WELCOME SCHOOL PROFESSIONALS

Thank you! It is a privilege to serve you and your students with one-on-one mentoring through your Kids Hope USA partner church. This page is designed to help you understand Kids Hope USA, how it will benefit your students, and answer questions you may have. We are here to serve you! 

FAQs

WHAT IS KIDS HOPE USA?

Kids Hope USA is a national mentoring organization that equips churches to serve their local public elementary schools by providing positive adults to serve as mentors. This program increases school engagement for selected students at no cost to the school and brings about a positive impact for students, schools and communities.  

Because Kids Hope USA mentors are trained to respect the separation of church and state, these programs are welcomed in hundreds of districts across the country. 

THE STUDENTS

Students in a Kids Hope USA mentoring program are referred by teachers, principals, or school counselors who believe additional support and attention will benefit the child.

  • Mentors are considered PBIS Tier 2 support.
  • Referral focus is on younger children in K-5.
ABC’S OF STUDENT REFERRAL

THE MENTORING HOUR

Trained Kids Hope USA mentors form one-on-one relationships with students through weekly, one-hour visits at the school. During their hour together, the mentor and student play games, read together, and get to know each other. Time together is focused on supporting the students’ social, emotional and academic development; mentors are not intended to serve as tutors.

A LOOK AT THE MENTORING HOUR

THE SCHOOL’S ROLE

The school welcomes their community partner and maintains the following responsibilities:

  • identifies and refers students.
  • secures guardian consent.
  • assists in matching mentors and students.
  • designates an appropriate space for mentoring.
  • offers an opportunity for the church to introduce the program to staff and teachers.

THE CHURCHES ROLE

The church partner manages the program responsibilities and covers all program costs.

  • The church recruits and supports a director.
  • The director completes extensive training.
  • The director recruits, screens, trains, and supports mentors.

School Action Steps

  • Meet with the Kids Hope USA director to discuss details and logistics
  • Refer students and gain parental/guardian consent
  • Work with the director to match students and mentors
  • Introduce Kids Hope USA, the pastor, and director at an upcoming staff meeting.
  • Mentoring begins!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

As your school engages in your Kids Hope USA program, we’re here to help. Here are some answers to common questions that you might find helpful. Your partner church director is also a great source for information.

About the Kids Hope USA Program

The church is called by faith to love and serve their neighbor, and they are hoping to be a blessing to you. Even though they are there because of their faith, they are not there to share their faith, and they are committed to respecting the separation of church and state. Recognizing the valuable and hard work of teachers, the church simply wishes to walk alongside you as you care for and teach the community’s children.

Most schools see Kids Hope USA mentors as PBIS Tier Two support. Mentors are trained to develop relationships with students, serving to support students’ emotional and social needs. Students who need professional intervention or are already receiving additional support outside the classroom may not be the best fit for the program. 

Also, most schools typically prioritize their students in younger grades, as these early years are critical for forming values, developing self-esteem, and acquiring academic skills. Referring younger children also allows students to potentially have a longer mentoring relationship. 

You may receive referrals from parents, teachers, or other school personnel. However, it will be the school contact or principal who determines the best fit and prioritizes which students should be matched with a Kids Hope USA mentor. 

You will be given a permission form that will go on your school letterhead and be signed by the principal. The template is a Word document, and you are welcome to edit as long as the integrity of the Kids Hope USA program remains intact. We recommend that someone who knows the family call and introduce the program, and then send the permission slip home along with a parent informational flyer. A follow-up phone call may be helpful as well. The church’s program director will provide both the consent form and parent informational flyer. 

As the school, you are welcome to send home more permission slips than the number of available mentors and create a waiting list, or you may contact the church to see how many mentors are available first. Once there is parent permission, the school contact and church director will work together to match students at what we call a ‘Match Meeting.’ You know your students, and the director knows the mentors. Sometimes matches can be made based on personalities, interests, or life experiences; sometimes they are simply determined based on student and mentor schedules.  

Mentoring is done during the school day. Mentors will be encouraged to be as flexible as possible when providing their availability for mentoring. We also encourage the school to be as flexible as possible, which will increase the size of the mentor pool.  

Mentoring can be spread out throughout the week, or it can be concentrated during specific time slots. It really is up to the school to decide; space and building schedules may drive some of these decisions. Again, with more flexibility, there is likely to be more mentors. We encourage the school to work with the church director to determine what is best for the school and students. 

