Kids in the Middle Mentoring
The Kids in the Middle (KIM) program is a one-to-one community – based mentoring model that serves youth in the 4th through 8th grades. Students and mentors spend a minimum of one hour a week for one year out in the community, focused on having fun, getting to know each other and building social skills. Kids are referred to the program by school counselors or other school administrators. Generally students are “in the middle” of some life challenge and the counselor believes the student would benefit from the additional support of an adult role model.
Mentors are not tutors or counselors, but numerous third party evaluations of students in our program show they improve their academic performance and attendance. The likelihood of getting into trouble with the juvenile justice system or abusing drugs is significantly decreased as a result of being in our program as well. Mentors undergo criminal background checks, receive expert training and on-going support from professional staff.
KIM’s dedicated staff retain over 65 years collective experience in the fields of education, communication and youth development. They provide frequent, on-going, quality support to empower mentor effectiveness and assist them with helping their child solve challenges at home or in school while also learning how to access other community supports.