Children's Spiritual Development at USG 2026 - 2027

Welcome families of Unitarian Society of Germantown! We are excited to be in multigenerational community with your kids and youth this year. Our Children's Spiritual Development (CSD) programs seek to center the innate wisdom and agency of kids/youth with trusted adults supporting them. Please set aside about 15-20 minutes to fill out this form.

All families should fill out this registration form, whether you have an infant or a teenager! We want to know all of the kids/youth that are at USG. Please fill out this form even if you have registered in the past. This ensures that we have up to date contact information and know how to best support your kids/youth's physical, social, emotional, and spiritual needs.

Our CSD programs run almost every Sunday during the worship service. Kids start in the Sanctuary, stay for a Time for All Ages, and then leave for their age-based groups. There are a few special Sundays throughout the year that we have multigenerational services where everyone stays in the Sanctuary. Outside of Sunday mornings, we have fun, family-friendly activities like art potlucks, labyrinth walks, and Halloween celebrations! Once you've registered, we'll add you to our mailing list so you can keep up with all that's happening with CSD at USG.

To learn more about our programs, please refer to our CSD Guide. If you have any questions after finishing the form, please reach out to our Director of Spiritual Development, Zoë Johnston, at dsd@usguu.org.

*While vaccines and boosters are not required, it is recommended for both children and volunteers. This is one way we practice accessibility and care.*

Parent and Family Information

Are you a returning family to Unitarian Society of Germantown?

Yes, we have registered at USG before No, we have not registered at USG before (even if you've attended in the past)

1st Parent/Guardian Name

This address will receive a confirmation email

Cell Phone Number

Address

2nd Parent/Guardian Name

Cell Phone Number

What should our communication be with the 2nd Parent/Guardian?

Included on all regular communication Contacted only in an emergency Something else that I'll specify below

Additional Parent/Guardian or Emergency Contact Name

Cell Phone Number

What should our communication be with the Additional Parent/Guardian or Emergency Contact? Included on all regular communication Contacted only in an emergency Something else that I'll specify below

Is there anything you would like the DSD or classroom volunteers to know about your family structure or situation?

How would you like to be connected to other parents at USG?

I'd like to be added to the WhatsApp group chat I'd like to join a Parents Group (this would be a self-organized group) I'd like to offer something new that I'll reach out to Zoë about I'm not interested at this time

Supporting Our CSD Programs

We ask that all parents and guardians volunteer some of their time to make our program a success. As Unitarian Universalists, we know that our interdependence makes us strong and generosity is gratefully received. There are a variety of ways to contribute with varying commitment levels and schedules. Please choose at least one item per parent/guardian. Thank you for your commitment to Children's Spiritual Development at USG!

Lead teacher is 1-2 times a month
Helper commitment is once a month
We ask that you choose one age group to stick with throughout the year. If you are open to different age groups, you can choose multiple and we'll place you where it's most helpful.

Youth Group advisors will help support our fledgling youth group of 9th-12th graders. The commitment is 1-2 times a month. Facilitators are trusted adults that are excited about youth-led, shared ministry as we dream this new program into being.

OWL Faciliators are not needed for this year's programs but we are always looking to expand our pool of trained facilitators. Checking this box will let us know that you are interested in receiving information about future trainings.

All other commitments are specified

Are there any special skills you think you could contribute to our CSD programs? Do you lead yoga, play the guitar or could lead a D&D campaign? Do you have theater games up your sleeve, a great craft project idea, or a vast knowledge of tree names? Do you love making posters for events or planning events? Or something else we couldn’t even think of! This could be for both kids/youth programs, all ages events, or even an adult teacher training.

Child Safety Background Checks
If you plan to volunteer or chaperone in the classrooms, the state of Pennsylvania requires that all adults working with children (including periodic volunteers) pass a background check. This includes the PA State Criminal History Background Check and Child Abuse History Check. There's a guide on how to submit for those clearances here. These are good for 5 years, any clearances from before 2021 are expired!

