Children and youth are welcome at Jefferson Unitarian Church!
Loving nursery care is provided at all services.
Prek-5th graders attend Faith Exploration classes at 9 & 11 am
6th-12th graders attend classes at 11 am only. Summer classes are at 10 am for all ages.
Children and youth are always welcome to attend service with their parents.
PreK-5th graders begin in the Sanctuary with their families and are dismissed to their classes after the Time for All Ages. 6th grade and up go directly to their classrooms.
Visiting families are encouraged to accompany their children to their classrooms.
Please visit the welcome table when you arrive at JUC to sign in.
2024 Summer Youth Faith Exploration
All 1st-12th graders will begin in the sanctuary.
Nursery – Kinder kids are welcome in the sanctuary until the Time for All Ages or go directly to childcare.
Infants and toddlers (ages 0-3)
10 am
Nursery care is provided for our infants and toddlers. Parents may drop off their infants and toddlers in the nursery before the service begins. Please sign your child in at the classroom door.
PreK – Kindergarten Chalice Children
10 am
Our chalice children will start with a song to sing or dance to and a lego chalice lighting. They will share what makes them happy and/or sad (joys and sorrow). The rest of their time together will focus on a “center of the day”, free play, and other activities.
Rising 1st – 6th Graders
10 am
Classes will start with a song, Joys and Sorrows, and will then reflect on the story or message from the Time for All Ages they heard in the service. The children will then have a choice to work on the “featured center” of the day, visit, play games, and other activities during class time.
Rising 7th – 12th Graders
10 am
Our Youth will start class with Covenant and Check in. Activities during their time together will include games, service projects, planting an herb garden, making desserts for Arvada Rising, and time to hang out and enjoy each others’ company.
2023-24 Youth Faith Exploration Offerings
We Come to Church to Grow our Hearts
Infants and toddlers (ages 0-3)
9 & 11 am
Nursery care is provided for our infants and toddlers. Parents may drop off their infants and toddlers in the nursery before the service begins. Please sign your child in at the classroom door.
PreK (ages 3-5)
9 & 11 am
Parents/guardians may drop their children off in room R3/4 prior to the service. During our PreK class, children will explore the themes of the month through stories, play, and crafts. Please sign your child in at the classroom door.
Kindergarten-5th grade
9 & 11 am
K-5th graders start in the service with their parents. After the Time for All Ages they will follow the teachers to their classrooms.
Classes will end at 10:10 am or 12:10 pm
In our K-5 classes, we explore our UU identity by learning our values, rituals, songs, and history. Students will make meaningful connections with other children and adults. They will learn tools to deal with difficult situations with the use of spiritual practice. Teachers will provide opportunities for social action and help our kids become more inclusive.
Important elements of each class:
- Singing (learning our UU hymns)
- Spiritual practice (a moment of stillness)
- Chalice Lighting and Reading of our Covenant
- Sharing of Joys and Sorrows
- Theme based activities that allow our children to socialize and connect while deepening their understanding of UU values and identity.
- Opportunities for social action
- Closing words
Classes are split between grades K-2nd and 3rd-5th with “age appropriate” activities planned for each class.
Elementary Our Whole Lives (OWL) 9 am
- 1st & 2nd grade OWL – Sunday, September 17 – November 9 (no class 10/15).
Mandatory parent/child orientation Sunday, September 10 12:30-2:30 pm - 4th & 5th Grade OWL – Sunday, January – March 17
Mandatory parent/child orientation on Sunday, December 10 12:30-2:30 pm
6th Grade – Neighboring Faiths
11 am
Our 6th graders will journey into world religions with activities, special guests, and virtual field trips, empowering them to develop empathy and awareness of faiths around the world. They will also be connecting their learnings about world religions to their own Unitarian Universalist faith by learning from our Sources of the Living Tradition.
6th graders go directly to their classroom, (M3/4) located in the Mills Building
7th Grade Our Whole Lives (OWL)
10:45 am
Our Whole Lives is an age appropriate, comprehensive, and progressive sex education curriculum that supports participants in making informed and responsible decisions about their sexual health and behavior. OWL also explores how their sexuality is connected to being Unitarian Universalists.
7th graders who are registered for OWL and whose parents have attended the orientation, go directly to the classroom, (M1/2) located in the Mills Building.
8th Grade Coming of Age (COA)
11 am
The Coming of Age program supports the transition from child to youth in a yearlong journey, helping teens to explore their identities, beliefs, Unitarian Universalist faith, relationships with others, and connections to the world.
8th graders go directly to the Priestley room (in the basement of the main building) for COA.
9th-12th Grade High School Youth Group (HSYG)
11 am
Our High School Youth Group (HSYG) provides an opportunity for teens to build community, have fun with friends and further explore their UU identity. This year our curriculum will use popular movies to encourage discussion of issues relevant to youth particularly around identity and culture.
High Schoolers go directly to the Mitchell Room (in the basement of the main building) for HSYG.
A few guidelines:
Before the service:
- Please have your K-5 child find their nametag on the nametag board. Let your teacher know if your child needs a new nametag. Middle and High School nametags will be kept in their classrooms
- K-5 begin in the service in the Sanctuary with their families. MS/HS and Elementary OWL classes go directly to their classroom.
After the service:
- K-5 parents please pick up your child at 10:10 or 12:10. Classes run 10 minutes longer than the service time. Children will not be allowed to leave their classroom without their guardian.
- Middle and High School youth are dismissed from their classrooms.
- Your children are welcome to have a snack in the Kid Zone in the south commons after the service.
- During the service, all youth need to be in the service or in class. They are not permitted to play on the playground or be in the commons without supervision.
We have created Google Groups for each class to help facilitate communication between teachers and families. If you are registered for FE you will be added to the appropriate group.