First Look Orange Specialists get this question a lot. Preschool leaders often wonder if there is anything for them at The Orange Conference. Is there a good reason they should spend the time and money it takes to travel to Atlanta and be around some of the best children’s ministry leaders in the world. The answer is: ABSOLUTELY, YES!

So RUN, don’t walk, to the nearest computer and sign up. (You’re going to want a computer and not a mobile device so you can see the awesomeness of the site better.) Once you are there, go to OrangeConference.com and click around.

If this is your first time attending The Orange Conference, we’ve got some tools to help you choose your breakouts. Go to the “Workshops” page. There is a first-timers guide just for preschool leaders! In addition, there is a general guide for anyone attending The Orange Conference for the very first time. You can find it on the bottom left of the page. Go ahead and download that page.

For those of you who have attended The Orange Conference, you’re wondering why you should come back. Am I right? There are so many NEW things happening at OC13 (that’s our Twitter hashtag by the way: #OC13) that you’re going to have a hard time choosing. We have new breakouts just for preschool leaders like “Designing a Lead Small Curriculum for Your Preschool Ministry” and “Successfully Partnering with Parents of Preschoolers.” To find out more about all the breakouts geared for you, the preschool leader, choose the  “Preschool Ministry” on the workshops page. You will be so excited by what you see there.

Speaking of workshops, another thing we’ve added for 2013 are Track Champions and a greater explanation of our tracks. You can read more about the goals of the Preschool Track here (http://www.whatisorange.org/orangeconference/2013/new) and watch a short video (https://vimeo.com/58387697) to offer further explanation.

There are more fabulous workshops available on Wednesday during our preconference day. We even have a three-hour “Preschool Orange Interactive” where yours truly will be helping the First Look Orange Specialist Team lead you through all things First Look.

But The Orange Conference isn’t just about workshops. It’s hearing from some amazing speakers from the main stage and refilling your cup so you can return home excited and equipped to lead your preschool team. It’s about worshiping with thousands of men and women who love the Lord as much as you and want to share that with the next generation. And, it’s about meeting and learning from those who are in the trenches just like you. When you look at The Orange Conference schedule, you’ll see that we’ve provided time for each of those.

So really, the question isn’t, “Should I attend The Orange Conference?” The question is, “Why wouldn’t you?”

Looking forward to seeing you in April!

REGISTER THROUGH FEBRUARY 14 TO RECEIVE A $50 ORANGE CREDIT AND SAVE $40!
Register for only $279—a $40 savings off of the regular registration rate of $319! Additionally, you will receive a $50 credit toward the purchase of First Look preschool curriculum, 252 Basics children’s curriculum, XP3 Students curriculum, XP3 College curriculum or YouLead for the first four registrations, up to $200. For complete details, please visit the Pricing page on www.TheOrangeConference.com.

Do you have a team that goes through each preschool classroom during the week or right after services making sure basic supplies are available for next time? Depending on the size of your church, this can be one person or several. It could even be a teenager looking to satisfy service hours needed for school. Having a cart full of basic supplies helps make the task go even quicker.

By ensuring that rooms are stocked during the week, you eliminate a panic on Sunday morning when volunteers run out of wipes or cups or Goldfish®. Some things to consider when restocking a room: wipes, cups, snacks, tissues, paper towels, markers, crayons, glue sticks, and tape. Organizing cabinets the same way in different rooms with needed supplies helps the process go faster.

It’s hard to believe, but it’s also time to start thinking about spring break and summer vacations. Take some time this month to talk to each volunteer about any upcoming vacations. If they haven’t already planned ahead, this might get them thinking.

Also start collecting names of parents in each classroom that might be able to help out when your volunteers are on vacation. With a little bit of preparation before spring fever sets in, you may be able to avoid that Saturday night “oh my” feeling when you realize all your volunteers are on vacation.

What do you do at your church during the week to get ready for Sunday? How do you get help for vacation crunch time?

This fall our First Look curriculum introduced Creation to preschoolers with an all out extravaganza. With lessons that included making a Creation mural in large group and tons of hands on activities, the Creation two month unit was a hit with preschoolers and leaders alike. Perhaps the best part of the entire unit was “The Creation Musical.” This fun and purposeful song taught preschoolers the days of Creation through great music and lots of movement. Here is one church that brought their preschoolers to main service to show everyone what they had learned about Creation.

“It truly was a blessing for our congregation to see this little guys worshipping with all their hearts. Countless parents came up to me afterward explaining what a joy it was to see them. One mom in particular, who was visiting our church that Sunday, came to me in tears because she volunteers in the preschool environment at her church (where they also do First Look) and so she was able to sing along. She explained how amazed she was to see how God is uniting different churches to invest in their children in the same ways. And how it was just made her appreciate our curriculum. So thank you guys for all you do to help create those first impressions of our Heavenly Father and how you are bringing churches and families together across the nation!” (Video and Testimony from Daniel De Jesus, Children’s Pastor at Collin Creek Community Church.)

You’ve got 40 hours. That’s it. The average preschooler is at church for 40 hours each year, and that’s all the time you have to influence that child. So, where did the rest of the waking hours go? At home, with their parents. Since parents have more hours with their children, how do we help them use their 3000 hours as a spiritual influence in the lives of their preschoolers?

We help them. We show parents that teaching their children about God doesn’t have to be a big, scary issue; it can happen any time, anywhere. We have created a training product called the Create A Rhythm Event to show parents it is easy to incorporate God into four main “Preschool Times”: Bath Time, Car Time, Cuddle Time, and Play Time. With scripts for both large and intimate group settings, this product gives you everything you need to help parents see the connection between church and home.

Teach your preschoolers that God made them, God loves them, and Jesus wants to be their friend forever. Then, show Mom and Dad how to keep up the learning at home.