Friends of the Children - Eastern Idaho
Categories
Non-Profit & Clubs
About
Friends of the Children – Eastern Idaho was launched by community stakeholders who recognized Friends of the Children’s proven model as a powerful, mitigating solution to some of the most pressing challenges ffacing Eastern Idaho’s communities. Our program offers intensive, holistic, 1:1 professional mentoring services that help children and families facing the greatest barriers improve their well-being and stability across multiple domains to achieve educational and life success, and mental health. Most of the children and families we serve comprise A.L.I.C.E. (Asset Limited, Income-Constrained, Employed) households, with the exceptions being those households with limited assets and constrained income but temporarily experiencing unemployment.
There are six key elements to Friends of the Children’s proven model: (1) We enroll children challenged by intergenerational poverty, trauma, and multiple Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs); (2) We hire full-time, highly trained, paid professional mentors (called “Friends”) who have the knowledge and skills to work effectively with families who face complex social and systemic challenges by providing 1:1 support to each child for 4 hours per week; (3) We start working with children when they are ages 4 to 6 and commit to them for 12+ years through their high school graduation; (4) Friends are involved across all facets of the child’s life (school/home/community) to address underlying issues and instability; (5) Friends simultaneously develop trusting relationships with each child’s caregivers, partnering to promote both their and their child’s social, mental, and physical health; and (6) We are part of a national network with 30 years of evidence confirming the success of our model.
We aim to disrupt the cycle of generational poverty. Coordinating with our community partners, schools, and foster care systems to identify children ages 4-6 who could most benefit from a relationship with a long-term professional mentor, called a Friend, because it isn't just a job. They form meaningful relationships with our youth that last for years.
Friends spend three to four intentional hours a week with or on behalf of each child from Kindergarten through graduation. We commit to serve the child for 12+ years, no matter what. Friends and youth set goals and design activities that advance those goals and build life skills. Friends create meaningful experiences to explore each child's unique talents and interests. Friends of the Children has developed nine research-based Core Assets, which are specific qualities we focus on to ensure the social and emotional development of our youth.
Friends support and empower youth by:
-spending time with or on behalf of the child in school
-creating connections with other youth who share their interests or to resources in their own communities
-exploring their interest and sharing in new experiences, connecting youth to opportunities, like internships, scholarships and informational interviews
-helping the child identify coping skills, regulate emotions, and find constructive outlets for stress and frustration
-being a consistent adult in a child's life as they move from placement to placement in the foster care system
Friends support and empower parents/caregivers by:
-proving social and emotional support, along with tips that support positive parenting
-being present during a crisis
-helping plan regular trips to the doctor
-letting them know about special education services available at their child's school and empowering them to advocate for those services
-building social capital and expanding their networks through family engagement events
-connecting them to concrete supports, such as housing and education/employment pathways, and helping them fill out applications, get appointments, and otherwise overcome barriers to participation.
The Impact:
-We make economic sense--Helping one child with a Friend saves the community $900,000. The Harvard Business School Association of Oregon showed that for every $1 invested in Friends of the Children, the community benefits over $7 in saved social costs.
-92% of youth go on to enroll in post-secondary education, serve our country, or enter the workforce
-83% of youth earn a high school diploma or a GED
-93% of youth remain free from Juvenile Justice System involvement
98% of youth wait to parent until after their teen years
Additional Info
Our model is courageous, distinct, and proven! The Harvard Business School Association of Oregon showed that for every $1 invested in Friends of the Children, the community benefits over $7 in saved social costs.
Furthermore:
-92% of youth go on to enroll in post-secondary education, serve our country, or enter the workforce
-83% of youth earn a high school diploma or a GED
-93% of youth remain free from Juvenile Justice System involvement
98% of youth wait to parent until after their teen years