Have questions? That is GREAT!
Scroll down for answers to common questions.

What is a "Big"?

• Bigs are volunteer mentors, who are mostly over the age of 18 and come from diverse backgrounds just like our Littles.
• High School Bigs are high school students ages 15-17, who mentor elementary school children at their school for one hour a week.
• A Big is an extra adult role model for the child in your life; not a teacher, counselor, therapist, babysitter, or taxi-driver, but a friend for your child.
• Role models come in all shapes and sizes. They are regular people just like you, who want to make a positive impact in the life of a young person. Let us find the perfect match for your child!

What is a "Little"?

• Littles are youth ages 6-18.
• Littles come to BBBS either through a parent/guardian or through a referral from a local school or agency.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters seeks to serve the youth who would benefit most from our services; including those who live in single parent homes, growing up in poverty, experiencing parental incarceration, coping with trauma, and/or just needs a friend.
• We include any youth who want to have a mentor regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability.
• The Littles want to spend time with a Big.

What types of programs are available for my child?

• Community-Based: Bigs provide Littles with one-on-one time and attention doing activities in their community. Typically, Bigs meet with their Littles 1-2 times per month for a couple of hours.
• Couples Mentoring: A Big Couple’s match provides a unique opportunity for youth. It’s a community-based match, except that the Little is matched with a couple. The child not only benefits from the addition of two caring adults in their life, but they also get to see first-hand how two adults interact in a healthy, loving relationship.
• School-Based: Adult Bigs provide Littles with one-on-one time and attention in local schools during the child’s school day or after-school program. School-Based matches meet one time per week, usually for 45-60 minutes.
• High School Bigs: The High School Bigs program is a school-based program in which the Bigs are high school students that mentor elementary school students. The Bigs go to their Little's school to spend time with them for one hour per week during the school year.
• Mentor2.0: A school-based program that matches high school students with mentors who have a college degree or significant life experience. The goal is to help students graduate high school and succeed in college or their chosen career.

What is my role as a parent or guardian?

• We need you to be an active Partner every step of the way, starting with the initial enrollment process. Not only will you provide information about your child’s strengths and needs, but you’ll also approve the selection of the Big Brother or Big Sister. Once the match is made, you remain closely involved.
• Know about each activity and give your approval in advance. When your child returns home from an activity with their Big, it’s very important that you talk openly with them about the activity.  We’ll talk with you about your observations and conversations during our monthly conversations.
• Talk with your support specialist monthly. We will contact you monthly to get your point of view about the match, observations and questions. This monthly contact is required - it allows us to provide support, and offer ideas if problems arise. During these monthly contacts, you or your child may be required to complete assessments or surveys.  Note that for safety purposes, we will suspend or terminate any match where consistent conversation is not occurring.
• Call us! If you need help locating resources, are moving, have a joy to share, have safety concerns or need to talk about the match, call your support specialist.
• Respect boundaries, and follow all policies, procedures and ground-rules. We educate volunteers, families and Littles about the importance of focusing on what this match is and what it isn’t. For example, we ask all parents to remember that the Big is a volunteer and should not be asked to perform any services for the family, buy clothes or supplies, be asked to take siblings on outings, bring the child home to an empty house, and so on. Without exception, it is critical to safety and healthy relationship development that you adhere to our rules, as do our volunteers.
• Support your child’s mentoring relationship. The time your child spends with their Big can be an invaluable experience. Committing to scheduled times, talking with your child about their experience, promoting activities and events offered by the agency, getting to know their Big, and talking regularly with your support specialist are great ways to be an active partner.

What kind of support can I expect from Big Brothers Big Sisters once my child is matched?

• Once your child is matched with their Big, a support specialist from the agency will be in regular contact with you to provide assistance and feedback.
• Any time you are unsure about what to do or how to handle a situation, you will have a support specialist there to help. 

How can my child participate in Big Brothers Big Sisters?

• Inquiry - We need some basic information about you to get the process started. Give us a call or inquire online.
  **Please note depending on availability of volunteers, the process may take up to two years to be matched**
• Guardian Training - Child Safety is our number one priority, so all volunteers and parents or guardians enrolling into our programs must complete a Youth Safety Training. Your child's personal safety is important to us, and we look forward to discussing how we can work together to keep your child safe.
• Interview - We will call and schedule a time for you to meet with an Enrollment Specialist. The interview offers us a chance to learn about you and your family so we have a good understanding of what type of Big to match your child with. It takes approximately two hours.
• Match Meeting – Once your child’s application and interview is processed, we will let you know of a Big we think would match well with you and your child. We will then set up a meeting between you and your child, a Support Specialist, and your child’s Big Brother or Big Sister. We will discuss agency ground rules, complete any remaining paperwork, and your child will be able to start meeting with their Big Brother or Big Sister!