You know what’s best for your child. So we’ll need your help from the start, informing us of your child’s needs and approving the match.
We start by thoroughly screening potential Bigs, meeting national standards of excellence by requiring each volunteer to complete an extensive screening process that includes:
We also provide child safety tips to families, and we welcome your questions and feedback. Throughout the match, our professional staff will be in communication with you, your child, and your child’s Big. It’s the best way to build a strong relationship that will have the greatest impact on your child’s future success.
When it comes to the future of our kids, we’re all in this together. Parents and guardians are involved every step of the way, starting with the initial match. You provide us with information about your child’s strengths and needs, as well as approving the selection of the Big.
Once the match is made, you remain closely involved in many ways:
We measure the impact of services by administering a nationally-accepted test known as the Youth Outcomes Survey. This survey supports positive short-term and long-term outcomes for youth in three main areas: educational success, avoidance of risky behaviors, and increased social and emotional well-being.
We serve kids in all nine Bay Area counties – Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma. Our primary office is in San Francisco, with satellite offices in Oakland, Milpitas, and American Canyon.
Big Brothers Big Sisters pioneered youth mentoring in 1904. We are the industry leader in mentoring services to children. An independent national study found kids involved in our mentoring programs were more likely to graduate and stay out of trouble when compared to their peers without mentors. They also found kids improved their school grades and relationships with others.
Additionally, our programs continuously show results, characterized by three data-driven elements that most mentoring programs do not feature:
Our recently matched children waited 6 months or more for mentors to enter their lives. Those who are yet to be matched are still waiting and it may take over a year. Volunteers are the essence of our mentoring relationships. However, there are more volunteers then professional support staff time to make the matches, so we need financial support to engage these volunteers and reduce the number of kids on our waiting list.
We serve nearly 1,000 kids in need throughout the Bay Area annually in our mentoring programs.