Parent's Night Out

Have you ever seen signs for Parent's Night Out around our community and wondered what the heck it is? Have you heard about it at ECFE and thought a free night out sounded good but were a little nervous to try it out? Or are you saying to yourself right now, Parent's Night Out?! Yes, please! Where do I sign up? Well, have no fear, and no need to sign up! I decided to get to the bottom of it and find out what Parent's Night Out is myself.

Parent's Night Out is a free (yes, free) service to the community provided by Community Bible Church. (They are located at 69 East Third St.) They do this as a simple service to the community because they care about families and children in Winona. They know it can be hard to find time to get away by yourself. It can also be hard to pay a sitter if you do find the time to get out for time away. Hopefully this will help out a little.

I contacted the church and talked to Craig Hensel, one of the pastors there. I asked him a few questions and he was happy to share some of the details of Parent's Night Out.

Who will be watching my kids? Eager adults and child care professionals. We can't wait to have a good time with your kids while you get a break!

Why are you guys doing this? We are passionate about families and children. We know it is difficult to find time for yourself and we want to help make that easier! We want parents to be able to have a free place to send their kids while they spend time together, kindling their marriage relationships or just getting a chance to recharge. You can even go grocery shopping or go home and clean your house if you want to!

Does it cost any money? No! This is a free service for you and your family. If you want to give a donation, though, that’s just fine.

If I give a donation, what will you do with the money? Your gift would help us make sure there are more Parent's Night Out in the future!

You’re a church. Will you “convert” my kid? No, that is not the point of Parent’s Night Out. We simply want to offer a service to the community. However, being that we are a church, your children may be exposed to biblical truths (we may watch a Veggie Tales or sing a bible-based song.)



And finally, what do the kids have to say about all of this? I asked two "regular attenders" of Parent's Night Out and here's what they had to say:

“I love it. And my favorite parts about it are watching Charlie Brown or Veggie Tales. And maybe like the snacks." -A.F. age 5

“I like it because we get to watch a movie and and we get to eat a snack; sometimes my friends from school come. And we get to stay up really late and we get to have fun!" -M.H. age 7

So what's not to love? Take advantage of a night out!



Here are the specifics:

Who: Winona area kids ages birth- 5th grade

What: Parent’s Night Out!

When: Friday July 24th from 6:00p-8:30p

Where: Community Bible Church located at 69 East Third Street

Why: Parent’s Night Out offers free child care at a safe venue with a movie, snacks, games, activities and more for kids while parents enjoy an evening out.

For questions or if you need more info, go to cbcwinona.org or contact Craig or Michael at 507-454-3703.