The St. Thomas More nursery is provided for parish families so parents may attend Mass on Sundays and participate in weekly ministry events giving them the opportunity for spiritual growth while leaving their child in a caring and loving environment. Childcare is provided Sunday mornings for infants at least 6 months old until the child reaches kindergarten age. For programs outside Sunday mornings, Nursery Care is extended through elementary age children.
Our Nursery Staff consists of many volunteers from this ministry and a few paid caregivers who all provide a safe, positive, fun first church experience for our children. Per our Catholic Diocesan policy on Ethics and Integrity in Ministry, all caregivers must complete the Protecting Gods Children Workshop and complete the online application so that a background check can be performed by the Diocese.
The Nursery program is successful due to the volunteers and parents who work together each week to make this nursery possible. Our caregivers who staff the Sunday Mass nursery are parents who utilize the nursery and volunteer one Sunday per month. Caregivers for other ministry programs are recruited by ministry leaders and are either paid staff or volunteers.
Our nursery rooms are located in the family center in Nursery Rooms 1, 2 and 3 just past the gift shop. We also utilize Room 102 in the Religious Education building when necessary.
Our hours of operation:
| Sunday Co-Op Nursery | 9:00 am, 10:45 am and 12:30 pm Mass |
|---|---|
| Availability is based on number of children and volunteers present. We are currently only offering childcare for the 9:00 and 10:45 Masses. If you are interested in utilizing and volunteering for the Nursery for the 12:30 Mass, please contact the Nursery Coordinator. | |
| Weekly Programs available with Reservation: | |
|---|---|
| Monday | 3:30-5:30pm and 6:30-9:00pm |
| Tuesday | 3:30-5:30pm and 6:30-9:00pm |
| Wednesday | 3:30-5:30pm and 6:30-9:00pm |
| Thursday | Closed |
| Friday | 9:00am-12:00noon and 7:00-9:00pm |
| Saturday | Closed |
The Nursery will be closed on the following major holidays and Sunday Co-Op Nursery will be closed on the following holiday weekends:
- New Years Day
- Good Friday and Easter
- Memorial Day
- Fourth of July
- Labor Day
- Thanksgiving and the Friday after
- Christmas Eve and Christmas
Childcare room reservations MUST be made at least 10 days in advance of special programs to ensure adequate numbers of nursery workers. Ministry leaders should notify the Nursery Coordinator of need of nursery support for an event as soon as the event is scheduled and not less than 10 days in advance. Contact Kelli Merchant at 258-2055 or patkelli@yahoo.com (e-mail is preferred) with the event name, your contact information and an estimated number of infants 6-17 months of age and children 18 months and older needing care. (We have different child to caregiver ratios for each age group.) Parents must make childcare reservations 3 days (72 hours) prior to their meeting by submitting their reservation electronically or by contacting the Nursery Coordinator. Parents not making reservations electronically must submit a Children's Information Form which is available electronically or has a ard copy from Kelli Merchant.
Please view the Nursery Program Guidelines. Nursery volunteers should also view the Nursery Volunteers page.
| Contact: | Kelli Merchant, Coordinator
patkelli@yahoo.com 258-2055 (email preferred) |