Proposal for a Parents’ Morning Out program at X Church
Heeding the words of our Lord Jesus Christ when he said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.” (Luke 18:16)
Honoring the United Methodist commitment to provide programming for all ages, and
Fulfilling paragraph 256.2 in the United Methodist Discipline which states in part, “The ministries of the local church are offered so that people encounter God’s redeeming love for the world and respond by participating in God’s action in the world. … include all ministries involving children… including … all weekday programs of children of all ages.“
And taking seriously the responsibility placed upon us to be good stewards with all our resources, including the resource of our physical places and spaces such as that embodied by the X Building,
We propose that X UMC open a Parents’ Morning Out (PMO) program, providing quality childcare by the hour during weekday mornings.
We propose using the Nursery I (0-2) and Nursery II (2-4) rooms in the X Building for this program.
We propose that we serve children ages 3 months up to the age of starting Kindergarten.
We propose that the PMO be open from 9am until 12:00noon, Monday through Thursday, for parents who would like to “drop off” their children for any length of time (minimum charge would be for one hour) during that time frame.
We propose that the Staff-Parish Relations Committee (SPRC) oversee the hiring of two regular staff persons (one Director and one Assistant) and work toward the goal of having a list of 2-3 substitute staff persons. We would be glad to work with the SPRC as closely as they wish in this process. We further propose that a small Board of Directors of the PMO be formed which would include at least one member of the SPRC and at least two of the undersigned persons listed. This BoD would be the primary way in which the PMO staff relate to the church and would be responsible for subsequent changes to both staff and programming of the PMO.
We anticipate paying a competitive wage to the staff of $8-10/hour. We anticipate charging families a one-time registration fee of $10, which would put their children “on record” and eligible for the drop-in child care program. We anticipate charging a reasonable hourly rate of $5/one child; $8/two children; $9/three or more children.
We realize that our space dictates a capacity of 12 children, no more than 5 of them being infants up to age 1. Our proposal is that the PMO accept children as they arrive each morning until the program is “full,” meaning capacity has been reached, and then every effort will be made to accommodate children as space becomes available during the course of the morning (ie: as children leave and space opens up).
Our competition with other providers of similar services in this area is minimal. Most churches in this geographical area offer full preschools or day cares. The two child-care-by-the-hour places nearby (at the X and Y shopping centers) are for-profit businesses. Our church stands in a unique position to offer this service. First, because no other area church is doing it. Second, because our location is in such close proximity to the mall and other shopping areas, it makes geographical sense for parents to utilize child care that is nearby while they shop. Third, because we can offer this service in an implicitly Christian context, something that the two businesses do not provide.
We propose advertising this program:
- in publications that offer free advertising space like X, Y, and Z.
- through websites and email lists such as the X, Y, and Z.
- and at venues or sites such as X, Y, and Z.
Needs:
financial needs:
We would ask the church to pay all overhead costs (heating, cooling, etc.). We would ask that the church “front” the money to cover operating expenses (primarily salaries and supplies) for 3 months, so that we can see if we can build up enough clientele to make the PMO self-sustaining. We feel that should be enough time to determine if this service could survive without the church’s financial assistance or not.
infrastructure needs:
We would like to ask that the church install a phone jack (and assign an extension of the current phone number/system) in the Nursery II (2-4) classroom. We would ask then that a phone (with a ringer that could be turned off) be placed in that room. We would also ask that an area rug be placed in the Nursery I (0-2) classroom.
For the first three months, we would need money for:
salaries – $10/hour x 3 hours x 4 days x 2 staff persons = $240/week x 12 weeks = $2880
supplies – $100/month x 3 months = $300
total monetary asking – $3180
We would like to see the hiring process begin as soon as approval for the program is granted by the church. We would like to begin offering this service prior to the holiday shopping season.
Our goal is for the program to be self-sustaining, with the notable exception that we do not anticipate turning enough of a profit to cover overhead. We anticipate that the church would always need to provide space, climate control, and basic safety (gates, fire extinguishers, etc.). By the end of our three month trial, we want the registration fees and hourly charges to cover salaries and supplies.
Eventually, we would like to see 10% (a tithe) of our clients be either scholarship or voucher clients, as that would make the program truly missional in nature. An example of such a situation could be using PMO to provide child care for a mother taking an ESL class here at the church and giving that mother a voucher for child care for the duration of her class.
Respectfully submitted,
Posted by journeymom 
Posted by journeymom 