Safety, fun, and learning at Grove Kids.
Handing your child to a stranger is not a small thing.
Most parents visiting a church for the first time are quietly running the same list. Who is in that room. Has anyone checked them. What happens if she cries. Will they know he has an allergy. Will I hear a word of the sermon, or spend the hour listening for my own kid out in the hallway.
Those are good questions. You should ask them. Here are our answers before you have to.
What the hour actually looks like.
Check-in is near the entrance and takes about a minute. Come a few minutes early your first Sunday and someone will walk you through it rather than pointing you at a screen.
Your child is with volunteers who have passed a thorough background check. Every room has two volunteers in it or full window visibility into it, and a safety team member watches over the whole Grove Kids area.
You collect your child from the same room you left them in. The service usually runs an hour and 15 minutes to an hour and a half.
Five classes, divided by age and grade.
On Sunday mornings, we offer five classes divided by age and grade:
We would rather over-explain this than have you wonder.
- Every volunteer passes a thorough background check. No exceptions, and no one works with children before it clears.
- No child is ever alone with a single adult out of view. Every room has either two volunteers present or full window visibility from the hallway.
- A safety team member monitors the Grove Kids area throughout the entire morning, not only at drop-off.
- Check-in is quick, but it is not casual. It exists so we know exactly which child is in which room, and who is authorized to collect them.
If you want to see a room before you leave your child in it, ask. We will walk you back there. Nobody will find that strange.
Safety, fun, and learning.
In our classes and all Grove Kids environments, we have three primary goals: safety, fun, and learning.
Safety
Quick check-in, background-checked volunteers, and never one adult alone with a child out of view. The full detail is spelled out above, because this is the question parents care about most.
Fun
We ask every Grove Kids volunteer to release their inner goofball, and we mean it as a job requirement. Children decide very early whether church is a place they are dragged to or a place they get to go. Most of them ask to come back before you have decided whether you are.
Learning
Every story in Scripture points to Jesus, and we teach them that way. It is the difference between a child learning that David was brave and should be copied, and a child learning that David points to a greater King who fights the battle we could never win. The teaching is interactive, engaging, and aimed at the heart rather than at behavior.
Honest questions, honest answers.
What ages does Grove Kids cover?
Birth through 5th grade, divided into five classes: birth to 2, ages 3 to 4, Pre-K and Kindergarten, grades 1 and 2, and grades 3 to 5.
Are your volunteers background-checked?
Yes. Every Grove Kids volunteer passes a thorough background check before working with children.
Is my child ever alone with one adult?
No. Every room has two volunteers or full window visibility, and a safety team member monitors the Grove Kids area throughout the morning.
How long does Grove Kids check-in take?
About a minute. Check-in is near the entrance. Your first Sunday, come a few minutes early and someone will walk you through it.
What time does The Grove Church meet on Sundays?
Sundays at 10 AM at 551 SW Bethany Drive, Port St. Lucie, FL 34986. The service runs about an hour and 15 minutes to an hour and a half.
What will my child be taught?
That every story in Scripture points to Jesus. The teaching is interactive and engaging, and aimed at the heart rather than at behavior.
Can I see the room before I leave my child there?
Yes. Ask any volunteer and someone will walk you back. It is a completely normal thing to ask.
“Before The Grove, I had never been to a church where I looked forward to going every Sunday. Not only myself, but my husband, and two young daughters that have learned so much about Jesus in their classrooms. I’m so grateful for Pastor David and The Grove!”— Janice