Enroll A Child

Which location will you be enrolling a child?

As a parent, you recognize the potential of your child better than anyone. By becoming part of Big Brothers Big Sisters, you’re starting them down a path to an even brighter, more promising future.

Parent/Guardian & Youth Eligibility Criteria

Reside in the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands service area
- Nebraska Counties Service Areas
  - Douglas
  - Cass
  - Lancaster
  - Saunders
  - Sarpy
  - Seward
  - Washington
- Iowa Counties Service Areas
  - Pottawattamie
  - Mills
Be between the ages of 7 and 14 at the time of enrollment
Youth must show a desire to be matched in the program
Have a custodial parent/guardian that will demonstrate a supportive and cooperative attitude toward Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands and abide by the Agency’s policies and guidelines
Be in the area for at least 12 months to make a commitment to the program
Be able to meet with their Big 2-4 times per month for a total of at least 4 hours per month

Steps to Get Started

STEP 1

Complete the Enrollment Form; which consists of our Parent/Guardian Orientation video, a youth safety training video, and the youth application form.
STEP 2

Complete an interview to help us get to know your child and who would make a good mentor for them.
STEP 3

Provide us with school/counseling information to assist us in evaluating your child's behaviors and needs from outside parties. This also helps determine eligibility.
STEP 4

Hear all about Big from your Match Support Specialist.
STEP 5

Your Match Support Specialist and Big come to your home to meet you and your family to begin the match experience.

Safety from the Start

Your child's safety is extremely important to us. We conduct thorough background checks on every volunteer in our program and every relationship is closely monitored & supported by a professionally trained Match Support Specialist. The Match Support Specialist will be in ongoing communication with you, your child, and your child's Big throughout the life of the match. It’s the best way to build a strong relationship that will have the greatest impact on your child’s future success.

Big Brothers Big Sisters National Standards of Excellence require each volunteer to complete an extensive screening process that
includes:

Completion of a formal written application
Background and reference checks
An in-person interview
An orientation and training process that outlines the individualized needs of your child and provides information and resources on how to encourage your child's development.

We also make sure our Bigs and our staff have the training and resources they need to help Littles on their path to success.

Matching

When Big Brothers Big Sisters works to match a Little with a Big, we take into account the needs, personality, interests, and goals of both the child and the adult volunteer. We introduce the Little and his or her family to the Big slowly and make sure everyone is fully committed to the match before it is made official.

We value diversity, and no person will be denied equal opportunity to volunteer because of race, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

Our Impact

Children enrolled in the Big Brothers Big Sisters Community-Based Mentoring program for 12 months or longer showed the following outcomes:

Parents/Guardians as Partners

You know what’s best for your child. We’ll need your help providing information about your child’s strengths & needs, and ultimately approving the Big Brother, Big Sister or Big Couple match. But your role doesn’t end there!

Once the match is made, you remain closely involved in many ways, including:

Approving activities and outings for your child and their Big.
Asking your child questions about those outings, and sharing what you learn with your Match Support Specialist.
Reporting your child’s progress and milestones to the agency on a regular basis (Big Brothers Big Sisters will contact you, but we welcome your feedback any time).
Participating in training about child safety offered by Big Brothers Big Sisters staff, and communicating with your child about the training he or she receives.

Youth get the most out of their one-to-one relationship with their Big when the Big, the parent/guardian and the child talk openly with their Match Support Specialist. When it comes to the future of our children and the well-being of our communities, we’re all in this together.

Activities

We have a large number of partners who provide activities for Bigs & Littles for free and at a discounted cost around the community. We also host two free activities a month for all of our matches. Parent/Guardians and Bigs will receive a monthly match activities message with upcoming events and ideas for activities.