Child Protection Policy

Prevention: our volunteers

• Background checks — required for every volunteer 18 and older before serving directly with children. No exceptions, renewed every two years.
• Visibility — no adult is ever one-on-one with a child in a secluded area. Everyone stays in common areas with proper light and supervision.
• Rule of Three — always two adults with a child, or at least two children with one adult.

Prevention: on our premises

• All volunteers sign in and out of the facility; all children are checked in and checked out.
• Exterior doors remain locked at all times when unattended.
• No child roams the building alone; children stay in their assigned space unless an authorized adult permits otherwise.
• Classroom and small group spaces have a window with full visibility or the door stays open — never a closed room without either.

Prevention: off-site activities

• All on-premises guidelines are enforced as far as possible off site.
• Volunteers sign in and out before entering an area with minor children; children are checked in and out before departing.
• Overnight — male and female participants sleep separately, with at least two adults of the same gender present. No adult is present where children change or use restrooms, and adults change privately.

Safe adult-to-child ratios

Safe ratios are observed in every AIM program. If a scheduled event cannot meet them, the event lead informs the Executive Director and a safe solution is found before proceeding.

• Ages 4–8 (Kindergarten–3rd grade): one adult for every six children.
• Ages 9–12 (4th–5th grade): one adult for every eight children.

Pick-up & drop-off

• Every child has a completed Transportation Release Form listing acceptable transportation, authorized pick-up persons, and an emergency transportation contact.
• No child is released to someone not listed on that form. Staff may request ID from anyone they don't recognize.
• If a child is not picked up within one hour of the event end time, local authorities are contacted. Families running late should call the AIM office.

Parental consent & paperwork

Each child in an AIM program must have the following on file with our office:

• Individual Program Registration Form
• Parental Consent Form
• Transportation Release Form
• Additional documents may be required for special events and trips.

Restroom policy

• Adults are not in the restroom at the same time as children, except to monitor for safety from the sink area. No adult uses the restroom at the same time as a child.
• K–3rd graders are escorted by a staff member or volunteer, always two children at a time, with the adult waiting outside the door.
• 4th–5th graders use the Rule of Three — three same-gender children at a time, returning immediately.
• 6th–12th graders are not escorted, but restrooms are monitored.
• All restrooms have adequate lighting and privacy.

Fights & physical altercations

Volunteers are permitted to physically break up a fight between children. Call for other adults, separate the children, keep them apart, and inform the staff person in charge of the environment.

• Acceptable: verbally calling for the fight to end; carefully pulling a child away by the shoulders or upper side; carefully restraining a child afterward.
• Never acceptable: profane or unkind language, force used to subdue or incapacitate, or contact with the head, neck, or private areas.

Discipline

Once a rule or guideline is broken, we follow a three-step strategy:

• A verbal warning from a volunteer.
• A verbal warning from the staff person in charge, plus removal from the activity for a set time.
• The child's parent is called and the child remains out of activities for the rest of the event.
• Severe or repeated behavior may require a parent to retrieve their child, or removal from environments pending a conversation with a parent or guardian.
• Any disciplinary action requires an incident report completed within 24 hours and saved to the child's file.

Driver requirements

• 21 years of age or older and properly licensed for the vehicle being driven.
• A driving record free of reckless driving offenses; any citation received while driving for AIM is reported to the office within 24 hours.
• Before driving participants: submit a Driver History Report from the Georgia Department of Driver Services and a copy of a valid U.S. driver's or commercial driver's license.

Drugs & smoking products

Illegal drugs and smoking products are prohibited for everyone on AIM property or at AIM-sponsored events, in accordance with the Georgia Smoke Free Air Act of 2005.

• Adults (18+): warning from staff or a fellow volunteer, then a warning from leadership, then barred from the premises for 30 days.
• Youth (12–18): warning from staff or a volunteer, then a warning from leadership with a parent informed, then barred from the premises for 15 days.
• Only the Executive Director may modify enforcement, and only on rare occasions.

Volunteer training requirements

• Background check before serving — disqualifying offenses include crimes against children, sexual assault, and recent violent or drug/alcohol offenses. Renewed every two years.
• Reading, understanding, and signing this Child Protection Policy before serving.
• Reading, understanding, and signing our child abuse and neglect reporting policy before serving.
• Completing AIM's online Child Safety Course within three months of beginning to volunteer.