Children and Youth (CAYRE)

We offer a place where children can make friends of all ages for life, where they learn to care about others before themselves, and where they may grow spiritually and emotionally. Our church school is a busy and fun place full of music, art, stories and dance. And our doors are open to all newcomers.

We offer a liberal religious exploration experience drawn from our Unitarian Universalist traditions, which affirms the great spiritual truths of all religions. We seek to assist each child in nurturing a spiritual life, ethical awareness, Unitarian Universalist identity, and faith development based on the Seven Principles, using curricula that best fit these objectives in age-appropriate groupings.

Community Building is an Important Part of Our Program.

Throughout the year Religious Education sponsors intergenerational events that offer the opportunity for community building across the age-spectrum of our beloved community. Everyone benefits when the ages have fun together and children raised UU are much more likely to remain UU when they have these experiences. We have also found that everyone has much more fun at intergenerational parties and events. Some of the events scheduled are:

• The creation of El Dia de los Muertos altar
• The Holiday Giving project in November and December
• Easter hunt and service project in April
• Picnic in June honoring parents
  

Other events will be planned throughout the year with the whole congregation in mind. We took several field trips last year. There are other events planned each year specifically for elementary-aged children. These include holiday crafts workshop, a family dance, visits to children's theater events and family picnics. Watch for more information and any schedule changes for these events in the Outer Circle and church calendar. Many require registration and payment in advance. Your cooperation with the timeline is important to the success of the event.

The middle school and upper school youth groups plan their own events with the assistance of their youth advisors.