Before You Open the Nursery Door: The Safety Floor Every Small Church Needs

There is a particular kind of pressure that lives in a small church on Sunday morning. You are short a volunteer. A young family just walked in, and their toddler needs a place to go. And the easiest thing in the world is to put one trusted person in the nursery and tell yourself, "We all know each other here. It will be fine."

I understand that pressure completely. But this is the one area where I want to be direct with you, because the stakes are simply too high to soften. Nothing matters more than child safety. A single incident can destroy a church, and far more importantly, it can wound a child for life. So let's treat child protection not as a program you bolt on once you are bigger, but as the foundation you build before the nursery door ever opens.

Why small churches are the most exposed

It feels backwards, but the smaller your church, the higher your risk. Thin volunteer benches tempt us to put one adult alone in a room, to skip a screening to fill a slot, or to run on trust because everyone knows everyone. That is exactly the gap that those who would harm children look for.

There is also a hard, practical reality: insurers typically require child-protection policies (background checks, the two-adult rule, and the rest) as a condition of abuse-liability coverage. In plain terms, you usually cannot be properly insured to grow your children's ministry until this baseline exists. This is not an upgrade for later. It is the prerequisite for now.

One important caution before we start

Nothing here is legal advice. Background-check requirements, mandatory-reporting duties, and ratio standards vary by state, denomination, and insurer. Before you rely on any policy, have it reviewed by your insurance carrier and a local attorney, and align it with your denomination's standards and state law. Where I give a specific number, treat it as a starting point to verify locally, not a final answer.

The frameworks that form your safety floor

A handful of non-negotiables make up the baseline:

The two-adult rule. Never leave a child alone with a single adult. Minimum two screened adults in every room, at all times. No one-on-one meetings behind closed doors. This protects children, and it protects your volunteers from false accusations. It applies to everyone, including the pastor. No exceptions.

Screening for all. Everyone who works with children gets screened: regular volunteers, occasional helpers, staff, and the pastor. That means an application, a signed authorization, a reference process, and a background check reviewed before anyone serves.

Secure check-in and check-out. Parent and child receive matching identifiers (a number or code). The child is released only to someone holding the matching tag. Authorized pickup only.

Line of sight and visibility. Windows or half-doors so every room can be seen into. Open-door visibility is itself a prevention layer. Secure entry points so children cannot wander out.

Illness and restroom policies. Keep sick children home with clear posted criteria. For restroom trips, either two adults accompany or one adult keeps the door open with another nearby. Never a single adult alone with a child in a restroom.

Mandatory reporting. In most states, anyone working with children is legally obligated to report suspected abuse. Reporting is required, not optional. Do not investigate in-house. Report to CPS or police, document, and involve leadership.

A written policy with signatures. Put it all in writing and have each volunteer sign that they have read and understood it. Keep those acknowledgments on file.

The numbers to build around

Here is the baseline to verify with your insurer and attorney:

Adults per room: minimum two screened adults, always, regardless of how many children are present.

Background check: national criminal database, sex-offender registry, and SSN trace at minimum.

Cost: roughly $10 to $25 per check. Budget for it.

Re-check cadence: every two to three years.

Infant ratio (0 to 12 months): about one adult per two or three infants, never below two adults.

Toddler ratio (12 to 24 months): about one adult per three or four toddlers, never below two adults.

Auto-disqualifiers: any conviction or pending charge for child abuse, neglect, or sexual offenses.

Illness keep-home window: no fever, vomiting, or diarrhea within the last 24 hours.

Digital check-in: roughly $20 to $100 per month as you grow.

The playbook, in order

Stand it up before the doors open. This is the prerequisite to running kids' ministry at all.

Screen everyone first. Authorization, references, the check, reviewed before serving, repeated every two to three years.

Enforce the two-adult rule with no exceptions. If you only have one adult, keep the door open with another checking in regularly.

Run secure check-in and check-out. Start on paper with matching numbered tags. Move digital as you grow.

Make rooms visible with windows, half-doors, and secure exits.

Post illness and restroom rules, and empower volunteers to graciously decline a clearly sick child.

Train every volunteer as a mandatory reporter: the warning signs, who to tell, and that reporting is external and required.

Write it down and collect signatures.

Have it reviewed by your insurer, a local attorney, and against your denomination's standards.

Drill the emergencies. Walk through fire, medical, missing-child, and lockdown procedures. Do not just hand people a document.

What to do next

This can feel overwhelming, especially when you are already stretched. So do not try to perfect all ten steps at once. Start with the two that cost you nothing but courage: the two-adult rule and screening every single person who serves, the pastor included. Those two alone close the gaps abusers most often exploit. Then build the written policy and get it reviewed before you grow your families ministry further.

Your challenge this week

Walk into every room where children are cared for this Sunday and confirm two screened adults are present in each one. Where you cannot, prop the door open and assign a second adult to check in regularly until you can fill the gap properly.