Early Childhood

Yes! The Child Development Center, Highland Park Presbyterian Day School, and The Hillier School meet on campus at Highland Park Pres.

Yes! We want to make you feel as comfortable as possible, so feel free to bring your newborn or infant into the service.

Yes! We have a few Mother’s Rooms located around campus (the narthex of the Sanctuary, the south end of Elliott Hall, and in Wight Garden) which you can access at all times during the service. There is a TV monitor inside each Mother’s Room that will be streaming the service.

Baptisms are celebrated once a month. Please visit our baptism page for more information about baptism at HP Pres, the upcoming dates, and to register your child.

Typically, we welcome babies around 2 months of age.

Please bring diapers, bottles/sippy cups, and nut-free snacks (if wanted). Anything brought needs to be clearly labeled.

Children start attending Sunday Class in the fall that they turn 3 by September 1. This will put them together with children who will be in the same school-aged classes as they get older.

If you are new to HP Pres and not yet in our database, the first Sunday that you bring your child you will check them in at our Welcome Desk in Wight Garden in the Alexander Building and they will be added to their appropriate group.

Wight Garden in the Alexander Building on the East end of campus is where all children are checked-in on Sunday mornings. If it is your first time to check-in, you will visit the welcome desk by the glass doors. After that, you will be able to check-in your child at one of the self-check kiosks in Wight Garden. After you check-in and receive your child’s tag, an Early Childhood or Start Here member will guide you to the appropriate classroom.

We do not admit sick children into the room. We want all of our children to remain healthy
and happy. If a child, or anyone in their household, has the following symptoms in the past 48 hours,
they should not be in a classroom:
• Fever of 100 or higher
• Runny nose (if not clear)
• Acute skin rashes, chickenpox, impetigo, or other contagious skin infection
• Vomiting, nausea
• Repeated diarrhea
• Acute cold, persistent cough, sore throat
• Red, inflamed, or discharging eyes (conjunctivitis – pink eye)
• Head lice, unless treatment has been completed and all nits removed

The teachers in Ministry Child Care are a combination of HP Pres staff teachers and volunteers who are members of the church. The teachers in our Sunday Classes are faithful volunteers who are members of the church. Anyone working with a child has had a background check performed and has completed Child Safety Training.

For babies in Ministry Child Care, the only snacks served are the ones brought by the child’s parents. For Wobbler-Toddlers through our Sunday Classes, we serve either Cheerios or Goldfish.

Only female teachers or the child’s parents will undertake diaper of either gender. Changing diapers will be done in plain sight of other Ministry Child Care members. Children will only be changed on changing stations and will not be left unattended.