Child Protection
Illinois YMCAs are committed to child protection every day.
In 2018, Y CEOs implemented the 11th Membership Qualification to support child protection and aquatic safety across the Movement. At the time, the policies of the qualification required completion of a bi-annual child protection self-assessment by Ys.
Praesidium Accreditation is an evolution of the self-assessment. Accreditation provides an extra level of support from experts at Praesidium to ensure all Ys are implementing leading practices in child protection. Accreditation is a standardized, consistent, and objective process by which Ys can publicly demonstrate their commitment to child protection. All Ys must be engaged in the accreditation process by 2028.
Visit Praesidium’s YMCA Accreditation website to learn more about Accreditation for Ys!
Explore Frequently Asked Questions about Accreditation here.
Five days in April can help protect children for a lifetime.
The Five Days of Action is a week designed to raise awareness and inspire adults to take action to protect children from sexual abuse. Youth-serving organizations are invited to participate in this awareness campaign by downloading a toolkit at www.fivedaysofaction.org.
Five Days of Action is an initiative of the YMCA Champions for Child Protection created and designed by Darkness to Light, with support from YMCA of the USA, The Redwoods Foundation, American Camp Association and the Monique Burr Foundation for Children.