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.

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.

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.

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.

• 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.