Our Mission

Children and Youth Safety (CYS) is a forward-facing compliance and risk reduction program available to university community stakeholders to guide and enable them to uphold Cornell’s values and expectations when working and volunteering with children and youth. 

The requirements for working with children and youth stems from our shared commitment to providing a safe environment and meaningful experience for participants that not only meet the minimum legal requirements but also our ethical responsibility to protect children and do the greatest good as we share with them the University’s core values of purposeful discovery, free and open inquiry and expression, a community of belonging, exploration across boundaries, changing lives through engagement and respect for the natural environment. The Cornell University Policy 8.8, Children and Youth Safety outlines the requirements for compliance.