Children’s Religious Education (Children’s RE), along with Sunday services, is fundamental to our faith as Unitarian Universalists. We currently offer religious education and childcare programs for infants through middle schoolers.

NVUU children and youth are encouraged to seek their own truths, to clarify their values, to live lives of meaning inspired by those values.

Throughout our Religious Education program, we help children celebrate our shared humanity, while honoring our differences — e.g., diversity of opinions, race and ethnicity, religious background, ability, sexual orientation, and gender identity. We strive to foster delight in the mysteries and miracles of the world and to cultivate each child’s religious growth by encouraging a deeper understanding of our faith.

Our Religious Education program covers a wide variety of topics, such as ethical living, Unitarian Universalist principles and heritage, religions of the world, teachings from humanists and philosophers and inspirational civil rights leaders, and honoring the earth.

Children and youth begin each Sunday in our 11:00 AM worship service and leave at approximately 11:15 AM for class. In a few weeks throughout the year when we don’t have RE classes on Sundays, childcare is available for our families.

Infants and Toddlers

On Sundays, we provide nursery care for infants and toddlers under four. Alternatively, parents are welcome to keep their infants and toddlers in service with them if that suits the needs of their little ones better.

Elementary Schoolers

Our younger class, nicknamed “the Quails”, is taught by our RE Teacher Brad. The Quails follow the Soul Matters curriculum, with occasional breaks from that curriculum to focus on holidays or events happening in the children’s lives.

Middle and High Schoolers

Our older class’s curriculum is compiled to spark the interests and answer the questions of the youth in the program and is taught by our Director of Religious Education Ginger. Last year, the kids learned about Unitarian Universalism, Christianity, Judaism, Catholicism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. They also had visits to other congregations, such as the Jewish Synagogue in Napa, Grace Cathedral Episcopalian Church in San Francisco, and The First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco.

Outside Sunday classes, there are a lot of fun activities that Ginger and Brad organize. Some of these include:

  • An annual Intergenerational No-Rehearsal Christmas pageant that the congregation holds every December.
  • An intergenerational holiday project. Last year, we “adopted” a local Animal Rescue Ranch and raised supplies and monies for them.
  • A weekend camping trip for RE families.
  • Joint activities with other UU churches in Marin, Santa Rosa and Petaluma, such as summer camps for older youth, a trip to a pumpkin patch and to Japan Town.

For more information about our Children’s education programs, please email dre@nvuu.org or call the office (707) 226-9220.