We Screen Carefully
Every employee and volunteer who works with children completes a comprehensive screening process to ensure they are qualified to work with youth and share our commitment to child safety.
Our hiring process includes:
Comprehensive employment application and self-attestation.
Professional reference checks using child safety-focused questions.
National Sex Offender Registry screening upon hire and annually thereafter.
State, county, and federal criminal background checks upon hire and annually thereafter.
Social Security verification and additional background screenings, as appropriate.
We also conduct daily National Sex Offender Registry screenings of all YMCA memberships and take immediate action if a match is identified.
We Train Continuously
Protecting children requires ongoing education.
Every North Suburban YMCA employee completes child abuse prevention training through Praesidium, a nationally recognized leader in abuse prevention.
We also:
Provide ongoing child safety training for staff.
Equip supervisors with advanced child protection training.
Regularly review and strengthen our policies and procedures.
Are actively working toward Praesidium Accreditation.
We Supervise Thoughtfully
Safe environments are created through active, attentive supervision.
Our practices include:
Maintaining appropriate staff-to-child ratios.
Keeping interactions observable and interruptible.
Limiting one-on-one situations whenever possible.
Providing active supervision throughout every program.
We Act Responsibly
Every staff member and volunteer plays a role in protecting children.
All YMCA staff are mandated reporters and are required to immediately report any suspected abuse, neglect, or inappropriate behavior involving a child.
Every concern is taken seriously and handled promptly in accordance with YMCA policies and applicable laws.
We Never Stop Improving
Protecting children requires ongoing attention and continuous improvement.
We regularly review our policies, strengthen our practices, invest in staff education, and look for new ways to enhance child safety.
Learn More
We believe parents and caregivers should understand the steps we take to protect children. We encourage you to review our comprehensive Child Abuse Prevention Policy to learn more about the standards, procedures, and practices that guide our organization.
If you have questions about our child protection practices or would like additional information, please contact us. We're always happy to discuss the steps we take to help keep every child safe.