HOW IT WORKS

Circle of Friends ministers to children with special needs by:  

Parents accompany their child with special needs to our Circle of Friends room 470 (across the hall from the theaters) when they arrive on campus.

We provide childcare workers to serve on a one-to-one basis as “buddies” or “shadows” for children with special needs in Sunday School, Children’s Worship and AWANA. Once a shadow has been assigned to a child with special needs in the Circle of Friends room, the shadow will accompany the parents and the child to the appropriate age-group class for their child.

The shadow stays with the child with special needs, to assist him/her in socialization skills, and to help explain anything s/he does not understand. If there is a time for reading, or writing responses, the shadow can assist with those tasks as well.

Sometimes, a child with special needs is not able to stay in a mainstreamed class due hyperactivity. At that time, the shadow accompanies the child with special needs back to the Circle of Friends room, where they are able to utilize hands-on, kinesthetic learning materials, such as lego blocks, wooden train sets, wooden puzzles, and books. 

Parents pick up their child with special needs from the appropriate age-group class for their child, or from the Circle of Friends room, depending upon the child’s needs on a given day.

If you are interested in serving as either a volunteer or childcare worker in our Circle of Friends ministry, our church requires a thorough background check, which applies to all people who work with preschool, children, and students (0-18 years of age) whether as an employee or a volunteer basis.

Contact us to find out more information or read our schedule.