Bloom Kids Policies and Procedures

Safety and Legal Protocol 1. There must always be at least 2 Bloom Kids staff in a classroom/nursery at any given time; provided that at least one of them is female. 2. Children cannot be left unattended with a male in the classroom. It is a matter of insurance liability. This means that a female volunteer must take student(s) to the restroom; if and when there is a male in the classroom, the female volunteer must take all students to the restroom and send them in same-gender groups. A female in the nursery must change and check diapers. Children in the nursery should be checked every 20 minutes. 3. In case of a fire or intruder (or any other emergency that requires evacuation) the Nursery and Pre-K children will exit our classrooms and head southbound down the hallway, down the stairs and out the alley-way exit. The Kindergarten-5th grade children will exit out the north-west door just to the west of the 2nd-3rd grade classroom. This will be called a “code red.” The Bloom Kids coordinator will communicate the emergency to the staff using a verbal or visual (silent) que. The silent que will be a red piece of construction paper. These will indicate that it’s now time for an immediate evacuation of the building. Do so quietly and calmly. 4. If a child becomes a danger to other children’s safety (e.g. [s]he is throwing blocks, pushing, shoving, etc. and will not calm down, notify Nate right away with the child’s number. One of the adults should take the child out of the room and try to talk with the child and calm him/her down. Nate will contact the parents. 5. If a child is ill and is potentially contagious, notify the Bloom Kids coordinator via the walkie-talkie right away and we will remove the child and notify the parents/guardians. 6. In case of tornado warning, move the students into the basement, away from the windows. Have the children kneel down, tucking their heads all the way to the ground and covering their heads with their hands. Exit out the doors, down the hallway (southbound) and down the staircase. Find a place that is without windows. 7. Parents/Guardians of the children will check them in using PCO at the beginning and will check them out at the end. Each child must have his/her PCO nametag on with his/her full name and number/code matching his/her parents number. If a child either does not have this name tag or a parent does not have the proper “checkout” code to match his or her child, notify the Bloom Kids coordinator immediately. Children are not allowed to remove or damage their name tags in any way. 8. Snacks in the classroom, either provided by Bloom or by any parent must be free of any dairy, nut or wheat products. This is due to the nature of some hyper-allergenic children in both Bloom’s and Hope’s communities. 9. All volunteers must wear a Bloom Kids lanyard from now on the entire time you are serving in Bloom Kids, and they must be visible and clear at all times.


Bloom Kids Policies and Procedures

Discipline policy If a student is being disrespectful or a distraction, please provide the student with two clear warnings (verbally “warning #1 & #2”) and a clear description of the nature of the rationale behind the warning. At the third “warning” the child will be removed from the classroom and the parents/guardians will be notified. Again, contact Nate right away. Please remember that with discipline, we are not just any institution, we are the Church, and as such, we ought to construct an environment that is reconciling and restorative but also one that provides clear authority and boundaries. We are NEVER allowed to inflict punishment of any kind to students outside of warnings and removal from class. This is the place of parents. If a child uses coercive physical force against another student (violence), this is grounds for immediate removal from class. Notify Nate and calmly—without use of physical force—escort the child out of the classroom and Nate will notify the parent(s). In worst-case scenario and a child is out of control and physically abusing another child: 1. DO NOT physically restrain the child. 2. Get your body positioned between the two children, creating a barrier. 3. Notify Nate right away 4. Talk to the child calmly but firmly. 5. Encourage the child to calm down and try to get the child to agree to take a short walk in the hallway or outside with one of the adults in the room. 6. Talk with the child, calming him or her down until the child’s guardian arrives. 7. The child should not permitted back into the classroom that day (the child can return the following week).

Bloom Kids Policies and Procedures

Scheduling protocol 1. Arrive no later than 15 minutes before service time. Check yourselves in, get your Bloom Kids lanyard, pick up your lesson, and prepare your classroom before 4 o’clock. Be fully prepared to teach the lesson for your class before arrival. 2. Schedules will come out in 1-month increments on the 15th of the previous month. Please submit your “block dates” (unavailability) by that date in PCO services by the evening of the 14th of each month. The schedule will be available for viewing by 5 o’clock on the 15th of the month before. If block-dates are not submitted by the 15th, the schedule will be generated and finalized. 3. Absence policy: If you are unable to fulfill your scheduled service time, first attempt to find coverage within the volunteer team. Contact information can still be found on our Google Drive spreadsheet. You can also search for team member contacts via PCO (services). Please inform the Kids Coordinator of your coverage with an email copying the person that is to cover for you, and include any “swapping” shifts information. If coverage cannot be attained, either you will need to serve your allotted time or that classroom will be closed for the evening or joined with another. 4. If, for whatever reason, you decide that you cannot or wish not to participate any longer with Bloom Kids, please provide 1 month’s notice. In other words, you will be asked to serve once more after notifying us, allowing us time to find a replacement. 5. Cleanup: Leave the room as you found it or better each week. Dump trash either in a downstairs trash or the outside alley trash and replace the trash bag. Clean tables and chairs. Put away all supplies in the Bloom kids closet. Vacuum classroom if needed, or spot clean for crumbs and other particles on the floor. Close all windows and turn off all lights. Nursery: disinfect any toys that need it and wipe down the bathroom counter each week.