Why Can’t You Just Come Into Club?

We have received some questions from parents recently asking ‘why do I have to show my ID at pick-up’?  ‘Why can’t I just come into Club and help my child gather their things’? ‘Why do I have to tell you if someone else is picking up my child’?

The long answer is that while these precautions may seem very frustrating and unnecessary for you, for some of our members and families they are vital measures that afford them protection.  A child is abducted every 40 seconds in the USA, and over half those children are abducted by a family member.  Another 27% are abducted by family acquaintances.  So you may be a friend of the child’s family, but if you are not on the authorized pick-up list, we will not release them to you.  And until we recognize you, we need to see ID to prove who you are.

All our staff go through the Live Scan background check with the Sherriff/Police Department and their name and details are checked against numerous lists at the Federal, State and local level.  Anyone in the building who has not been background checked, must be accompanied by a member of staff.  During Club time this is difficult as our staff are busy supervising and teaching our members, and are unable to escort parents in addition to their duties.  For that reason, and to ensure the safety of your child, we do not permit parents into the member’s activity spaces during Club time.

There are occasions when the Club is open.  Such as open houses, or public events, and on those occasions we reinforce with extra staff and procedures that help us to continue to provide a safe and supervised environment for our members.

A few things you can do to make safety easier for you:

You can add or delete from your own authorized pick-up list in the parent portal.  Simply log-in, click on your child’s information and update as necessary.  This is easier than having to contact the Club.

Always bring your ID with you when you come to pick up your child.  You never know when a different staff may be covering front desk and not know you.

Provide us with any copies of court orders pertaining to custody, restraining orders, guardianship, changes in visitation etc

If various parents from a sports team may be picking up your child, it is sometimes easier to give your child self-check out permissions.  However, only do this with older grades and if you can trust that your child won’t take advantage.

Thank you for your help.