Your own checks:

I have a recent background check (<5years old) that USG already has a copy of I have a recent background check (<5years old) that I will send to USG I don't have my background clearances yet

Child(ren) Information

Please fill out the information for your child(ren)/youth below*. The information will be shared with the Director of Spiritual Development and our CSD volunteers, all of whom have submitted their background clearances to USG. If you would like for only a smaller group of volunteers to have this information (such as only those in your child's classroom), please let us know.

*If your youth will be participating in OWL 7th-9th, we have a separate registration form that you can access here. You do not need to include their information on this form. OWL K-1 registration is nested within this form.

Child 1 Full Name

Child 1 Pronouns

Child 1 Date of Birth (mm/dd/yyyy)

Child 1 Age

Child 1 Academic Grade in Fall of 2026 (if applicable). Children are loosely grouped by academic grade in our programs. However, grade level is not always the best indicator of your child! If you have any questions or concerns about placements, please share them below or email the Director of Spiritual Development at dsd@usguu.org

Child 1 Health Needs: This includes any food or environmental allergies, dietary restrictions, or medical conditions.

Child 1 Overall Wellbeing: What should our CSD adults know so that we can best support your child's spiritual, social, emotional, mental, and educational needs in the program?

Child 1 Supports: Are there supports your child receives in other environments that might be helpful in CSD?

Child 2 Full Name

Child 2 Pronouns

Child 2 Date of Birth (mm/dd/yyyy)

Child 2 Age

Child 2 Academic Grade in Fall of 2026 (if applicable)

Child 2 Health Needs: This includes any food or environmental allergies, dietary restrictions, or medical conditions.

Child 2 Overall Wellbeing: What should our CSD adults know so that we can best support your child's spiritual, social, emotional, mental, and educational needs in the program?

Child 2 Supports: Are there supports your child receives in other environments that might be helpful in CSD?

Child 3 Full Name

Child 3 Pronouns

Child 3 Date of Birth (mm/dd/yyyy)

Child 3 Age

Child 3 Academic Grade in Fall of 2026 (if applicable)

Child 3 Health Needs: This includes any food or environmental allergies, dietary restrictions, or medical conditions.

Child 3 Overall Wellbeing: What should our CSD adults know so that we can best support your child's spiritual, social, emotional, mental, and educational needs in the program?

Child 3 Supports: Are there supports your child receives in other environments that might be helpful in CSD?

Write in the requested information for additional children

Is there anything else you'd like to tell us about your family's needs at this time?

Other Opportunities at USG

Beyond our regular CSD classes, there are a few other opportunities for kids and families at USG this year.

Child Dedication - This is a special ritual in which the congregation commits itself to a child and joyfully welcomes them into the community. A UU Child Dedication affirms the inherent worth and dignity of each child and represents the beginning of their spiritual journey. Dedications happen during Sunday services at any point during the congregational year. Child Dedications can be done at all ages - newborns and toddlers, children, youth, and teens - at any point that a ritual commitment to this congregation feels right. There is more information here (as a video) and here (as a written doc).

Are you interested in having your child(ren) dedicated at USG this year?

Yes No I would like to talk more about it with the DSD and minister

Our Whole Lives (OWL) - OWL is a comprehensive lifespan sexual education curriculum that is grounded in Unitarian Universalist values. You can find more information about OWL here. This year we'll be offering OWL for both a K-1 and 7th-9th cohort on Sunday mornings during service. Since the 7th-9th grade OWL program runs for the whole year, we have a separate registration form that you can fill out here.

Our K-1 OWL program runs for 8 weeks. OWL requires consistent attendance and we ask that your child attends the majority of sessions September 27th through November 15th. Each session will be accompanied by HomeLink resources that help continue the lesson at home. Parents/Caregivers are required to attend a two-hour orientation session (date tbd) and are encouraged to attend our closing celebration session on November 15th. You can find a handout about OWL Philosophy and Goals here and a handout on Content and Schedule here.

Do you have a child in Kindergarten or 1st Grade?

