Membership Guidelines
Illness Guidelines

Membership Guidelines
(All members agree to follow these guidelines when they join the MOMS Club)

The purpose of these guidelines is to establish guidelines for all MOMS Club® functions (including but not limited to playgroups, business meetings, club activities, park days, calendar events, etc) or when interacting with other MOMS Club® members. It will allow for reprimand and possible removal, of a member, from the MOMS Club® roster if they violate the guidelines established and set forth herein. The final decision for membership termination will rest with the Executive Board.

Any member who wishes to report a violation of the Guidelines can do so by contacting any Executive Board member. This will be held in the strictest of confidences. The board will then address the violation and report back to the member who reported the violation with the action(s) they took.

No member shall use obscene or abusive verbal language directed toward any other member of the club or their child/children.

No member shall use physical or obscene gestures toward any other member of the club or their child/children.

Members shall refrain from harassment regarding other members of the club in person, via phone, mail, and email. Email shall not be used for personal disputes. Personal matters need to be kept between the parties involved.

No smoking shall be allowed at any indoor event, and consideration for non-smokers and children shall be expected at outdoor events.

All members shall be considerate and respectful of the property of other members.

Members shall not misuse the MOMS Club® roster or its contents. Members shall not send out unsolicited information, in any fashion, pertaining to business, political, ethical or religious purposes.

All members shall act in an ethical and moral manner. Members should not be deceitful, cheat, lie, steal, gossip, or falsify information.

No member shall use obscene, abusive, or demeaning language, which includes making negative comments regarding the race, religion, or ethnic background of others.

If a club activity is in a member’s home, the hostess shall make sure her home is child-proofed to the best of her ability and is a sanitary, safe and healthy place for children to be. We are not expecting immaculate, but do expect a certain minimum level of cleanliness.

MOMS Club of Springfield has a NO PEANUT rule due to the rising number of allergies and the severity of symptoms. We ask that you refrain from bringing any snacks made with peanuts or peanut oil. This includes snacks intended for your child only.

Members must RSVP to an event in a timely manner. If a member finds that she cannot attend an event for which she has previously RSVP’d, she must contact the hostess ASAP to notify her. Conversely, a hostess must notify all RSVP’d members ASAP should she need to cancel her event.

Any member who does not participate in at least one event in a four month period (without notification) shall be considered Inactive. Inactive members are not eligible to serve on committees, participate in the babysitting co-op or receive Helping Hands benefits until she is deemed active. To be returned to active status, the member must participate in two events within a 6 week period.

Members shall be responsible for any and all fees incurred from bounced checks.

Membership dues must be submitted by the last day of the month in which the member’s renewal is due. The Club Treasurer will contact the members whose dues are up for renewal via email the month prior to renewal and the month of renewal. If a member does not have email the Treasurer will contact her in another fashion.

Example: Molly Member’s membership is up for renewal in April. The Treasurer
will list her name in the March and April newsletters and email Molly at the end of March. Molly will have until April 30 to get her dues to the Treasurer.

Regarding our Children and Inappropriate Behavior
We all need to remember to focus on the behavior and not the individual. Each mother is responsible for her own children’s behavior and should watch her own children. We have to remember that there is not a right or wrong way of parenting; we are not to judge each other. Furthermore, often more than one child may be involved in inappropriate behavior but only one is “caught” and that may not be the child who instigated the inappropriate behavior.

When disciplining, please remove your child from the immediate area.

If any children show signs of aggressive behavior (hair pulling, shoving, hitting, kicking, wrestling, biting, spitting, etc) the mothers should speak to their children. If a second incidence occurs the mothers should remove their children from the area. If after 30 minutes from the original incident the behavior has not improved, the mothers and children should leave for the day.

If a child is deemed a danger to themselves or others, the mother shall be asked to be refrain from club activity for 30 days.

Illness Guidelines

Colds
Even if a child does not have a fever, a child with a "heavy" cold and hacking cough belongs at home.

Fever
No child with a fever over 100 degrees should be brought to a playgroup or meeting. Please do not rejoin the group until your child is free of fever for 24 hours.

Rash
A rash can be the first sign of many childhood illnesses, such as chicken pox. A rash or "spots" may cover the body or appear only in one area. Do not bring a child with a rash to a playgroup until cleared by a physician.

Sore Throat
If your child was ill the evening before (vomiting, fever, sore throat, swollen glands, etc.) please keep him/her home to minimize the risk of spreading illnesses to others.

Vomiting/Diarrhea
P lease keep your child home until he/she can keep food and fluids down and is fever-free for 24 hours. A child with diarrhea should not be brought to a playgroup for 24 hours after the last episode.

Thank you for helping us keep our children happy and healthy!