ROCHEL LEAH BERNSTEIN
Our Founder and Executive Director

Rochel Leah Bernstein is the founder and executive director  of Child Safety Pledge, an organization committed to prevent and combat child sexual abuse in the United States. A parent, mother of four and survivor herself, she has worked for the past eight years with youth-serving organizations, funders and parents to ensure strong policies and best practices to prevent, detect, and respond to child sexual abuse.

Together with her team she is focused on collaborating with purpose-driven companies, foundations and empowering a national grassroots movement dedicated on keeping all children safe from sexual abuse in YSOs and physical environments. She has a passion for philanthropy, travel and street art.

Child Safety Pledge was conceptualized and founded by Rochel Leah Bernstein in 2016 as a catalyst for protecting children from sexual abuse.

Child Safety Pledge became an independent nonprofit venture in July 2018. The project began as an initiative of Jumpstart Labs, which developed the initial research, strategy, and funder consultation process in partnership with Ms. Bernstein. Working together, they created the idea for a pledge for funders of youth-serving organizations to commit to holding their grantees to the highest standards for protecting kids from CSA in their organizations. Once piloted, the goal was to bring it to other faith-based and secular philanthropic arenas in the hopes of making it a universal standard. In 2017, four major foundations became the first to sign the Child Safety Pledge.

Child Safety Pledge is powered by The Giving Back Fund, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with federal tax exempt status as a public charity. ID 04-3367888.

Child Safety Pledge was inspired by Erin’s Law, Rochel Leah wanted to devise a strategy that would have an equally widespread effect on youth-serving organizations in the private sector. Erin’s Law  – named for childhood sexual assault survivor, author, and activist Erin Merryn who is its champion – has been passed in 31 states, and requires all public schools in each state implement a prevention-oriented child sexual abuse program. The law has transformed the way public schools go about teaching personnel, parents, and children how to prevent, recognize, and respond to child sexual abuse. The challenge of fighting child sexual abuse is compounded by the silence that surrounds the topic and the fact that private youth-serving organizations are not subject to the laws that require robust training and prevention regimens – which is where Child Safety Pledge is hoping to make a difference.