Yes No

I am registering my child to participate in the eight-week workshop Our Whole Lives: Sexuality Education for Grades K-1 program. I will participate in the opening and closing sessions. I understand that the opening two hour session (Parent/Child Orientations) is a required introduction to this program. I am ready to be a collaborator in my child’s sexuality education and will try to use the HomeLink resources and suggestions at home. Yes No I'm interested, but need more information.

OWL is a developmentally appropriate curriculum across the lifespan. The K-1 sections covers bodies, boundaries, gender, families, and babies. How can our facilitators best support your child while engaging with these topics and in the OWL program as a whole?

Youth Group - Youth Group will serve our high schoolers, or roughly our 14-18 year olds. Our youth group will be a shared ministry, collaboratively run by youth leaders and adult facilitators. Our goal is to create a covenanted community that creates space for practicing our Unitarian Universalist values, spiritual questioning and deepening, and opportunities for leadership development. As this is our first youth group in several years, the schedule and content will be emergent throughout the year. They will meet on Sunday mornings during service unless the group decides otherwise.

Below, we ask for your youth’s contact information. This is in recognition of the growing agency they have over their own lives and to help build their sense of co-creating youth group. If the youth are interested, we will create a group chat with them and our background-checked adult facilitators. This is so we can communicate directly with them about youth group - mainly event reminders, brainstorming and voting on ideas, sending happy birthday messages, sharing memes, etc. Any communication will follow our ‘Rule of Three’ safety policy in which there will always be a minimum of three people involved in a conversation, ideally two adults. There will not be any one-on-one, adult to youth online communication.

Parents/guardians will still receive all essential information. We’ll share upcoming events, schedules, Sundays off, and other logistic related information either via email or a group chat in which both parents and youth are included. If you do not feel comfortable with this communication set-up, leave out your youth's contact info and reach out to Zoë at dsd@usguu.org

Do you have a youth that is in high school or 14-18 years old?

Yes No

Youth Email Address

Youth Phone Number

Media Release

I give permission for the above-named child(ren) to be photographed and/or video recorded by Unitarian Society of Germantown (USG)

I understand and agree USG may use the photos and/or videos containing the words, image, and/or voice of the child(ren) in internal newsletters, special church communications, or posters and may be shared publicly through our website, Youtube, or social media. USG will not use children's names in any images or recordings to protect their privacy unless separate written permission is given.

Parents or guardians of the above-named child(ren) can revoke release at any time by contacting Zoë Johnston at dsd@usguu.org

** This is a good opportunity to talk to your kids and youth about their preferences and have a conversation about consent. There's a short video resource here. **

Please confirm that you give permission for USG to take pictures or videos of your child(ren)

Yes No - Opt Out Other

If you selected "Other" above, please share more about your wishes

Children's Spiritual Development Registration Fee

In addition to time, it takes money to help our program run! The true cost of our CSD program is about $100 per child per year. We spend this on supplies for crafts and activities, updated and value-aligned curricula, materials to pull off events like our Spooktacular, and many other things.

If you are a pledging member USG, you have already contributed to this cost! Regardless of your pledge amount, during our stewardship campaign you helped us create an annual budget that supports our thriving CSD program. We are so grateful for your continued support of this community! Pledging members do not need to pay this registration fee. However, if you would like to make a donation, whatever you give will go directly to CSD program expenses.

If you are a non-pledging visitor or friend, we ask that you pay a registration fee that is both financially accessible and meaningful for you. We believe that CSD should be an equitable program and are grateful for whatever you are able to give, even if that is not a financial contribution. If you are a frequent visitor, this may be a good time to consider joining as a member and making a financial pledge to our congregation.

Payment

If you have additional questions after filling out this registration form, please reach out to our Director of Spiritual Development Zoë Johnston at dsd@usguu.org. Thank you for being part of our Beloved Community at USG!

Credit/Debit Card Number

Expiration Date/CVC

Name on Card Card Billing Address

Description

We ask that all families register for CSD after attending three times. To register for CSD (August-May), please fill out this form and click submit. If you have further questions, please email our Director of Spiritual Development at dsd@usguu.org

Children's Spiritual Development at USG 2026 - 2027

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