Our mission is to empower people of all ages to find their spiritual home, grow in community, and embrace their own spiritual exploration. We acknowledge that guardians of children and youth are their primary religious educators, and strive to create a program that supports family structures of all kinds, to do just that.

Please read TUUC’s Children and Youth Safety Policy here. Physical copies are available upon request from the Director of Religious Exploration.

How to Support Children & Youth Religious Exploration…

1. Encourage Regular Attendance: Children and Youth benefit from consistent and regular attendance, especially on Sunday mornings. We ask that you attend as consistently as possible, with the expectation that things happen!
2. Volunteer with Religious Exploration: Parents and/or Guardians of Children & Youth are welcome in the classroom at any time, as an observer, and may decide they’d like to volunteer to help or teach after 6 months of attendance. To be a volunteer, please reach out to the Director of Children’s Religious Exploration (DRE) at dre@tahomauu.com.
3. Register Your Child for Our Programs: We ask that you fill out a Children & Youth Registration Form, available in person with the DRE, to ensure we have contact information, medical concerns, and any information that could help us support your child. By filling out the registration form, you will be signed up for the Religious Exploration Monthly Newsletter (different from the whole-church weekly newsletter), so you can read about ways to connect with others.
4. Keep In Touch: Our intention is to make this an easy and fun place for your child to be. We want them to make connections and friends here, and for this to be a safe place to express themselves, ask questions, and grow in their beliefs. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Director of Religious Exploration, Shawn: dre@tahomauu.com.

What to Expect…

1. Parking: Parking is limited, so arrive early to secure a spot. Accessible parking and ramp entrance are on the east side of the building. An entrance with stairs is on the south side of the building, at the corner of 56th St.& L St.
2. First-Time Visitors: Our greeters would love to help orient you! If your child will be participating in class or going to the Nursery after the Time for All Ages, please fill out a registration form or leave your contact info with the greeter to give to the DRE or RE volunteer.
3. Arrival: The service begins with the whole church, including Children & Youth, beginning in the Sanctuary at 10:30 am. The Comfort Room is located on the right-hand side of the Sanctuary, and is a sound-friendly space guardians may utilize. You may also sit wherever you’d like in the Sanctuary.
4. Busy Bags: There are “busy bags” and books for everyone on the tables set up in the back of the sanctuary.
5. Time for All Ages: Around 10:45 am, after the first song, there will be a “Time for All Ages”. During this time, young people will be encouraged to pick up food bank donations and come to the front of the congregation to see a picture book or listen to a story that contextualizes the larger sermon topic for young audiences. The song “As You Go” will be sung by the congregation, and they form an arch over the aisle as children and youth go to classes.
6. Dismissal: After the “Time for All Ages”, your child can either remain with you in the service, or go with the DRE/RE volunteers downstairs to the classrooms and nursery. If you’d rather use the ramp, please note the ramp goes outside before coming back in. Let the greeter, DRE, or RE volunteer know ahead of time that you and/or your child will need assistance with the ramp so we can lead you all down to the classroom.
7. Class Time: Guardians are welcome to attend class at any time with their child, with the exception of some OWL classes. Each class will work as a stand-alone lesson, but we find that the children of families who attend most Sundays have a deeper learning experience! Please leave your phone number with us, so we can contact you if needed.
8. Pick Up: After the service ends, please proceed down the ramp or stairs to sign your child in/out with the DRE or RE volunteer. Children younger than eleven must be picked up by the adult that they arrived with, or an additional adult stated in the Children and Youth Registration. Children will not be released to go on their own. If children are not picked up 10mins after service, they will be walked up to the sanctuary and delivered to you. Youth eleven or older will be allowed to go find their adults in the Sanctuary. Please note that after class ends, guardians are responsible for their children and youth, not TUUC Staff or RE volunteers.

Our classes…

• Classes takes place on Sunday mornings after the Time for All Ages. Elementary (5-10) and Youth (11-17), Will go to separate class rooms where they will explore similar themes spoken about in the sermon, and monthly themes the whole church follows. The themes are usually based on values like trust, inclusion, welcoming, etc.
• The majority of our Elementary curriculum (ages 5–10) comes from Soul Matters, a resource that provides activities designed around monthly themes for both lower and upper elementary levels. Our Youth curriculum (ages 11–17) also follows these themes and is reflective of the sermon, using a conversational, learning-through-discussion approach. This structure allows the entire congregation to engage with the same themes together, deepening our understanding of our shared Unitarian Universalist values: Justice, Equity, Transformation, Pluralism, Interdependence, and Generosity.
• If children under 6 feel more comfortable in the Nursery, they absolutely can go. Please no children 6 and older in the Nursery to ensure the safety of our infants. Learn more about the Nursery here.

Youth programs…

We Welcome You. For Real.

Adolescence is a time of growth, discovery, and deep questioning—it is not the time to step away from faith. At Tahoma Unitarian Universalist Congregation, we are committed to walking alongside youth as they continue their spiritual journey and development.

Our outh program is relaunching on October 5^th 2025, with new opportunities designed to support adolescents as they explore their values, build community, and engage in meaningful action. Our Youth Group for ages 11–17, is reflective of the sermon, using a conversational, learning-through-discussion approach. This structure grows a deeper understanding of our shared Unitarian Universalist values: Justice, Equity, Transformation, Pluralism, Interdependence, and Generosity.

If you have any questions, please reach out to the Director of Religious Exploration by emailing dre@tahomauu.org. We work hard to make Tahoma UU Congregation a safe and warm spiritual home for families, children, and youth. We welcome any feedback for how to make that possible.