It Takes a Community to Raise a Child.
Our Big Friends program, designed and run by Washtenaw Promise with guidance of classroom teachers and other educators, places an enthusiastic and dedicated community volunteer—what we call a mentor— in pre-K classrooms in the Early Learning Centers of the Ypsilanti Community School District for at least 2 and 1/2 hours one day each week. The idea of supporting teachers in the classrooms comes directly from those teachers and the administrators in our schools who have clearly expressed the need for more hands in the classroom every week. Schools serving children and families with serious economic and/or educational challenges, feel the impacts of teacher shortages on a daily basis. Teacher turnover, limited budgets and family stresses contribute to a need for more support from the community.
Volunteers join our program from all walks of life and we are particularly proud of our partnership with the University of Michigan for this important effort.
The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, offers a course through the Psychology department, entitled “Project Outreach”. Students enroll in the course knowing that they are signing up for community service and must choose a community organization, most often a non-profit, for which they will volunteer 3 hours each week, throughout the term. They are given several options of organizations from which to choose. Washtenaw Promise is now the most frequently selected option. This is partly due to word of mouth that comes from other students who have previously been with us, and party due to the fact that working with young children in need, in their classrooms, is extremely rewarding. In fact, over the last two years many of our Project Outreach volunteers have broadened their choice of studies to include early childhood learning classes, and occasionally, have even switched their career goals to early childhood eduction.
Big Friend mentors may often support preschoolers who are challenged academically, emotionally or behaviorally, by offering the child and his/her teacher, a weekly presence in the classroom. Some children may shows signs of stress coping with the school environment, and/or low academic performance. Mentors can:
- support the child with conflict resolution, following guidance of the teacher
- support the child with emotional and behavioral challenges with one-on-one discussion and processing, “being there” to offer encouragement
- connecting with the student to encourage interests and talents, and building relationships
- supporting general needs of teachers and administrators in the school
We welcome your interest in becoming a “Big Friend” mentor in a Prek-1st grade school in Ypsilanti. Please contact us and we’ll be excited to walk you through the process.
In partnership with the Ypsilanti Community School District (YCS) and early childhood education specialists from the Washtenaw Intermediate School District (WISD), we bring dedicated volunteers into the preschool to work directly with kids and teachers. We call this effort our “Big Friends” program, intending that each volunteer will act as a friend to young children in their first or second year of school. We provide children with connections with caring adults outside of school. It is well understood that these connections can make a profound difference in the lives of children.
Big Friend mentors are invited to participate in bimonthly Mentor Forums which include discussion and training in trauma informed care and a variety of other topics related to early childhood education. Forums offer presentations from preschool educators, social workers, behavioral specialists and others in the community. It truly does take a community to raise a child.
Our Big Friend mentors:
- are patient, kind, compassionate and committed to the well being of children
- believe in the critical importance of early childhood learning
- are willing and interested to receive ongoing training to develop even greater skills
- share an interest in building relationships with teachers, parents and caregivers
Big Friend mentors are invited to participate in bimonthly Forums which include discussion and training in trauma informed care and a variety of other topics related to early childhood education. Forums offer presentations from preschool educators, social workers and others in the community. It truly does take a community to raise a child.
Interested in becoming a Big Friend mentor?
Fill out this form and we will send you details about how to get started.
Washtenaw Promise is proudly supported by our Big Friends Advisory Group:
Emmanuel Jones, Founder, Mentor2Youth
Ginelle Skinner, Principal, Beatty Early Learning Center
Daniel Young, Principal, Ford Early Learning Center
Kathryn Watson, Behavioral Specialist, Beatty Early Learning Center
Carly Ly, Mental Health Specialist, Washtenaw Intermediate School District
Sandy Williams, Executive Director, Foundations Preschool
Deata McLemore, Founder, Bottles-N-Backpacks, Childcare Development Center
Karen Paciorek, Professor, Early Childhood Education & Children and Families, Eastern Michigan University
Althea Wilson, Early Head Start Home Visitor, Washtenaw Intermediate School District
Libby Sheldon, Early Childhood Specialist, Washtenaw Intermediate School District