We believe that kids should have a blast at church every single week – and at City Gates Kids we make this a priority. The other thing we make a priority is your children’s safety. Because of that, we have a detailed check-in process for our Kids and Youth programmes the first time that you visit. Keep reading for all the information you’ll need!

PARENTS LOUNGE

For parents and children 0 – 12 months. There is a live video stream of the service so you won’t miss a thing. There are high chairs, bouncy chairs, a feeding area, bottle warmers and nappies if you need them.

GOD TOTS

For children aged 1 – 3 years old. We have a lot of fun interactive toys for all the children to play with. The children have fun, sing songs and learn about Jesus in an age appropriate way! Our team leaders and volunteer teachers ensure your child is well looked after and if they’re unsettled during the service, we are able to alert you. Parents are required to wear a blue wristband if their child is attending God Tots.

THE ARK

For children aged 4 – 6 years old. Each session includes arts & crafts, colouring, Bible stories, and worship. We ensure their lessons are fun by teaching them the love of God through games, group activities and drama. Here we encourage each child to develop a relationship with God.

Kingdom Kids

For children aged 7 – 11 years old. The children have the opportunity to develop and extend their understanding of who Jesus is by exploring their own faith with age specific teaching. Children are encouraged to attend regularly and bring their Bibles.

GENERAL INFORMATION

City Gates Kids classes start at 9:30am and 11.30am every Sunday. For the benefit of all the children and the CGK teachers, registration will close at 10am (for the 9:30 service) and 12pm (for the 11:30 service). We would also ask that you arrive on time during this registration window. The main service or Parents Lounge are also available for use, however in this room you are responsible for your own child.

REGISTRATION

City Gates runs an electronic registration system which prints stickers for each child. When you sign your child in, you will receive two stickers, one is for your child to wear and one is for you to keep hold of, so that it can be presented to a teacher during collection after service. Every child needs to wear their sticker in the session (to identify them by name, to alert workers to any allergy information, and to provide a register in the event of a fire). If someone else is collecting your child, please hand the sticker to them otherwise our teachers can not send your child out.

REGISTRATION / VISITOR FORMS

If it is your first time, please complete a registration form (A4) and hand it to our registration admin. Please ensure you complete this form including whether your child has any medical conditions or special educational needs. This is crucial in order for our teachers to best cater to your child’s needs and know how best to support them whilst they are under our care.

If you are just visiting for the day, we ask that you sign a ‘Visitor’ form (A5) which has less information and won’t be added to our system.

BLUE WRISTBANDS

If your child attends God Tots, or you use to the Parents Lounge, please ensure you have a blue wristband on at all times. This is an extra measure of security, so that we know that all adults in this area have a reason and purpose to be there.

CLASSROOMS

We would ask that parents/carers do not enter our classrooms, namely The Ark & The Explorers. For safeguarding purposes, please drop your child off at the door and wait for a teacher to take them to their class. The same rule applies for collection, please wait in an orderly fashion at your assigned collection spot and present your sticker.

TOILETS

The same rule applies for toilets, in order to maintain a safe environment, adults are not permitted to use the CGK toilets. We have a separate disabled toilet that is used by teachers and parents. Alternatively, our amazing church facility has several toilets on the ground floor.

OFFERING

We would like to encourage your children to be cheerful givers and bring a small offering each week. Junior Church appreciates all forms of giving and generosity! We have our own offering collection bottle that will be placed at the registration station before lessons begin.

PRAYER REQUEST BOX

It is our responsibility to ensure that the children/families in our care feel looked after. We are part of a praying community and welcome parents to approach us with any concerns/prayer requests for their children. We have a prayer request box out every Sunday and the team and I will consider your child in our prayers during our leaders meetings.

ADDITIONAL NEEDS

At City Gates, we support children with special educational needs. Please clearly identify any additional needs on the registration form so our team know how best to cater to your child.

SAFEGUARDING POLICY

All members of the Junior Church team have completed an enhanced disclosure check through the Disclosure and Barring Service.