Enroll a Child
Every child deserves someone in their corner.
Through Big Brothers Big Sisters, young people are matched with caring adult mentors who provide encouragement, friendship, and support as they navigate life's challenges and opportunities. A Big can help a child build confidence, discover new interests, set goals, and realize their potential.
Our mentoring relationships are built on trust, consistency, and connection. Whether it's trying a new activity, talking through a challenge, celebrating a success, or simply spending time together, the relationship between a Big and Little can have a lasting impact.
How can a Big help your child?
A Big serves as an additional supportive adult in a child's life—someone who listens, encourages, and believes in them.
Children in our program often benefit from:
Increased confidence and self-esteem
Improved social and relationship skills
Exposure to new experiences and opportunities
Support in setting and achieving goals
A trusted adult role model and friend
Every child is unique, and each mentoring relationship grows in its own way. Our goal is to create matches that help young people thrive.
How does the enrollment process work?
Our team takes time to get to know each child and family so we can make thoughtful matches based on interests, personalities, preferences, and goals.
The enrollment process includes:
An application from a parent or guardian
Questions about your child's interests, strengths, and needs
An interview with a program specialist
Ongoing communication throughout the matching process
We are here to guide you every step of the way and answer any questions you may have.
A Partnership for your Child’s Success Starts Here
Parents and guardians are important partners in every mentoring relationship. We work closely with families, youth, and volunteers to support safe, positive, and successful matches.
Together, we can help your child build confidence, explore new possibilities, and create a meaningful connection that can make a difference for years to come.
Ready to learn more? Contact us today to begin the enrollment process.
Frequently Asked Questions About Enrolling a Child
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We believe any child who is able and wants to form a mentoring relationship should be able to enroll in the program. We currently are enrolling children ages 5-18 in our community-based programs and elementary aged students in our site-based programs. There is no financial cost to enroll and we serve families from all backgrounds.
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A Big is a carefully screened volunteer mentor who is matched with a child based on shared interests, personality, preferences, and goals. Bigs provide friendship, encouragement, and support while helping youth build confidence and explore new opportunities. Our community-based volunteers must be at least 18. Our site-based volunteers are high school aged students enrolled in the schools where are programs are hosted.
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The safety and well-being of youth is our top priority. All Bigs complete a thorough enrollment process that includes an application, interview, reference checks, and background & fingerprint screening (for volunteers 18+) before they can be matched with a child.
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Our team takes time to get to know each child, family, and volunteer. We consider factors such as interests, personality, preferences, location, and goals to create matches that have the potential to develop into strong, meaningful relationships.
We do ask both families and Bigs about preferences, but ultimately hope you trust our team to make the best possible match.
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Meeting frequency can vary depending on the program and the match. Our goal is to support consistent, meaningful interactions that allow the relationship to grow over time.
Our community-based matches meet 4-6 hours a month with the flexibility of changing schedules.
Our site-based programs meeting during the school year at a set time each week.
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The timeline can vary depending on factors such as volunteer availability, matching preferences, and program capacity. Our team works hard to create thoughtful matches that are a good fit for both the child and volunteer.