100 Best Ideas to Turbocharged your Preschool Ministry (22 page)

If I were to guess, social media is probably not the first thing that comes to mind when you think of preschool ministry.
When it comes to youth ministry, using social media is a no-brainer, but let’s face it, not too many 3-year-olds have Facebook pages.
Yet Facebook is an invaluable tool for your preschool ministry because while the kids in your preschool ministry aren’t on Facebook, it’s more than likely their parents are.
In fact, nearly 45 percent of Facebook users are ages 26 to 44.

Social media isn’t going away any time soon, and with many parents of preschoolers using Facebook on a daily basis, it’s imperative we learn how to maximize its influence in our preschool ministries.
Facebook can open up a new approach to communications if we take advantage of the opportunity.

At our church, we’ve discovered Facebook provides a simple, easy-to-use tool that connects us with parents and allows parents to interact with each other.
We’ve discovered that it’s more effective than email, take-home sheets, and bulletin announcements to get our preschool message across to parents.
Here’s how to get plugged in.

Create a fan page.
A Facebook fan page is a customizable profile that allows you to share and promote your preschool ministry with Facebook users.
It can be created in just a few minutes using a simple interface.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating a Facebook fan page for your preschool ministry:

Step 1.
Go to
facebook.com/pages/create.php
.

Step 2.
Choose a category and name for your fan page.
I recommend using the name of your preschool ministry and church when selecting the name.
For example, we named our fan page, “12Stone Village: The Preschool Ministry of 12Stone Church.”

Step 3.
Add a profile picture.
This can be the logo for your preschool ministry or the logo for your church.

Step 4.
Add information.
List your church address, service times, website, and so on for your fans.

Step 5.
Publish your fan page.
Click the “publish this page” link to share your fan page with the world.
Oh yeah, don’t forget to become a fan of your own page.
And share it with friends by clicking the “share” button in the lower left of the wall or info tab.

Maximize your fan page.
Make your fan page a useful resource for parents by updating your page with relevant and useful information—and posting on it frequently.

At our church, we update our fan page with an overview of what we’re teaching preschoolers each month and a recap of what we teach each Sunday.
By adding pictures and videos of our preschool ministry to our fan page, we’ve made it visually appealing.
We’ve also enabled our fans to post their own pictures.
We create photo albums of Sunday services and special events.
We use our fan page to promote upcoming events and provide links to other parenting resources we find on the Web.

The sky’s the limit as to what you can do with your fan page.
The more content you add, the more parents can interact with your preschool ministry.

What started out as a novelty for us has turned into a very important tool.
We’ve seen tremendous benefits as a result of creating a Facebook fan page for our preschool ministry.

• Connection—It’s provided us with a deeper, more personal connection with parents. While email allows you to connect with people, Facebook is like email on steroids. Email tends to be formal and businesslike. But the informal nature of Facebook has made it easy for our parents to interact with our staff on a more personal level and opened up greater opportunities for us to minister to our preschool families.
  
• Communication—A Facebook fan page gives parents a single location where they can receive all the necessary communication from our preschool department. They discover what we’re teaching, details for upcoming events, special announcements, and even volunteer opportunities. It’s also opened up a line of two-way communication with parents in our ministry. Conversations are started both by our staff and our parents and benefit everyone. We’re able to post questions and gain feedback...and our parents can do the same.
  

The bottom line is that you need to connect and communicate with parents in your preschool ministry—parents who are often strapped for time.
You need to meet them where they are...and they’re on Facebook.
So set up your Facebook fan page, and watch it transform the way you minister to parents in your preschool ministry.
It’s free—and parents will follow you.

—Eric

Whether your preschool ministry includes five children or 500, it’s the little things you do that demonstrate your love for the families entrusted to your care.
What are these significant things that make a relational difference so parents keep coming back?
Let’s begin with the children.

• Know kids by name. Make preschoolers feel special and show you care for them by greeting each one by name and knowing something about their lives, such as their pets, toys, or families.
  
• Show up when kids are sick. Make a priority of visiting preschoolers when they’re in the hospital or sick at home for a length of time. Bring a small gift, keep the visit short, and follow up if the illness is serious.
  
• Acknowledge kids’ birthdays. Nothing’s more important to a young child than a birthday. Mail an inexpensive birthday gift, such as a coloring book or other small item, and include a handwritten note. Enlist the help of seniors to shop dollar stores and help keep these gifts in stock. When you see the child, wish him or her a happy birthday.
  
