BEST Kids Mentoring Program uses a comprehensive, integrated approach to break the cycle of distrust and learned helplessness to which these children frequently fall prey. BEST Kids provides each child with a close, one-on-one relationship with a caring, consistent adult who serves as a mentor, role model, and friend.

BEST Kids’ program model is based on research relating to risk and resilience factors for children. This research indicates that one of the strongest single protective factors that a child can have is a close relationship with a caring adult who serves as a mentor and role model. A BEST Kids Mentor provides a level of personal interest and concern that invites trust and self-disclosure from the youth.

Early intervention.

BEST Kids Mentoring Program starts with children as young as six years old. Early intervention increases the likelihood that the youth will develop trusting relationships and be susceptible to the influence of positive adult role models.

Long-term relationships.

BEST Kids Mentoring Program is committed to providing mentors for these children as long as needed or until they become 18 years old. There is no quick fix. We will be there for them to guide their ultimate success into adulthood. We encourage and support continued involvement by our mentors until the child becomes a self-sufficient adult and beyond.

Peer groups engaged in a positive experiential program.

The primary purpose of the peer group program is to facilitate the children’s ability to socialize successfully, broaden their horizons, and connect with their peers and with society. During some of these peer groups they will perform service projects in the community so they can experience the benefits of giving back and proudly sharing their accomplishments.

Serving foster care and group home children.

Long term consistent one-on-one mentoring is almost non-existent for foster care children. Foster children rarely have the opportunity to become valued members of a constructive peer group.

Intensive evaluations.

BEST Kids Mentoring Program is using a well-tested assessment that is completed by the teacher, caretaker, and child upon in-take and annually thereafter. Additional assessments as well as the child’s report card provide us with a comprehensive description of each child’s strengths and weaknesses in the behavioral, social, cognitive, and academic domains. The results of this objective information are used to set behavioral, social, and performance goals that the mentors will promote in the coming year.

Partnering with the Child’s School.

Often the child’s teacher(s) and school have important information concerning each child. BEST Kids taps into this information and works to support the teacher and the learning process by working through the social worker assigned to each child. This method requires the social worker, caregiver and, subsequently, the teacher to become more involved in the child’s academic life.

Partnering with the child’s caregiver.

We believe the caregiver’s role is the most important role in each child’s life. In addition to providing respites from caregiving, our mentors work hard to communicate effectively with each caregiver on a regular basis to help improve the child’s availability for positive relationships and learning. Our hope is that when a child is placed in a group home, our mentors will advocate among their circle of friends and acquaintances to enroll future foster care and adoptive parents.

Advocating for the Child.

When a child is placed in a group home, we encourage our mentors to advocate among their friends, colleagues, and acquaintances to become involved in supporting a foster care youth.  In addition, with social workers across the country suffering from large, burdensome caseloads, BEST Kids Mentors and Staff often play a large role in advocating for the highest quality additional services and care to be provided to the youth.

BEST Kids reaches these children early and in a preventive, comprehensive and long-term way. By building a long-term bond with a well-trained and supportive adult mentor and an attachment to a peer group, each child is more likely to develop the skills and self-confidence that will enable him or her to become a productive adult. Our desire is to turn these children away from the path of learned helplessness so they can become resourceful citizens who value learning. Our ultimate goal is for these children to become gainfully employed or go to college.