Mentees receive a wealth of benefits by enrolling in our program.
You will receive weekly contact with the seasoned mom who is your mentor hile in the program. If you are pregnant you will receive support from our program until your child’s first birthday. If you have a young child, you will receive support for one year after enrolling in our program. Your mentor will contact you via phone, at your home or you may do a community activity together.
There will be monthly meetings to gather with other young moms to make new friends and gain more support. You will connect with community resources such as daycares, fiscal resources and thrift stores. You will also learn fiscal management, meal planning and mother and infant bonding techniques.
MOMS – Mentoring Program Components
The Mentoring Program for Young Moms and Moms-to-be matches young mothers with a mentor who is a seasoned mother. Once matched, the mentor will:
- Visit or call once a week/attend monthly group meetings
- Work with the young mother until the infant reaches his/her first birthday
- Provide support
- Assist with transportation to doctor appointments
- Teach the young mother fiscal responsibility skills (i.e. how to balance a checkbook, shopping at discount/thrift stores)
- Teach meal planning (i.e. grocery shop, cook together)
- Introduce and refer the young mother to local resources/services available in the community
- Teach and talk about mother and infant bonding.
M.O.M.S. – Mentor Recruitment
All potential mentors must go through an extensive screening process, including a criminal background check, driving record check, and drug screen. Potential mentors are required to attend a training session. Once matched mentors will be required to have contact with the young mother/infant until the child’s first birthday.
Contact can be made via phone, home visit, or community activity. Every month the seasoned moms will meet as a group and discuss progress and issues they might have with their matches. For additional support, mentors will be asked to phone the Mentor Coordinator bi-weekly to report on how things are going and, if needed, to offer suggestions.