Mission
Haven exists to share the love of Christ by assisting individuals needing special accommodations and their families to become full participants and contributors in the body of Christ.
Special Needs Kids Ministry
Haven
Haven is a safe space for children with special needs to learn about Jesus in a fun environment with trained staff and volunteers. Children enjoy structured and unstructured activities while being guided through specialized growth plans using a common curriculum with our Kids ministry. Haven is currently only offered at our Vandalia Campus.
Register Your ChildOur Goal
Our goal is to let every child know that they are loved by Jesus and each volunteer who is there. Haven is a safe place for any child to come and learn more about Jesus while having fun.
Specialized Plans Include
- Personal Information
- Strengths
- Struggles
- Calm Down Plan
- Medical Information
- Communication
- Special Assistance
- Parental Instructions
Leader Training
All leaders attend training covering vision, safety, behavior, sign language, and walking through a Sunday morning schedule.
Helpful Info
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs regarding Haven
What safety measures do you have in place? ⌄
We make sure that each volunteer is prepped with the potential behaviors and triggers as well as any medical situations. We also make sure that the volunteer to student helper ratio is no less than 2 students per 1 adult. Each child also has a calm down plan to help in any times of crisis.
Are there any costs involved? ⌄
No, Haven is a free ministry offered at Living Word.
What is your process for screening leaders? ⌄
Leaders must attend a training that is specific to Haven. It includes: vision; systems, safety, and basics; sign language training; behavior training; and walking through a Sunday morning schedule. Every leader also much pass a background check.
How do you determine your curriculum? ⌄
We use the Orange Curriculum, which is the same curriculum that our Kids program uses. We do this to ensure that all students are receiving the same information as their same aged peers. Children in Haven watch the same video and have the same monthly verse, main focus, and key point. Activities are differentiated based on what each week looks like.
What do you do for fun and entertainment? ⌄
We keep our time fairly structured to maintain consistency. We do our best to provide activities, toys, and games that each child will like. We have all different options for children to do during our "unstructured time" such as: legos, dinosaurs, games, puzzles, barbies, play-doh, coloring, and much much more!
What opportunities are there for parents to be involved? ⌄
Ashlyn Eldridge, our Haven director, meets with each parent after they fill out the in-take form. The purpose of the meeting is to create an individual plan for each child as they enter our doors. This plan is then made available for volunteers to look over before the child enters Haven.
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Want to volunteer?
If you have additional questions please contact our Haven Director, Ashlyn Eldridge, at ashlyn@dlwc.org.