The YMCA of Central Stark County is committed to the development, health and well-being of children and youth in our care. Any form of physical, emotional, mental or sexual abuse will not be tolerated. We have instituted policies, procedures, training and supervision requirements to create an organizational culture focused on the protection of all children and youth involved in YMCA programs and activities. For more information about our Abuse Prevention & Risk Policies, please contact your Program Director.

How to Talk to Your Child-Tips for Discussing Child Safety*

Who? A parent is the best person to teach a child about personal safety.

What? Effective personal safety skills:

• Smart thinking
• Strong character
• Sticking together

When? Now; Age and maturity matter:

There is no perfect age when parents should begin teaching children about personal safety.
A child’s ability to comprehend and practice safety skills is affected by age, educational, and developmental levels.
How?

• LISTEN to your children.
  • Know your children’s daily activities and habits.
  • Listen to what they like and what they don’t like.
  • Encourage open communication. Let your children know they can talk to you about any situation.
  • Reassure your children that their safety is your number one concern.
• TEACH your children.
  • Set boundaries about places they may go, people they may see, & things they may do.
  • Reinforce the importance of the buddy system.
  • It’s OK to say no—tell your children to trust their instincts.
• GET INVOLVED
  • Know where your children are at all times.
  • Your children should check in with you if there is a change in plans.
  • There is no substitute for your attention and supervision.
• PRACTICE safety skills with your children.
  • Rehearse safety skills so that they become second nature.

What You Can Do to Help Your Child-Tips for Parents to Help Their Children Stay Safe*

Safety at Home

• Children should know their full names, home phone numbers, and how to use the telephone. Post your contact information where your children will see it—office phone number, cell phone number, pager number, and so on.
• Children should have a trusted adult to call if they are scared or have an emergency.
• Choose babysitters with care. Obtain references from family, friends, and neighbors. Once you have chosen the caregiver, drop in unexpectedly to see how your children are doing. Ask your children how the experience with the caregiver was and listen carefully to their responses.

Safety in the Neighborhood

• Make a list with your children of their neighborhood boundaries, choosing significant landmarks.
• Interact regularly with your neighbors. Tell your children whose homes they are allowed to visit.
• Don’t drop your children off alone at malls, movie theaters, video arcades, or parks.
• Teach your children that adults should not approach children for help or directions. Tell your children that if an adult approaches them, they should stay alert because the adult may try to trick them
• Never leave children unattended in a vehicle. Children should never hitchhike or approach a car when they don’t know and trust the driver.
• Children should never go anywhere with anyone without getting your permission first.

Safety Away From Home

• Be careful when you put your child’s name on clothing, backpacks, lunch boxes, or bicycle license plates. If a child’s name is visible, it may put them on a first-name basis with an abductor.
• Walk the route to and from your child’s favorite places (school, neighborhood friends, YMCA, and so on), pointing out landmarks and safe places to go if someone is following them or they need help. Make a map with your children showing acceptable routes (to school, to the YMCA), using main roads and avoiding shortcuts or isolated areas. If your children take a bus, visit the bus stop with them and make sure they know which bus to take.

Safety at School

• Be careful when you put your child’s name on clothing, backpacks, lunch boxes or bicycle license plates. If a child’s name is visible, it may put them on a “first name” basis with an abductor.
• Walk the route to and from school with your children, pointing out landmarks and safe places to go if they’re being followed or need help. Make a map with your children showing acceptable routes to school, using main roads and avoiding shortcuts or isolated areas. If your children take a bus, visit the bus stop with them and make sure they know which bus to take.

Signs of Abuse

The first step in helping abused or neglected children is learning to recognize the signs of child abuse and neglect. The presence of a single sign does not prove child abuse is occurring, but a closer look at the situation may be warranted when these signs appear repeatedly or in combination.

At the YMCA of Central Stark County, we take every suspicion or allegation of abuse seriously, and we will fully cooperate with authorities. This policy requires that all YMCA staff and volunteers report any reasonable suspicion of child abuse to their direct supervisor. Moreover, all mandated reporters are additionally required to report reasonable suspicion to the Ohio Department of Job & Family Services

All YMCA staff and volunteers are required to complete abuse prevention training annually.

Youth to youth abuse is also not tolerated at our YMCA. This also includes any bullying behavior: aggressive behavior that is intentional, repeated over time, and involves an imbalance of power and strength. Like adult to child abuse, youth to youth abuse can occur in many forms:

1. Physical bullying—hitting kicking, punching, restraint, etc.
2. Verbal bullying—belittling or calling hurtful names
3. Nonverbal or relational bullying—social exclusion, friendship manipulation, gossip or intimidation
4. Cyberbullying—sending threatening or inappropriate messages or images, pretending to be someone else to make another youth look bad, hazing, sexualized messages or images, etc.

Anyone who sees bullying and encourages it or does not report it is engaging in bullying.  This policy applies to all youth, staff members, and volunteers.

What Do You Do If You Suspect Abuse?

There are several things you can do if a YMCA staff member or volunteer breaks the rules or violates your boundaries:

1. Tell your parent or guardian.
2. Talk privately with any staff member who you feel comfortable talking to.
3. Contact Brittany Acuff at bacuff@ymcastark.org
4. Use our Anonymous Reporting Tool

We encourage all of our parents to observe any program where your child is enrolled!

*Adapted by, The YMCA of Central Stark County

Source: Adapted, by permission, from National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, Personal safety for children: a guide for parents. (Online) Available: http://www.missingkids.com/

Protecting children in our programs is our top priority. The YMCA of Central Stark County provides a safe and nurturing environment for children and teens who participate in our programs throughout Stark County. We maintain rigorous procedures and policies related to hiring, training and supervising staff, and caring for children of all ages.

Screening and Hiring – All new hires go through a comprehensive interview process, three reference checks, fingerprinting, a criminal background check, and a sex offender record check.

Training – All staff members complete extensive child abuse prevention training programs and receive education on creating a child-safe environment. Staff members renew training every year.

Volunteers – Volunteers complete thorough background checks and receive abuse prevention training.

Policies and Procedures – We maintain rigorous policies and procedures which are enforced at all locations to ensure that children are supervised at all times and no single staff person is every alone with a child.

Prevention – The YMCA of Central Stark County engages with Praesidium, a team of experts in child abuse prevention, to assess all aspects of our programs and implement best practices. 

Reporting – If any staff member or volunteer suspects, or becomes aware of, any inappropriate behavior toward a minor, they are to report the incident immediately.

Parents as Partners – We consider parents/guardians as our partners in protecting children. As an ongoing practice, we invite parents to review our written standards and to engage with us in the care and development of their children.