Whether you're raising one child or a dozen youngsters, parenting could be considered a full-time job. Although parents aren't required to punch in and out every day, providing for children and meeting their needs is a constant duty for at least 18 years - and many parents work 40 hours a week at the same time. For a couple with kiddos, a few hours of spare time to catch a movie or eat at a sit-down restaurant may be few and far between.

Chestnut Level Presbyterian Church, 1068 Chestnut Level Road, Quarryville, will host its monthly Parents Night Out on Friday, Dec. 13, from 6 to 10 p.m. During the event, members of the church's youth group will facilitate a variety of activities for children in fifth grade or below to give parents an evening to themselves.

Child care will be available by a suggested minimum donation, and adult chaperones will be present for the duration of the event. The church's youth group leaders conduct background checks on all adult chaperones, and each chaperone is CPR certified. Defibrillators are located on-site in the event of an emergency.

Youth group members will operate multiple stations for Parents Night Out, including a room where kids may watch a children's movie and enjoy light refreshments as well as a nursery room equipped with toys and activities for little ones. Additional activities will take place in the gymnasium.

"The babysitters do all the activities; the adults are more there for supervision. It's a place for kids to have fun in a safe environment," said Stephanie Stoltzfus, a member of the youth group's leadership board. "And the babysitters are just awesome. A few boys on the basketball team usually lower the basket and teach the little kids how to dunk. They look up to these guys, so it's neat to see those connections."

In addition to giving parents some much-needed time off, Parents Night Out serves as a means for Chestnut Level's youth group to raise money for its weekly Bible studies and annual mission trips. In 2023, youth group members participated in a mission trip near the Bahamas, where they assisted former church member Bruce Dunham in completing construction and renovation projects in the area. Dunham used a sailboat to transport volunteers to churches and transitionary housing facilities on local islands, where the kids repainted walls, installed drywall and repaired roofs.

In June 2025, the youth group will take its next mission trip to North Carolina to help local communities recover from damage caused by recent hurricanes and severe weather. Chestnut Level's pastor, John Hartman, is a native of North Carolina; Hartman proposed the trip after Hurricane Helene devastated towns along the coast and throughout the southern United States.

To register a child for Parents Night Out, contact Stoltzfus at 717-823-2934 or juniorisno1@yahoo.com or call the church office at 717-548-2763.