UU Church Today, Practice & Voice

POP: Parents of Preschoolers




POP (Parents of Preschoolers) is a video-based, at-home curriculum grounded in Unitarian Universalism and designed for families with children ages 2-5. But it is much more than that. It is an opportunity for all types of families to set aside a few minutes each week to think about what is important: the values and ethics we want to encourage and embody and convey to the next generation. These values and ethics will be passed on whether we want them to or not, due either to our intention or to our inattention. So, what is it that we want to gift to our children?

If COVID has gifted me anything positive, it has been a pause. A time to reflect and reassess my priorities as a religious educator and as a parent and to choose what is vital and necessary to our program. Giving families an opportunity like POP is a top priority. It is something I wish I had access to when my daughter was this age, and I look forward to experiencing it vicariously through you.

By engaging with this program, parents and caregivers learn about their child’s spiritual development at its foundation. They build rituals that support this development, and they understand their role as spiritual guides. As parents and caregivers, you do not need to be religious or even spiritual to be in this role, and you certainly do not need to have answers. You only need to be willing to listen to the questions and ask them yourself.

Each month, three short videos and worksheets relating to the monthly theme will be made available to All Souls members and friends, as we are a subscribing congregation to the POP platform created Jen Shattuck, the Director of Family Ministry at First Parish Church in Kingston, Massachusetts. Participants can work through the month’s video and worksheet content at their own pace. At the end of each month, we will gather on Zoom with others from our congregation to check in and share what we have learned. Depending on our numbers, several groups may form. And, as our pandemic fears decrease and vaccines become more readily available, we may eventually be able to meet in playgroups, and grow as an in-person community.

Our meeting times will be determined by the group. To let us know you are interested, simply email programs@allsoulschurch.org and say, “Tell me more about POP!” If you have any questions you can direct them here as well. Once you email us, be on the lookout for a survey to determine best meeting times and an invitation to join a group.

With love beyond belief,

Shannon Boston, Executive Director of Religious Education


Shannon Boston is the Executive Director of Lifespan Religious Education. Shannon leads our families each Sunday in online Family Chapel (9 a.m.) and Sunday School (9:30 a.m.) on our Facebook page. Explore our growing catalog of videos to help you be your children’s religious educator in the time of COVID-19.

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