Policies & Expectations
BEHAVIOR EXPECTATIONS
Parents/guardians are responsible for their children and their behavior at all C.R.E.C.H.E. events. No child should be unattended or outside of a classroom or activity area without permission. Children who misbehave or are distracting to other children may be reprimanded by an adult coordinator and escorted to his/her parent or guardian. The child may not be able to return to class/activity that day, at the discretion of the C.R.E.C.H.E. Board of Directors or the adult coordinator.
CLASSROOM SAFETY
All adult classroom teachers/leaders/aides must complete the Diocese of Rockford’s safe environment program, Protecting God’s Children, before 1st/3rd Friday classes begin. In addition, each class must have at least one aide in the room and additional adult supervision should the number of children warrant this.
VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS
1st & 3rd Friday Activities –All adults with children participating in 1st/3rd Friday activities are required to actively contribute in a supporting role on these mornings. Moms are required to help supervise the children during their activities, help with set up, and help with clean up. Many hands make light work!
Other volunteer opportunities--At registration, moms will be required to sign up for at least one volunteer position per semester. If you cannot fulfill your volunteer obligations due to extenuating circumstances, please arrange to find a substitute and inform C.R.E.C.H.E. Administration of the change. We all lead busy lives and understand that things do come up. However, avoiding volunteer obligations without valid reason will result in consequences to be determined by the C.R.E.C.H.E. Administration.
All volunteers in attendance must have completed Protecting God’s Children and Safe Environment forms, as well as a background check, on file with St. Gall Catholic Church in Elburn, per the Rockford, IL Diocese policies.
ACTIVITY/MATERIAL FEES
Some activities offered by C.R.E.C.H.E. may require supplies and/or materials. A fee will be assessed for any costs not covered by C.R.E.C.H.E. membership dues. Said fee must be paid before the activity or as instructed by C.R.E.C.H.E. Administration. Participants will be notified in advance whether any fee is required. Donations of materials and supplies are always welcome, but unfortunately are not tax-deductible.
We encourage all families to attend the C.R.E.C.H.E. Masses. If a younger child is fussy, then quickly exit to the narthex to calm the child down before returning. If a parent must leave other children in the pew, other C.R.E.C.H.E. members would be happy to watch over them. Just ask! Even though there may be outdoor or gym activities afterward, children and adults should dress appropriately and modestly for attendance at Holy Mass and prayer time. We have many activities at parks and other public places where a modest dress code is also appropriate. We ask that all participants, adults and children, do not wear short shorts, tank tops, flip flops, ripped jeans, see-through or cropped shirts, or have any exposed underclothing.
For security and liability purposes, we do not allow visitors at 1st and 3rd Friday gatherings. If we are meeting at a park or another public venue and you would like to bring a guest, please contact C.R.E.C.H.E. Administration. Dads and grandparents are welcome to visit.
Sick Policy
Please use caution and common sense when determining if you should attend a C.R.E.C.H.E. meeting or event. Do not participate in any C.R.E.C.H.E. gatherings if you, your child, or another household member is ill, as you put other families at risk of becoming ill. It is desirable for the CRECHE community to have healthy members in attendance at all functions. While this may not always be possible, use the guidelines below to determine whether or not your child/family should attend a CRECHE function.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-4-symptoms-that-mean-your-child-must-stay-home-from-school-or-daycare-2017020711171
Field Trip Policy
WHO CAN ATTEND
Field trips are generally scheduled on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of the month during the school year. Field trips will be posted on the calendar page. Since field trips are a benefit of C.R.E.C.H.E. membership, field trip invitations cannot be shared with other homeschool groups or non-members. Parents may bring adult relatives to help chaperone their children; however, children of non-members should not be brought on field trips. Exceptions to this rule can be made, if approved by C.R.E.C.H.E. Administration, and for field trips to public places that do not require a fee or an R.S.V.P. (e.g., a park).
REFUND POLICY
Money pre-paid for a field trip cannot be refunded by C.R.E.C.H.E. If C.R.E.C.H.E. has guaranteed a certain number of attendees to a field trip venue and a member is unable to attend the event but has an “attending” R.S.V.P., said member will still be responsible for paying the attendance fees unless the member changes the R.S.V.P. to “not attending”, prior to the advertised deadline. As with all C.R.E.C.H.E. events, if C.R.E.C.H.E. members are sick they should not attend, even if they have an “attending” R.S.V.P.. For general guidelines in maintaining the health of our members at events, please review the entire C.R.E.C.H.E. Sick Policy above.
CHAPERONES
On occasion, C.R.E.C.H.E. children may attend a field trip without a parent; however, specific arrangements must be made in advance to have the child chaperoned by a relative (e.g. grandparent) or another C.R.E.C.H.E. member. A chaperone arrangement between two C.R.E.C.H.E. parents must be reported to the field trip coordinator and the parents must exchange emergency contact information. All parents acting as chaperones of children other than their own must have completed Protecting God’s Children and other forms that are required by the Rockford Diocese.
PERMISSION SLIPS
At times, a field trip (or other C.R.E.C.H.E. event) may require a permission slip to be submitted before a child may attend. This is typically for events involving older children and the parent is not required to stay because of the nature of the event. In these instances, C.R.E.C.H.E. will provide 2 or more chaperones with Protecting God’s Children certification. No exceptions will be made allowing a child to attend without a permission slip.
HOW TO SCHEDULE AN EVENT
New ideas are welcome. If you have an idea or would like to organize a field trip, please email crechehomeschool@gmail.com. This will prevent duplication of efforts or scheduling conflicts. On-your-own field trip opportunities can be made available to other members through group messaging; however, it should be made evident that these are not C.R.E.C.H.E.-sponsored field trips by indicating “On-Your-Own” in the subject line of the email announcement. This is an issue of insurance coverage. Opportunities that conflict with already scheduled C.R.E.C.H.E. events cannot be advertised through C.R.E.C.H.E. group messaging. Please check for conflicts with the Field Trip Coordinator and C.R.E.C.H.E. Administration.
