A: It takes over 150 volunteers to pull off our VBS. WE WOULD LOVE YOUR HELP! All volunteers will need to pass a background check and take a virtual Sexual Abuse Awareness Training. Volunteers are needed as rotation teachers, crew leaders, assistant teachers, registration helpers, and snack servers. Please click on the button at this top of the page to fill out a volunteer form. We do provide childcare for children of volunteers who are too young to register for VBS.

A: Yes. We mix kids up on crews with other kids that are different ages. Crews are made up of 8-10 kids of elementary kids (K-4th grade), or 6-7 kids of preschoolers (4’s & PreK). We do this intentionally. Smaller crews help the leaders get to know your kids better throughout the week so they can better build relationships and care for your child. Having mixed-age crews also helps kids learn from older kids, and be leaders for the younger kids. We do try to accommodate at least one friend request. Please make sure you list this on your registration form. It’s also helpful if that same friend lists your name on their registration form.

Multiple crews travel together throughout the day to all the rotation stations. Just because your child isn’t on the same crew as a friend doesn’t mean they won’t see each other. Preschool crews of the same shape travel together all day. Elementary crews of the same color will travel together all day.

A: Once we assign crews for VBS, we ask that your child sticks with that crew assignment for the first day of VBS. So much goes on behind the scenes to prepare for VBS, that it’s difficult to keep changing kids on crews. After the first day of VBS, if your child still wants to switch to a different crew, please let us know and we will see if there is space open. We are often at maximum capacity for VBS and can only move kids to a different crew if a spot opens up.

To ensure your child is on a crew with a friend, please write that friend’s first AND last name on their registration form. Also ask for that friend to include your child’s name on their registration form so they both match up. (Please avoid putting things like “CEE Friends” or “1st grade girls at West Side.” We often don’t know who these groups of kids are as we don’t ask what school kids attend.)

A: Nothing. We will provide all materials and snacks that your child will need for VBS. Please avoid sending in water bottles as our kids rotate to different classrooms throughout VBS and there isn’t a great way for us to store them.

A: Unfortunately, no. While we would love to accept all of our children, the activities we have prepared have been designed with specific-aged kids in mind. We have aligned our cut-off date to the same as the school system. In order to be fair, we don’t make exceptions to this rule. We look forward to having your child with us next summer when they are old enough to participate.

If you are able to volunteer all week, we do have a nursery that your child can be in during VBS.

A: We are a peanut & nut free VBS. We serve a variety of snacks each day, and hope that your child will be able to eat some of the options we offer. We will also have veggie straws on hand as a gluten free/dye free/dairy free option. If you would like to see our snack list, please contact Rev. Lauren Mills the week prior to VBS. If your child has an allergy and you would like to send in an alternate snack, please feel free to do so. We ask that this is in a sealed, disposable bag with the child’s first & last name on it along with their crew name. Please no snacks that require refrigeration.

A: Yes, you are welcome to sign up for VBS even if you can’t participate all four days or will be late some of the days. We do have limited space for kids, so we ask if you can’t attend at all and already signed up, please let us know so we can open your spot back up to someone who can attend.