touching eyes, nose, and mouth
• Medical self-screening and reporting
• Cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces
• Providing instruction to campers on the appropriate hygiene practices consistent with mitigating
the spread of Covid-19
Throughout our campus, informational signs and reminders will help campers, volunteers, and staff remember to engage in these safety protocols.

Bathroom

There will be two volunteers that will take a child to the bathroom. No volunteer will go into the stall with a child. As much as possible, when adults are taking children to the restroom, they will take only children of the same gender. Volunteers will go through great lengths to give children as much privacy as possible. If a child needs assistance, the volunteer will make sure the secondary volunteer is able to witness or be alerted of all actions.

Discipline

All staff volunters will take the following steps to provide instruction for a positive and safe community.
Redirect. Meet the child at eye level, gently correct the inappropriate behavior, and redirect their attention.
Remove. If necessary, ask the Camp Counselor to escort the child from the situation to the calm down corner within each room. One minute per year of age is the suggested amount of time.
Refer. If all else fails, refer the child to your ministry leader (Shanti, Zari, or Christa)

Interactions

Pick-up/Drop off: Volunteers will be stationed for welcome while children are being dropped off. They will be cheerful and full of excitement. Volunteers will learn students wnd familes names and engage in conversation with them. When parents pick their children up, volunteers will show excitement and be willing to share with parents the joys, successes, learning points.
Visual Supervision: All children must be under supervision at all times (for specifics regarding bathroom see “Bathroom Section”)
Words: Children soak up the words and are very impressionable. These words can be used to speak life and encouragement or you can lifelong damage. Words are a powerful tool –volunteers will use them wisely!
Play with the kids. What makes game time even more fun is when children see their leaders having fun with them. There is no substitution for playing with kids. While playing with the children, please exercise appropriate play.
Listen. Volunteers will learn infinitely more by listening than speaking. When children take the time to share, volunteers will give their attention and listen to them. God has a blessing for us all if we will listen.