Friends Meeting of Washington

Children Are Welcome on Sundays

10:30 AM Worship meetings:

Children are welcome at these meetings. We suggest that parents help their children in advance to understand as best they can the special nature of these gatherings and be prepared to participate as comfortably as possible. We hope parents will take advantage of the options suggested below for their children. Parents are asked to avoid leaving any children unattended.

Youngest Children:

Child care is offered for children as young as infants during the 10:30 AM Meetings for Worship in the School for Friends Classroom, on the ground floor of Quaker House, which is the red brick building next to the Meetinghouse on Decatur Place. Some parents prefer to keep children (especially infants) with them in the Meeting.

Younger Children:

After about 20 minutes of sitting in Meeting beside their parents or other adults, most children ages 4 to 16 leave as a group to join First Day School classes. We encourage children to shake hands with some of those who remain behind as they leave the Meeting.

Older Children:

Children ages 16 and up are welcome to participate in the full Meeting for Worship or else go to the teen age group of First Day School at 10:50 AM.

First Day School Classes - 10:50 AM to 11:30 AM

• 4-7 year olds in the Children’s Library on the first floor behind the Assembly Room
• 8-11 year olds in the Terrace Room on the second floor opposite the Library
• 12 and up in the Decatur Place Room on the first floor immediately to the right of the Decatur Place entrance

Junior Meeting for Business

Junior Meeting for Business is held on the fourth Sunday of every other month at 10:50 AM for children ages eight and older in the Decatur Place Room. The first fall meeting is held in September.

Summer Children’s Activities

From mid-June to mid-September, Summer Children’s Activities are held instead of First Day School, conducted each week by volunteers.

Scouting

All young people in the Meeting aged 6-18 are welcome to work on the two Quaker Scout emblems “That of God” and “The Spirit of Truth,” established by the Quaker Committee on Scouting. The Religious Education Committee will put you in touch with the Meeting’s councillor.

Members of the Religious Education Committee would be pleased to talk with parents about First Day School classes and other activities available for children.