Religious Education is a Life-Long Process

The Religious Growth and Learning (RG&L) program at First Parish seeks to provide:

• A multi-generational community where we feel love, acceptance and belonging;
• Opportunities for celebration and rights of passage;
• A passion/foundation for putting Unitarian Universalist principles into practice;
• An appreciation of the mystery and wonder of all existence;
• And a foundation for a personal lifelong search for meaning.

Children & Youth Programs

At First Parish we value and promote lifelong spiritual growth and development. To that end, we offer programs for children, youth, and adults, as well as nursery care for infants and toddlers. All of our programs combine the strength and diversity of our multi-generational community with the dedication of our professional teachers to create dynamic courses, workshops, activities, and events for all ages.

First Parish rotates a yearly theme for Primary through Junior Youth Cluster children among the following three  themes:  world religions, Unitarian Universalist identity, and the Jewish and Christian heritage of Unitarian Universalism.  Children and youth revisit these important central themes of our faith at different stages of their intellectual and emotional development.  The 2012 - 2013 church year is a Jewish and Christian Heritage year.  Our classes are carefully designed to engage the different learning styles of our children and youth.  They are active and fun!

Family Connection

At First Parish, we understand that parents are the primary religious educators of their children. We strive to support parents in their roles as religious educators by offering a strong religious education program for children, youth, and adults, and to partner with families to bring them the richest possible UU experience.

We recognize how difficult it can be in our culture of busyness to regularly attend church on Sunday mornings (we are parents, too!), though we encourage families to come as often as possible and to strive for three Sundays out of four. After all, we have only 30–35 hours per year to be together at church — very different from a typical public school setting where children spend approximately 1,000+ hours a year!

Most of our classes are designed to be “stand alone” sessions to accommodate active families, so that if a child/youth misses a week of class, he/she will miss only the content and experience of that one day. Often, First Parish teachers or the DRE will send a weekly email to registered families, so that any missed content can be explored and discussed at home.

As partners in a child’s religious education, the RG&L Committee asks the following of parents:

• Please bring your children as often and as consistently as possible (3–4 times a month). Children and youth learn better and form closer ties with their peers when they attend regularly, and it helps teachers immeasurably when class size is constant week to week.
• Please help your children be ready to engage: bring them to Sunday school well fed, well rested, and dressed for active (and probably messy!) learning.
• Have a conversation with the DRE if you have any concerns about your child/youth's participation in the program, and especially if your child/youth has special needs.  Every attempt will be made to accommodate him or her with the parent/guardians' support.
• Please leave toys, including electronic ones, at home or in your car.
• Get involved in what your children are doing in Sunday school. Visit the classroom and get to know their teachers. Ask your children about the class and continue the conversation — look for emails from your child’s teacher/DRE about what the class is learning.
• Meet with the DRE to discuss any concerns or ideas you may have — she is always ready and willing to chat!
• Attend adult programs that will enrich your experience and understanding of Unitarian Universalism

Nursery Care

Loving care for babies and toddlers not yet potty trained is provided by a professional staff caregiver, assisted by a rotating schedule of volunteers.
 

Classroom Management and Special Needs

First Parish in Lexington is unusual among UU churches, in that we have professional teachers in nearly all of our Sunday morning classes.  The Religious Growth and Learning (RG&L) staff are experienced and skilled in classroom management techniques.  Classes are designed to be age appropriate, engaging, and fun.  The RG&L Committee has developed a behavioral covenant to be completed by each child/youth and his/her parent/guardian that clearly outlines the behavioral expectations of children/youth while at church (available here). The committee has also established behavioral guidelines to follow that are also available on this part of the site (see the document titled: Behavioral Guidelines.)  Adults covenant to similar guidelines, so that all in the congregation are respectful of one another and the building. 

It is very important before visiting for the first time or registering a child or youth for the program, that parent/guardians of children with special needs meet with the DRE to discuss a plan for successful participation in  the program.  Every effort will be made to accommodate children with special needs.  Currently, the Intermediate Cluster class (5/6th grade) has a professional Special Needs Aide to assist the lead teacher.
 

Registration Information

Registration for the church year ahead happens each September. To register, parents/guardians complete a family registration form (one per family), a volunteer form (one for each adult in the family),  a child/youth information form for each child or youth being registered (if one is not already on file), and a behavioral covenant for each child/youth.

Additionally, all families (with preschoolers–12th graders) are asked to pay a $110 registration fee per child at the time of registration, with a $220 family cap. Please contact the DRE if you would like to discuss the registration fee.

To register, visit the RG&L Committee table during coffee hour in the month of September, download and print out the RG&L Registration Forms, or drop by the church office any time during the week.