• Be a fun-loving kid at heart. Dress up in costume when you can play a part at a special event, such as a princess tea, a cowboy barbecue, or a fall festival—or as someone out of the Bible to bring the Bible to life.
  

What can you do to strengthen your relationships when working with parents?
The following strategies reinforce the fact that you care about them, too.

• Relate to them nonjudgmentally. At some point all preschoolers will misbehave, go through different stages of separation anxiety, or be problematic in some way. Never embarrass a parent over a child’s behavior. If the incident is critical enough that it must be addressed, do so in private—not in front of other parents or the child.
  
• Help parents disciple their preschoolers. Parents are very concerned about their children’s spiritual welfare or they wouldn’t be at church. But many feel inadequate when it comes to teaching their children, and many have low expectations about what preschoolers are capable of understanding. Provide parents with resource lists and faith talks that help them lead their children spiritually.
  
• Be there for parents. If they’re going through family struggles, let them know you’re praying for them, and send notes of encouragement.
  

—Barbara

No matter how hard you try, you’ll encounter unhappy parents from time to time, and it’ll be your responsibility to solve the problem in a manner that reflects God’s love and your love for the children and families in your preschool ministry.
How you deal with these confrontations will define your effectiveness as a leader.
Try these ideas.

Don’t take offense.
We’re all striving to do the best job possible, so when someone’s unhappy with our ministry, it’s easy to take it personally.
Instead separate your personal feelings from the problem at hand, and keep your objectivity.

Listen carefully to the parents.
If the parents are very angry, have them come to your office or a place where you can sit comfortably and discuss the incident.
Take notes and document everything that’s said.
Don’t be afraid to say, “I’ll look into it” or “I’ll get back to you.”
Often when parents understand and believe that their concerns are being taken seriously, you’ve already corrected half the problem.
Set a time when you’ll get back with them, and keep your commitment.

Research the problem.
Speak in person with those who witnessed or were involved in the incident that caused parents to be offended.
Listen to their description of what happened, and ask for their input on what can be done to prevent this from happening again—but don’t do this in an accusatory manner.
Never have this conversation on the phone or via email.
This is a matter that needs to be dealt with on a personal level from all sides.

Seek the advice of leadership.
Your church leaders have dealt with many confrontations and problems, so don’t think it’s a sign of incompetence to ask for their advice.
It’s actually a sign of wisdom to recognize those situations where you need help to resolve a problem.

Pray.
Seek the advice and wisdom of God.

Address the solution.
Once you’ve finished your inquiry, consulted those involved, and sought the advice of God and your leadership, meet with
the parents again.
Speak with them plainly and openly.
Underestimating a person’s intelligence is the worst thing you can do, and all of us can identify when we’re being “handled” and will resent that fact.

Remember what’s at stake: the permanent influence on a child and the parents’ impression of your church.
The solution must be sought with love and prayer.

—Barbara

With so many new technological advances in communication, our lives have become so complicated, stressful, and hurried that we’re inclined to overlook the concept of personal connection.

While our predecessors considered a home visit to a new member or visitor an integral part of their workweek or volunteer commitment, we can come up with a dozen reasons now to avoid this vital aspect of preschool ministry.
The most common excuse is that we don’t want to impose on family time, or we feel too busy and think that sending a postcard, emailing, or making a quick phone call is an adequate welcome.
And
adequate
is the correct word.
While this long-distance approach might fulfill the technical requirement of making contact, it won’t leave families feeling welcome and wanted.

Families who have preschoolers and are looking for a church home need to be assured of the ministry and care your church will offer their children.
They need to meet the people they’ll be entrusting with their children.
Preschoolers are going to be apprehensive, and if they’re scared of coming to your preschool ministry room, parents are unlikely to force them.
Personally meeting and talking with preschoolers and their parents will be the greatest outreach you do in your ministry.
To make these visits effective, call ahead to say you’d like to drop off some information, and then follow these simple guidelines.

1.
Keep visits short.
Don’t make families feel pressured to invite you in.
Simply introduce yourself, offer a quick description of the preschool ministry, and leave.
If the family wants to continue the visit, by all means stay— but there’s an art to making a visit short, purposeful, and nonintrusive.

2.
Take a welcome packet with you.
Include items such as a parent handbook, detailed information about the preschool ministry, a small gift for the child or children, information about adult classes and worship services, your business card, and information about any play groups or support groups that
meet at your church.
If a family isn’t at home, leave the packet on the porch.
Then make a phone call later, saying that you stopped to welcome them; offer to answer any questions they may have.