Professional Mentor, Child Development​/Support

JOB POSTING:
Professional Mentor (Friend) STATUS:
Exempt, Full time

REPORTS TO:

Program Director SALARY: $55, per year BENEFITS:
Comprehensive package includes employer-paid medical, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance benefits; paid vacation and sick leave; retirement plan with employer match.

LOCATION:

Friends of the Children has chapters in Dallas, Austin, and Houston. This posting is for the DALLAS chapter. Candidate must reside in or be willing to relocate to the Dallas area. Friends of the Children - Dallas is the newest chapter of a 30+ year-old national professional mentoring organization that impacts generational change by empowering youth through relationships with professional mentors.

We do this by providing children facing the most obstacles with a long-term, paid, professional mentor, who we call a “Friend,” from kindergarten through high school graduation, 12+ years – no matter what. At Friends of the Children, we put children first and use our values to change the way the world treats and views youth facing great barriers. As a Friend you will nurture long‑term relationships from a foundation of love, acceptance, and practices.

Do you want to help youth discover their limitless potential, by fostering their internal resiliency? Are you ready to help build relationships within the communities of our youth and families to strengthen social networks and provide bridges to new opportunities? If so, the impactful role of a Friend might be for you. Basic Function:

We are currently seeking a mentor for our childhood program (kindergarten to 5th Grade) to serve as a positive adult role model to eight elementary children and develop loving, caring, and sustained relationships with each child. For each child, a Friend will set positive expectations; nurture and promote their strengths, talents, and abilities; help ensure physical and emotional well‑being; teach life and academic skills;

provide enrichment activities; and model responsible behavior. A Friend will fully document activities and participate in an ongoing evaluation process. Friends will work primarily one‑on‑one with the children they serve. A Friend must also know, understand, honor and support the organization’s mission, vision, values, principles and policies, and be able to clearly articulate the organization’s function.

• Spend time with children one‑on‑one in the community and in their school.
• Develop and sustain a long‑term, caring, protective, and loving relationship with each child.
• Partner with parents/caregivers to provide concrete and social emotional supports for the family.
• Set realistic expectations and goals based on each child’s strengths, talents, abilities and needs.
• Teach life skills and help develop a talent/skill/area of interest with each child.
• Deepen connections for youth through incorporating specifical cultural knowledge in programming.
• Provide enrichment resources and activities that include opportunities for cultural identity development.
• Develop positive relationships with families, teachers and others involved in each child’s life.
• Reinforce basic academic skills.
• Participate in the programming and resources available through the organization, effectively utilizing program resources to meet the needs of each child.
• Maintain spending within budgetary guidelines.
• Complete, distribute and collect time summaries, activity journals, short term plans, expense reports and evaluation materials accurately and in a timely manner.
• Attend and actively participate in team meetings and staff functions.
• Provide information and support to development and executive teams on related activities as needed.
• Fulfill other responsibilities as required.

• Transport children in personal vehicle as required for mentoring activities within a 30‑mile radius of the Friends Dallas office. This can sometimes result in 90 miles per day. (Mileage will be reimbursed at the standard IRS rate).
• Maintain a current driver’s license, good driving record, and ensure that your vehicle insurance is current.
• Maintain First Aid/CPR certification.

• Spanish language…