Edge Club

A pilot with 20 middle school students, I would plan for four adults dedicated to supervising the club, plus a separate dinner team of three or four. Kitchen volunteers should not also be counted as student supervisors while they’re cooking.

 

This is a recommended starting team—not a legal staffing ratio. Final numbers depend on the activities, building layout, students’ needs, and applicable requirements.

​

1 Club Coordinator

Leads the program, maintains attendance and emergency information, communicates with families, and manages incidents.

 

Activity leaders

2 

Lead activities and supervise students together.

 

Safety and welcome volunteer

1

Manages arrival, authorized pickup, hallway coverage, and relief when another leader must step away.

 

Dinner coordinator and kitchen helpers

3–4

Plan, prepare, and serve meals; manage food allergies and cleanup.

 

Approved substitutes

2 on the roster

Cover absences so the club can maintain its supervision plan.

 

At least one supervising adult should have current pediatric first aid/CPR/AED training, with a trained backup available.

The safeguards I would build into EDGE Club

• Two screened adults with each group. Avoid isolated one-to-one situations, including during setup, bathroom transitions, and late pickup. Keep activities visible and rooms observable. Florida Conference guidance requires at least two screened adults for non-classroom youth activities; I recommend using that standard throughout the club. 

• Screen and train volunteers before they serve. Use applications, references, required background screening, and child protection training. Florida Conference provides screening guidance and identifies Safe Gatherings as a screening and abuse-prevention resource. Confirm the process with church leadership. Teen helpers supplement adult supervision. 

• Track every arrival and departure. Keep an attendance roster, emergency contacts, authorized pickup names, and a procedure for unexpected absences. Check identification when the pickup person is unfamiliar.

• Plan the school-to-church transition. Decide exactly where responsibility begins. If the club provides an escorted walk, use a written parent agreement, an assessed route, headcounts, and sufficient adults at both ends.

• Make dinner handoff explicit. A parent signs their student out of club supervision before taking responsibility at dinner. Students whose parents have not arrived remain with designated club adults.

• Prepare for emergencies. Have accessible emergency information, allergy and medication procedures, evacuation and severe-weather plans, and a missing-student response. Record injuries and notify parents promptly.

• Set adult boundaries. Use approved communication channels that include parents; prohibit private messaging, unauthorized rides, and closed-door meetings. Train volunteers to report suspected abuse through the required external process, rather than handling it only within the church.

 

Before accepting enrollment fees, have Pastor Patti and church leadership confirm the program’s classification with Florida DCF and its coverage with the church’s insurer. A paid after-school program needs that review; operating at a church does not automatically establish a religious licensing exemption. Florida’s exemption has specific eligibility and screening conditions. 

For your first recruitment effort, I’d seek six approved club volunteers—four scheduled and two substitutes—and four dinner volunteers. That gives you a practical team with backup coverage.