Child Safety & Safeguarding
Every parent deserves to feel sure their child is safe with us.
For 40 years, families have trusted us with their children after school and through the summer. We take that trust seriously, and we build our program around keeping it.
Our commitment
Safety is the first thing, not an afterthought.
A child cannot learn, build a robot, or open up to a mentor unless they feel safe. So safety comes before everything else we do. Our staff and volunteers are screened and trained, our spaces are supervised, and any concern has a clear path to the people who can act on it.
How we keep kids safe
Four commitments behind every program.
Background-checked, trained staff
Every staff member and every volunteer 18 and over completes a background check before working with students, and is trained in child protection, mandated reporting, and our code of conduct. Training is refreshed on a regular schedule.Supervision and ratios
Students are supervised by trained adults at all times, with age-appropriate adult-to-student ratios across tutoring, robotics, and camp. We avoid one-adult-alone situations and keep activities observable.Clear conduct and boundaries
Staff and volunteers follow a written code of conduct covering appropriate interactions, communication with students, and transportation. Everyone knows what is expected and what is not allowed.A reporting path that works
Any student, parent, staff member, or volunteer can raise a concern, and every concern is taken seriously, documented, and acted on. As mandated reporters, our staff report suspected abuse to the proper authorities.The commitments above describe how we operate today. To request a copy of our safeguarding policy, code of conduct, or background-check standards, email eric@hopehorizonepa.org and we will send them over.
If something does not seem right
How to report a concern.
You do not need to be certain, and you do not need proof. If something worries you about a child's safety, tell us. We would rather hear it and look into it than miss it.
In an emergency, or if a child is in immediate danger, call 911 first. For anything else involving Hope Horizon, reach our team directly and we will respond.
Safety contact
Josette Langevine-Kim
Executive Director
(650) 327-1139
josie@hopehorizonepa.org
1001 Beech Street, East Palo Alto, CA 94303
You can also raise a concern in person at our office, or ask any staff member to connect you directly with our Executive Director.
Questions about safety? Just ask.
We are glad to walk any parent, partner, or funder through how we protect students. It is one of the most important things we do.