How Raptor Supports Accreditation for Daycares and YMCAs

October 8, 2025
Blog

Accreditation is more than a credential. For community centers like YMCAs and Boys & Girls Clubs, as well as daycares, it is a trusted signal to families that your organization prioritizes safety and quality care. Accrediting bodies like Cognia, National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), Association for Early Learning Leaders (AELL), and Praesidium require organizations to prove they have strong health and safety procedures in place to protect children, members and staff, manage visitors, and respond to emergencies.

Raptor safety solutions make it easier to meet those standards without overburdening your staff or rewriting your policies from scratch.

Early Learning Accreditation Standards You Need to Know

Before looking at solutions, it’s important to understand what accrediting bodies are actually asking for. While each one uses different language, their goals remain consistent. They focus on creating safer environments, improving preparedness, and reducing risk.

Some areas to call out include:

Screening and Selection. Organizations must use a comprehensive screening and selection process, designed to assess abuse risk, when evaluating candidates for both staff and volunteers (Standard 4, Praesidium Accreditation).
Commitment to Health and Safety. Leaders, educators, and staff must demonstrate a commitment to young learners’ health and safety (Standard 16, Cognia Early Learning Accreditation).
Reduction of Environmental Hazards. Providers must have policies and/or procedures in place to minimize staff and child exposures to hazards (Item A.6.13, NAEYC Early Learning Accreditation).
Reduction of Injury. Programs must have procedures in place to reduce staff and child injuries (Item A.6.21, NAEYC Early Learning Accreditation).
Robust Security Measures. Programs must have security measures in place for the protection of children and employees (Standard D3, AELL National Accreditation Commission).
Emergency Preparedness. Programs must be able to prove that they have implemented and tested emergency preparation plans (Standard D21, AELL National Accreditation Commission).

Together, these requirements highlight the same priority of putting strong systems in place to keep children and staff safe at all times. The good news is that these standards don’t have to create extra work. With the right systems and processes, they can become part of your daily routine.

How Raptor Helps You Meet These Standards

Meeting these expectations requires more than paper policies. Accrediting teams want to see that your organization actively enforces safety, verifies visitors, and prepares for emergencies.

Raptor solutions give you the tools to do just that, in a way that is consistent and auditable.

Instantly screen guests against national sex offender registries and custom exclusion lists with VisitorSafe.
Automate background checks, provide monthly monitoring, and streamline volunteer applications with VolunteerSafe.
Schedule and track drills, alert staff during crises, and account for children in real time with Emergency Management System.

Weaving these solutions into daily operations demonstrates not only compliance but also a culture of care and accountability. These tools show accrediting bodies that your safety practices are more than policies on paper, they’re proven systems that protect your community.

Real-World Success: YMCA Accreditation Made Easy with Raptor

Accrediting bodies look for evidence. They want to see that your policies are not only written but also active in practice. That’s where Raptor stands out.

West Morris Area YMCA is a clear example. They implemented Raptor two years before beginning the Praesidium accreditation process. As VP of Operations Hilary Collins explained:

“One way Raptor helped support our Praesidium accreditation was by minimizing the number of policies we needed to revise or update. Praesidium places a strong emphasis on ensuring that all individuals entering our facility—whether guests, members, contractors, or parents—are screened before gaining access.

Raptor made this process seamless. Its instant screening capabilities allow us to verify in real time whether a visitor is cleared to enter our YMCA. This not only helps us meet Praesidium’s rigorous safety standards but also ensures that our policies remain aligned with best practices in facility security and risk management.”

Raptor not only meets accreditation requirements but also makes the process smoother. When your systems are already aligned with best practices, you enter the accreditation process with confidence rather than scrambling to adjust.

Earning Long-Term Community Trust through Safety and Compliance

At the end of the day, accreditation is about more than passing a checklist. It’s about showing families, staff, and your community that safety comes first. With Raptor, you don’t have to choose between running smooth operations and meeting high standards—you can do both.

Accreditation becomes a natural outcome of the practices you already have in place. That’s the power of having the right partner. Take the first step towards strengthening your safety practices. Schedule a demo.