Kid Central

At Kid Central, our goal is to help kids understand who Jesus is and how they can share His love with others.

Getting Started

We make check-in as easy as 1-2-3…

1. Get Registered

If you’re a first-time guest, we’ll want you to sign up at our Welcome Center Desk. Your child will receive a name tag and you’ll receive a pick-up tag. Pick-up tags are just one of the ways we provide a safe environment for our kids.

Want to register your child(ren) ahead of time? CLICK HERE and be sure to click the “add child” option when filling out your information.

2. During The Service

If there is ever an issue or your child needs you, you will receive a text message from our team, so please keep your phone available during the service.

3. Pick Up

After the service, parents present their pick-up tag to the teacher in the classroom to pick up your child. If you lose your pick-up tag, just stop at the Kid Central welcome desk for assistance.

Questions?

If you have questions, please look for someone in the Children’s Ministry area wearing a red lanyard. They are always happy to help! Or, if you have questions before your visit to Central, email our Children’s Pastor, Jon Smithback.

What does Kid Central look like?

Infants

The infant room is designed for babies ranging from 6 weeks old to 1 year old. The infant room is staffed by no less than 1 volunteer for every 3 babies. While in the infant room, your baby will receive careful attention, loving playtime, and prayer.

3-Year-Old – Kindergarten

In the 3-Year-Old to Kindergarten room, children will experience worship, Bible story lessons & videos, small group time, and will no longer be getting a snack.

1-Year-Olds

The 1-Year-Old room is staffed by no less than 1 volunteer for every 4 kids. In the 1-Year-Old room, your child will start to hear Bible stories and enjoy fun toys and activities.

Elementary Kids

The elementary area is designed for children in 1st Grade through 5th Grade. In the elementary area, children are divided not only by grade level, but also by gender. Our goal is for your child to start building a bond with their small group leader. Many of our small group leaders will stay with their kids until they graduate from high school.

Elementary offers large group worship, small group lessons, and fun hangout time.

2-Year-Olds

The 2-Year-Old room is staffed with 1 volunteer for every 6 children. In the 2-Year-Old room, your child will hear a Bible story, worship, and start exploring the world of crafts.

Level Up

Level Up is a special ministry for our 4th and 5th graders. It provides custom programming to help our 4th and 5th graders stay plugged in as they transition between Kid Central and Student Central. Children are divided by grade level. Our goal is for your pre-teen to start building a bond with their small group leader. Many of our small group leaders will stay with their kids until they graduate from high school.

Level Up offers large group teaching, small group lessons, and fun hangout time with games and activities. It’s basically like Wednesday night youth group on Sunday mornings.

Kid Central Special Events

Child Dedications

We are deeply committed to helping parents as they strive to raise their children in a way that brings God honor. We offer child dedication services as a special time of public ceremony and personal commitment when parents can promise to raise their child in the training and instruction of the Lord.

We’re excited to be celebrating our next child dedications on Saturday, April 24 at 5:00pm, and Sunday, April 25 at 8:00am, 9:30am, and 11:00am. To have your child dedicated, click the button below. And if you have questions, please email our Next Gen admin, Marianne Mergen, at [email protected].

I’m Interested!

Children’s Baptisms

At Central, we believe the Bible teaches that a child receives salvation through a personal relationship with Jesus. Personal faith and salvation are not passed down from parent to child, and salvation isn’t the result of participating in a baptism. Instead, baptism is an opportunity for followers of Jesus to tell others they have joined God’s family through personal faith.

Here’s what else you can do for your child to be baptized:

Click here for details on our next baptism celebration.
Contact our Children’s Pastor, Jon Smithback, to let him know you’re interested in learning more about baptism.
Attend a mandatory baptism class with your child. (Baptism class info is available here.)

We will contact you with more details after Jon receives your email expressing your child’s interest in being baptized.

Central Jam Children’s Choir

Do your kids love to worship through music and dance? Are they excited about the idea of sharing Christ’s love by performing on-stage? Then it’s time to get involved with Central JAM! Central JAM is for kids in 1st-5th grade and meets this spring for five straight Wednesdays, Feb. 17, Feb. 24, March 3, March 10, March 17.

Central JAM will lead worship at all four weekend services March 20-21 (Saturday at 5:00pm, Sunday at 8:00am, 9:30am, and 11:00am).

**PLEASE NOTE: Your child MUST be available and present for all four services to participate this year. We understand that can be difficult with schedules, but this is a requirement for this year’s performances. While we want every family to be able to participate, we will not be able to make exceptions. Thank you for your understanding.

Central Jam Calendar

Central JAM practices run from 6:15 to 7:15pm. Please note: Pizza will be served at 5:45.

Feb. 17
Feb. 24
March 3
March 10
March 17
March 18 (Please note: this is a Thursday evening. We will meet 6:30-8:00pm. There will be NO pizza this night.)
March 20 -Lead worship at 5:00pm Saturday service
March 21 – Lead worship at all 3 Sunday morning services (8:00am, 9:30am, 11:00am)

Again, please remember that your child MUST be able to perform at all four services this year.

Summer Children’s Ministries

Skill School

Every year, kids who have completed kindergarten through 5th grade will spend a week practicing fun skills, learning about Jesus, and experiencing an unforgettable week of camp right here at Central.

We are SO excited to announce that Skill School is BACK this summer! Skill School will run June 28-July 1 and registration will be opening soon. We can’t wait to see your kids here this summer.

And if you want to help teach a Skill School course this year, we would LOVE to hear from you. Just visit centralsf.org/ssteacher to let us know what you think you’d like to teach and we’ll get in touch with you. (We offer free childcare for parents who volunteer to instruct a class!)

If you’re not sure about teaching a Skill School course, check out the video below to see the impact YOU can make on the next generation at Central.

Teach A Class

Eagle Lake Day Camp

Due to scheduling conflicts this summer, we will not be able to host Eagle Lake Day Camp at Central this summer. We will still have a blast with Skill School, so check that out if you’re interested in a fun summer activity for kids!

Kid Central Volunteers

The volunteers at Central are such a vital part of the Kid Central ministry. All of our volunteers have gone through a careful interview process, including a background check and special training. It is our commitment to you as a children’s ministry team to give your child the best experience we can while they are here.

If you have an interest in serving as a volunteer in Kid Central, just click the button below. And if you have any questions, just send an email to our Kid Central team at [email protected].

I’m interested in volunteering!