Promotion: When to Promote, When to Keep Back?

This past weekend was our Promotion Sunday. Children's Ministry always sets it to be the day before school starts. All the kids are officially promoted up to their new grades. The 5 year olds who have been in the Preschool Building are now in the "B" Building as Kindergartners. The 4th graders who were in the Elementary Department get to move up to the cooler, older Junction 56 room for 5th and 6th graders. The 6th graders who were the big guys in the Children's Ministry become the little fish in the Junior High Ministry. It's a bunch of change. Most are really excited, some are terrified.

If you can imagine having a special needs child, you can imagine that Promotion Sunday is one for great anxiety. These kids are expected to move classrooms at church and then turn around and move classrooms at school the very next day. Really? This makes it tough on not only the kids but the parents.

This is where a SN Ministry must be incredibly flexible. You can't make hard fast rules and you can't expect all to fall into the mold. On Sunday, while we promoted several of our kids, we had a few that didn't need the extra stress so they stayed put. We'll probably look at promoting them after Labor Day. After all, Labor Day is one of those Sundays when all of our regular volunteers are on vacation and the church seems to take second seat to the last minute getaways.

Some have asked if we always promote. Again, this is where you have to be really flexible. We all know that programming is very different as you move from department to department. For instance, in our church, our preschoolers have what is called JAM (Jesus And Me) Time as their large group experience. JAM Time is very up beat, it's energetic, the kids are moving, and the lessons are taught through puppets or skit. The lessons are short but the message is hit home through the songs and Bible verse as well. The kids are not ever sitting still for longer than about 5 minutes.

Elementary, on the other hand, is for an older audience so they're not moving as much. The songs are more complex and sometimes slower. The lessons are longer and more involved without always using a puppet or skit. The kids are required to sit quietly and still for longer periods. While our kids generally grow into this programming, it's not always an automatic response the minute they hit Kindergarten.

We always look at several factors when deciding where a child should be placed...whether or not we should promote.

1. What is their learning style?
Can they sit still or do they need to be up and moving? Do the large groups hamper their learning or are they better in large groups because they can be themselves without being pointed out?

2. Where are their friends?
If you have a child who has developed friendships with other kids in their class, keeping them back from those friends may do more harm than good. It might not always be wise to keep a child in their preferred program style if it means forcing them to make new relationships. Relationships might win out.

3. What do the parents want?
Parents always know their child best. You want to always work with the parents, not against them. If they are worried about their child being too overwhelmed in an older environment, keep them back. It's not worth having mom and dad constantly worried about their child just to keep them with their age group. Some age groups are talking about things that their child just won't understand. Be sensitive to their needs.

4. Nothing is set in stone.
You must always be flexible. If you try one thing for a couple of weeks and it's just not working, be willing to switch gears and go another direction. You don't want to make anyone suffer through something just because you're unwilling to admit a mistake. Always be willing to make things right.

I hope this has helped as you look at whether or not to promote. It's really a case by case decision. You need to remember to always put the child's needs ahead of everything else and you'll make the right decision.