Your child's safety comes first

1. Our commitment

Arĩ for Kids is built on the belief that children learn best when they feel safe. We are committed to:

• Protecting every child from harm, abuse, and exploitation
• Creating a positive, encouraging learning environment
• Ensuring all coaches understand and follow our child safety standards
• Responding quickly and seriously to any safeguarding concern
• Working with parents as partners in keeping children safe

This policy applies to all coaches, administrators, and any staff who interact with children through the Arĩ platform.

2. How we vet coaches

Not every Arĩ coach is automatically approved to teach children. Coaches who want to teach on Arĩ for Kids go through a separate, more thorough vetting process:

• Identity verification — we verify the coach's identity and professional background
• Good conduct certificate — coaches must provide a certificate of good conduct or equivalent background check
• Kids coaching interview — we conduct a separate interview focused on child-appropriate teaching methods and safeguarding awareness
• Safeguarding training — all approved kids coaches complete our safeguarding awareness module before their first session
• Probationary period — new kids coaches are monitored closely during their first 5 sessions

Coaches who are approved for adult sessions are not automatically approved for kids sessions. They must go through the kids approval process separately.

3. Session safety rules

All sessions on Arĩ for Kids follow these rules:

Coaches must:

• Conduct all sessions on Google Meet — no other platforms
• Keep all communication within the Arĩ platform — no direct contact with students outside sessions
• Use age-appropriate language and content at all times
• Report any safeguarding concern to Arĩ immediately
• Never ask a child for personal contact details, photos, or social media handles
• Never continue a session if a child appears distressed — contact the parent immediately

Coaches must not:

• Share their personal contact details with students
• Record sessions without written permission from the parent
• Meet students in person under any circumstances
• Discuss topics unrelated to the learning session with a child

4. How to report a concern

If you see, hear, or suspect anything that concerns you about your child's safety on our platform — please tell us right away. You do not need to be certain something is wrong. If something feels off, report it.

For all other concerns, you can reach our safeguarding lead through any of these channels:

You can report anonymously if you prefer. We will still investigate fully.

5. What happens when we receive a report

When we receive a safeguarding concern, we follow these steps:

• Acknowledge: We confirm receipt of your report within 24 hours
• Immediate action: If the concern involves an active coach, we suspend that coach's access to kids sessions immediately while we investigate
• Investigate: We review session records, communications, and speak to the relevant parties
• Decide: We determine what action is needed — this may include permanent removal of the coach, account termination, or referral to authorities
• Follow up: We update you on the outcome as far as we are able to, respecting confidentiality

If we believe a child is at risk of harm, we will refer the matter to the relevant child protection authorities in Kenya or the child's country of residence. We take this obligation seriously and will always act in the best interest of the child.

6. Online safety for children

We encourage parents to talk to their children about staying safe online. Here are some simple rules you can share with your child:

• Never share your full name, home address, school name, or phone number with anyone online
• Never agree to meet someone you met online in person
• If anyone makes you feel uncomfortable online, tell a trusted adult straight away
• It is always okay to end a call or session if you feel unsafe
• Your Arĩ coach will never ask for your personal contact details — if they do, tell your parent immediately

For younger children (ages 5–7), we strongly recommend a parent or trusted adult be present during sessions.

7. Responsibilities

Arĩ AI School is responsible for:

• Vetting and monitoring all coaches who teach children
• Responding to safeguarding concerns promptly and seriously
• Keeping this policy up to date and accessible
• Training coaches on child safety standards

Parents and guardians are responsible for:

• Ensuring their child is in a safe environment during sessions
• Reporting any concerns to us promptly
• Keeping their login details secure
• Ensuring the registered child is the only one using the account

Coaches are responsible for:

• Following all session safety rules
• Reporting any concern about a child's welfare to Arĩ immediately
• Maintaining professional boundaries at all times

8. Contact our safeguarding lead

Our safeguarding lead is Wangari Njoroge, Founder of Arĩ AI School. She personally reviews all safeguarding concerns.

This policy is reviewed every 6 months and updated when needed. The latest version is always available at arischool.africa/kids/safeguarding.