Children’s Programming

Bigs and Littles have interests as diverse as they are. What they do when they get together all depends on their hobbies and interests (and, of course, mom/dad/guardian’s ok). Sports fanatics play sports. Arts enthusiasts make crafts and visit museums.

For the child/teen (and their family) absolutely nothing. And to off-set costs to volunteer, we organize monthly match activities.

Yes! We have deep, proud ties to the area Jewish community – and we’re also a fully inclusive agency. Our children, families, volunteers, donors, staff and board members hail from a huge variety of religious affiliations – and, some, none at all.

Then we’ll try. Sometimes children, families and volunteers tell us they’re choosing us precisely because we’re Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters. If that’s the case, we attempt to honor your preferences.

Here, match-making is about the number of children and volunteers in our pipeline, surely, but it’s also more importantly about fit. We take into account things like geography, a child/volunteer’s preference for a match with a certain background or experience or one who shares a favorite hobby. And we evaluate how the personalities of prospective Bigs and Littles mesh. The average wait for a BIG is 3 - 6 months. Your clinical match specialist will check in with you from time to time if you’re awaiting a match.

You bet. A mentor is a real gift to a child – even one with supportive parents. The mentor is another caring, supportive grown-up eager to lend a voice to yours and encourage your child to realize their fullest potential.

We ask all volunteers to commit to at least a year with the same Little. That said, it’s a pretty great program so Bigs and Littles  tend to stay matched for some time. It’s not universally the case, sure, but lots of mentoring-friendships that start here last. (Our average length of match is 41 months.) In fact some of our Bigs and Littles stick together until the Little ages out of the program, remaining in touch as the child grows up, pursues college and career and beyond.

Our dedicated Programs team – especially the clinical match specialist assigned to the match – is always available to help troubleshoot challenges and address concerns as they arise. They are even available to confer with either Big or Little if – however rarely – a match isn’t a right fit or one or the other realizes they need to end the match.

The safety of our Littles are of paramount concern, which is why our staff – all staff – are trained in abuse prevention, detection and reporting. It’s why our largest team is comprised of dedicated, Master’s level clinicians whose job it is to work closely to screen volunteers. It’s why a clinician is assigned to each Big/Little match, conferring with child, parent and volunteer around safety, fielding questions, troubleshooting concerns.

And it’s why the agency conducts a series of ongoing background and driving record checks on all staff, board and volunteers.

For specific information about safety standards in our Children’s Programs, contact us.