Potty Training, English as a Second Language, and the Age Cutoff?

The questions of requiring potty training, requiring English, and when to cut off the 3-year-olds registration are personal decisions every club should make for itself. There is no wrong answer. I do have personal preferences, but that is all they are. My preference would be to allow diapers, embrace teaching English as a second language, and cut off 3-year-olds at August 31, if you have enough staff. Let me explain.

The First 4-6 Weeks of Cubbies

I am of the philosophy that we never would want to turn away any Cubbies. I am also of the philosophy that I don't mind asking leaders to do anything, for a finite period of time. Therefore, in my mind, it is OK to ask leaders to put up with doing something difficult, as long as an end is in sight.

Cubbies is hard, particularly for the first 4-6 weeks. The three-year-olds are learning how to behave in a classroom for the first time. For some of them it is their first time away from Mom or Dad. They need to learn how to sit still, stand in line, take turns, share, and a dozen other things that come with joining a classroom. In addition to that, the first 5 lessons in Cubbies are topical (conceptual), not Bible stories, with a beginning, middle, and end. These lessons make it more difficult to capture and hold attention. And there is nothing wrong with that. These lessons lay the foundation for Cubbies, so I wouldn't want them to change. But I do recognize that these first few weeks are difficult. After about week 5-6, things start to settle down and run more smoothly. And I make sure I tell my leaders that things will settle down after 4-6 weeks. It puts an end in sight, and they can put up with anything if an end is in sight.

The Age Cutoff

There are two schools of thought with the age cutoff. One is to have a date cutoff, such as August 31, and if you are not three by August 31, you cannot join Cubbies this year. The other idea is to allow Cubbies to join as they turn 3. So if their birthday is in January, they can join Cubbies the January that they turn 3.

I believe if you allow Cubbies to keep joining the group as they turn 3, there will always be upheaval in the classroom, and that is more than I am willing to impose on my leaders. If I keep telling my leaders, "It will get better in four weeks," and it never gets better, there is a problem.

Diapers

Changing a diaper requires two adults present for security reasons. Therefore, you can only change diapers if you have enough staff to spare two adults for 5-10 minutes. 5-10 minutes in Cubbies time is a LONG time. So, get more leaders. Always get more leaders. I am of the philosophy that you should have subs built into your leader team. In other words, there should be enough leaders on your regular team to allow for at least one absent leader every week. And if there are enough leaders to allow for one absence every week, then there would be enough leaders to do a diaper change if everyone were present.

I also make sure that parents know that Cubbies need to be dropped off with a fresh diaper, and we only change diapers if we notice them.

English as a Second Language

Many parents treat Cubbies as a place where their children can learn English. I am all for that! I have participated in some churches that offer teaching English as a Second Language for adults at the same time as Awana as an outreach tool. Fantastic Idea! All the more reason we need more leaders. The Cubbies who don't know English will require much more one-on-one time than the English speakers. They may even need a dedicated leader. Calculate your ratio based on that need. And keep your ratio to 8 Cubbies for every 2 leaders.

Remember, leaders can put up with any difficult task for a finite period of time. If you don't burn out your leaders, and your leaders know that you have their best interests at heart, they will be back next year. Retaining Rockstar Volunteers is another great out-of-print book that Awana has developed. Worth the read if you can find it. Ask your Awana Ministry Director or your Awana Missionary.

In summary, potty training, teaching English, and the age cutoff are difficult questions each club needs to decide for itself. I believe these are questions that can be answered with adding more leaders to the classroom, to a point. And I won't do something if I feel it will burn out my leaders. Let me know what you think!