Research has shown that the single most important factor for building resiliency in children who face the highest risks is a long-term, consistent, relationship with a caring adult.
Our children are statistically at serious risk of continuing the cycle of poverty in their own lives.
Moving mentorship out of the volunteer realm is a key component to getting the quality, consistency and commitment that our children need. Several of our Friends have been with us for 20 years; the average tenure is over 7 years.
We commit to every child for the long term, from kindergarten through high school graduation. 12 ½ years. No matter what.
Each child gets a dedicated, one-on-one Friend who spends a minimum of 16 intentional hours per month with them. We develop a road map for each child and design activities to build life skills. We create meaningful experiences to explore each child’s unique talents and interests.
Friends spend time in each child’s home, school, neighborhood, and community. They are able to provide continuity in these often unstable environments and to serve as a link between the different facets of the child’s life. This means we advocate for children at their school and become someone their family trusts in emergencies.
We are in an ongoing longitudinal randomized control trial conducted by researchers affiliated with the University of Washington, Princeton University, and University of Oregon. We are also assessed annually by an independent third-party evaluator. This allows us to continue to identify ways to make our program stronger.
Often, the Friend is the person the family calls when a crisis occurs.
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. Helping one child saves the community $900,000.
60% of our children's parent did not have the support they needed to complete high school, yet 83% of our youth graduate.
50% of our parents have been incarcerated, yet 93% of our youth avoid the juvenile justice system.
85% of our parents began parenting in their teens, yet 98% of our youth wait until after their teens.
We have an exciting plan to maintain our high quality of service and add a new class of kindergartners each year, growing to serve 500 of the most vulnerable youth in the SF Bay Area. The Friends network now includes 15 sites, with a goal of 25 sites by 2025.
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. With our nine Core Assets in place, we believe our youth will enter adulthood with a solid foundation for future success. Following are the core assets we believe will help our youth achieve that.
