Celebrating FIRST Volunteers During Volunteer Month (April 2023)
April 18, 2023
At FIRST®, the safety and well-being of our participants are at the heart of everything we do. While the FIRST® Youth Protection Program (YPP) includes a background check (for those located within the U.S. & Canada) and YPP training, certain states require additional steps to comply with their laws for volunteers in youth-serving organizations.
To this end, we are sharing information about the additional steps required for FIRST volunteers in Pennsylvania and California, as required by each state. If you are planning to volunteer in these states, it is important to know about these specific requirements to ensure compliance and contribute to a safe environment for FIRST youth participants. The additional local state requirements must be completed in addition to a FIRST required background check (U.S. and Canada) and YPP training, which are part of the FIRST Youth Protection Program for coaches, mentors, and event volunteers.
California Volunteer Requirements
Assembly Bill 506 (AB 506) requires administrators, employees, and regular volunteers of youth service organizations to complete training in child abuse and neglect identification and reporting, in addition to obtaining a fingerprint-based Live Scan background check.
Under AB 506, a regular volunteer is defined as an adult who volunteers: 16 hours or more per month, or 32 hours or more per year. This applies to all coaches and mentors, and event volunteers exceeding the hours threshold. California requires all volunteers with direct contact with or supervision of youth to complete:
- Live Scan Background Check: A fingerprint-based check through the California Department of Justice to identify any criminal history in compliance with state law. Live Scan background checks are not transferable between organizations. You will need to complete this process for each organization you volunteer with that requires it. The cost of the Live Scan background check is the volunteer’s responsibility. This is a one-time requirement to volunteer for FIRST. California volunteers should complete the Live Scan process at an approved location. Locate a nearby pre-negotiated provider or any authorized Live Scan provider in the state.
Live Scan instructions - Mandated Reporter Training: Training on recognizing and reporting child abuse, as required by California law. This is a one-time requirement. If you've already completed this specific training for another organization, you do not need to retake it. You can simply associate your existing certificate with our FIRST account. To complete the training, please go to the Mandated Reporter Training website. Make sure to click on the robot icon (shown below) from the selections.
Pennsylvania Volunteer Requirements
Pennsylvania Law (Act 153) aims to protect children by requiring comprehensive background checks for adults who interact with minors in both paid and volunteer roles. This law requires that all qualifying individuals must obtain child abuse clearances. Additionally, these criminal clearances must be renewed at least every five years to maintain up-to-date safety standards.
PA Act 153 mandates that all adults volunteering with minors complete the following clearances. Instructions and other helpful materials can be found on the YPP webpage under the Local YPP State Requirements for California and Pennsylvania section.
- Pennsylvania State Police Criminal Record Check: Verifies any criminal history within Pennsylvania.
- Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance: Conducted by the Department of Human Services to check for any history of child abuse.
- FBI Fingerprint-Based Federal Criminal History: Required for volunteers who have not been continuous residents of Pennsylvania for the past 10 years.
Those who meet the residency requirement may instead submit a signed attestation in lieu of the fingerprint requirement. You can find the attestation form on the YPP webpage under the CA/PA Local State Requirements section.
These clearances are valid for at least five years and are transferable between organizations (i.e., if you did them for another organization in Pennsylvania, you can transfer them to FIRST). Volunteers should ensure their certifications are current (within five years) before participating in any FIRST events in Pennsylvania. Detailed instructions and resources for obtaining these clearances can be found on the YPP webpage under the Local YPP State Requirements for California and Pennsylvania section.
Out-of-State Volunteers: If you are volunteering in Pennsylvania for 30 days or less, you do not need these checks if you are in compliance with the clearance standards of the state you reside in and submit an out of state attestation. You can find the attestation form on the YPP webpage under the CA/PA Local State Requirements section.
If you are volunteering longer than 30 days: You will need to complete all the Pennsylvania requirements as described above.
2025-2026 Season – Local State YPP Requirements Compliance
If your Sterling Volunteers background screening is still current, but you have not completed the required state-specific clearances, your volunteer status may be impacted until all clearances are received and verified. If YPP requirements are not met for lead coaches, the team may not be event ready until it is cleared.
We strongly encourage you to complete these requirements as soon as possible to avoid disruptions in your eligibility for the 2025–2026 season.
For all volunteers, the FIRST Youth Protection Program requirements remain a cornerstone of ensuring safe and positive experiences for participants.
By staying informed and meeting these requirements, you help us maintain the highest standards of safety and well-being for our participants. For more information about the Youth Protection Program or to clarify state-specific requirements, visit the FIRST YPP website or reach out to your local Program Delivery Partner.
Detailed instructions and resources for meeting these requirements are available on the YPP webpage under the Local YPP State Requirements for California and Pennsylvania section. If you have questions on whether this law applies to you, please contact your local Program Delivery Partner.
If you have any questions, please submit them to Contact Support and select Youth Protection Program from the dropdown menu.
Thank you for your dedication to creating a safe and inspiring environment for our youth participants!