As you might imagine, this answer varies widely depending on the building – some schools have an extra classroom that can be dedicated to mentoring, while others find there is no space except meeting in the hallways. Many utilize the library, a meeting space in the office, or cafeteria. The key is to have a public enough space that the mentor and student are naturally observed or visible to school personnel, but quiet enough to have meaningful conversations.   

We encourage the principal and school contact to share with the school staff about the Kids Hope USA partnership, and introduce the director and pastor, at an upcoming faculty meeting. This doesn’t need to take more than 10 or 15 minutes. We find that teachers are very encouraged to learn that there are others in the community willing to commit to supporting their students, and the partnership often boosts the overall morale of the school. You may wish to discuss timelines and the expected number of students to be matched. Be sure to mention that the mentors will respect the separation of church and state. We encourage re-introducing Kids Hope USA and the pastor and director every year so that new teachers and staff are aware of the program. 

About the Kids Hope USA One Model

A core, non-negotiable of the Kids Hope USA model is that one mentor meets with one student only. This is for two very specific reasons. First, a student’s sense of self-worth grows when they learn they are the only student the mentor sees. This knowledge helps students recognize just how wonderful and special they are. Second, for most mentors, making a commitment to even one student is a big stretch. It can seriously affect recruiting and retention efforts if a mentor feels “less than” because they can “only” see one student.  

We recognize that there is an enormous amount of pressure on teachers for academic improvement in students, and the idea of releasing a student during academic time for mentoring may appear counter-productive to this goal. However, our most experienced teachers are quite flexible when it comes to scheduling, as they recognize that some children aren’t participating in learning and are often disruptive in the classroom. Following their mentoring time, most students come back to the classroom ready to learn. As research shows and one principal said so well, “We can’t teach a child to read until they know they are loved.” 

One great option is to schedule mentoring over lunch and recess.  

Then, by adding five to ten minutes before lunch, the mentor can take the student to the cafeteria so the child can skip the line; meanwhile, the mentor and student are chatting and connecting. Assuming the child can eat in the mentoring space, they can begin a game, or the mentor can read aloud while the student eats. And then if the mentor can return the student five to ten minutes after the bell, during this classroom ‘transitional’ time, we’ve easily added 10-20 minutes.  

Of course, as the school, you can set the expectation that the mentor will spend 15-20 minutes reading or doing other academic work, and we are now close to an hour!

Yes! First is the research for positive youth outcomes. According to brain research, we know that even a traumatized brain can start to heal with just an hour of safe, supported space each week, where a child can simply be a child. We are not aware of research based on shorter periods.  

Second, we know that positive youth outcomes are based on match length—those relationships that last longer have the greatest potential for good. Mentor satisfaction is tied to match length, and one variable in mentor satisfaction is tied to the length of the mentoring session. Mentors struggle to connect and build relationships in a short session. And mentors who drive 30 minutes or more in the middle of their day find it most meaningful to meet for an hour. This doesn’t mean they will stop showing up—mentors are very committed to meeting until the end of the school year—but it does mean they may be less likely to come back the following year. Shorter session times shrink the size of the mentor pool.  

Mentors, regardless of when they actually begin meeting with their student, are committed to mentoring until the end of the school year. Most programs wrap up around mid-May as student schedules become quite variable those last couple of weeks of school. It is important that all relationships have healthy closure. Certainly, the hope is for mentors to come back in the fall and continue to meet with their students, but we are careful not to make promises, as life can change during the summer. But, because our average mentor-student match length is almost three years, chances are the match can pick back up in the fall! 

Other Questions

Mentors are trained to build a relationship with their student, and are not tutors, so they will be doing things like playing games, doing crafts, having conversations, and learning about their student’s interests. A small portion of the time may be spent learning together. The student’s teacher may work with the mentor directly for any academic support needs. Otherwise, all mentors are encouraged to spend time reading with their student, with a focus on making reading a fun and positive experience.  

The Kids Hope USA Mentor Screening process includes:

  • Extensive application
  • Three reference checks
  • One-hour interview
  • Criminal background check based on school’s needs
  • Pastor’s review and sign-off
  • First, help to retain current mentors. You can do this primarily by making mentors feel welcomed and needed. Mentors are not there to be thanked, but they do want to serve where they are being helpful. Acknowledging their effort and commitment, in small or larger ways, keeps mentors positive and willing to serve long term.  
  • Second, consider helping with recruitment. Many principals are happy to visit during Sunday worship and share the need for more mentors.  
  • Third, don’t be afraid to share a need with your partner church. Over 98% of Kids Hope USA churches serve their schools in other ways beyond mentoring, and they will be honored that you ask! 
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