Creating A Safe Environment

The YMCA of Greater Louisville works in partnership with families, staff and volunteers to protect children from child abuse.

Safety At The Y

Our youth participate in a wide variety of programs, including child care, camping, sports, aquatics, mentoring and more. The YMCA of Greater Louisville’s programs follow the principles of youth development, which includes the belief that children need to be physically and emotionally safe in order to learn and thrive.

The YMCA has thousands of staff and volunteers working with youth in the many programs we offer. To keep children in our programs safe, we take the following steps in our intensive screening of employees and volunteers:

  • Detailed application forms
  • Comprehensive interview process
  • Personal and professional references
  • Criminal record checks for staff and volunteers
  • Employees complete an extensive child abuse prevention training program
  • Employees and volunteers are mandated to report any suspected child abuse
  • An anonymous internal concern or policy violation hotline

Member Screening

All members are screened through a national sex offender registry upon entry to any of our local Ys. Our membership database is regularly screened, and results are reviewed by Y staff for any red flags. If needed, appropriate action is immediately taken.

Policies

We carefully supervise and monitor all our programs. Our policies are designed to limit circumstances in which staff and volunteers are alone with a child or teen where they cannot be observed. We also actively limit staff contact with youth outside of Y programs.

To Report Child Abuse

Other Resources