Enroll a Child
Are you ready to empower potential?
We believe every child holds great potential for a bright future. That’s why we offer a variety of mentoring opportunities for youth ages 6 and up living in Fond du Lac County and northern Dodge County.
Whether it’s in school or in the community, we can help you find a program that fits your child’s needs. Fill out an application to get started today.
1:1 Mentoring
In our 1:1 mentoring program, youth are individually paired with a volunteer adult mentor in our community. Our 1:1 mentoring program includes community-based and school-based matches.
- Community-Based Mentoring
- Bigs coordinate with their Little’s parent/guardian to meet up after school, on the weekends, or in the evenings to hang out in the community. Matches can go hiking, attend sporting events, play board games, watch a movie—the possibilities are endless! Outings usually last a couple hours and take place twice a month.
- Community-based mentors are at least 18 years old, have a valid driver’s license and auto insurance, and pass a background check.
- School-Based Mentoring
- Bigs visit Littles at their school during lunch hour once a week. Matches can talk, play games, create art, or do other activities on school grounds.
- School-based mentors are at least 16 years old, have a valid driver’s license and auto insurance, and pass a background check.
- School-based matches oftentimes transition to school-based plus or community-based after getting to know each other. School-based plus matches can get together at the Little’s school for lunch or in the community at their convenience.
1:1+ Mentoring
In our 1:1+ mentoring program, youth meet at least once a month in a group setting either at the BBBS office or in the community to engage in skill-building activities and explore topics with their peers. 1:1+ mentoring opportunities are facilitated by trained BBBS staff and other community volunteers.
- Game Changers
- Game Changers is our newest group of inspiring Littles! This group gets together in person biweekly to participate in crafts, games, sports, and other activities in a safe afterschool environment.
- Youth must be ages 8-12 to participate.
- Teen Group
- Teen Group helps local teens improve self-esteem and promote healthy relationships. A group of diverse teens meets biweekly to engage in activities and explore topics including forgiveness, self-control, identity, grief, race, hygiene, mental health, and their future.
- Teens must be ages 13-17 to participate.
- Activities
- Littles who do not have a 1:1 mentor can attend BBBS activities like kickball, bingo, crafts, and other special events with volunteers in a group setting. 1:1+ mentoring activities for unmatched Littles take place at least once a month.
Youth who wish to participate in any 1:1+ mentoring opportunities must first enroll in the BBBS program by filling out the form below.
Ready to enroll?
Take the first step to inspire potential. Please fill out the form below and we will contact you soon.
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Little FAQ
Big Brothers Big Sisters is a non-profit agency that creates professionally supported, one-to-one mentoring relationships (matches) between youth (Littles) and caring adult role models (Bigs).
Our enrollment staff are comprised of experienced professionals that thoroughly and completely screen every volunteer. Volunteer and child friendships are monitored monthly. This process helps ensure the most successful match between your child and a qualified volunteer mentor. Big Brothers Big Sisters aims to make a quality match that is best for your child and for the volunteer.
Your input is key to our success. Our enrollment team will thoroughly interview the volunteers, children, and parents/guardians involved to make a meaningful match based on backgrounds, common interests, aspirations, and personalities. From the information gathered in those interviews, our skilled team will decide which volunteer is best for your child. We will then discuss the selected volunteer with you and get your permission to proceed with the matching process.
Our program is completely free to Littles and their families. With that said, the quality of the time invested in a Little is more important than the amount of money spent. That’s why we don’t encourage spending a lot of money on outings. We encourage Bigs to seek out low-cost activities, especially in the beginning. Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies offer donor-supported group activities that are a great way to meet other Bigs and Littles, and may offer free tickets to cultural and sports activities for matches to enjoy together.
Once your child is matched with a Big, our Match Support team will maintain recurring contact with Bigs, Littles, and parents/guardians to offer support and guidance while ensuring the match remains safe for everyone involved. Our Match Support team is comprised of trained social services professionals who equip matches and families with information, advice, tips, resources, and answers.