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Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bluegrass highlights mentoring partnerships with FCPS serving elementary to high school students
Summary
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bluegrass presented program scope, evidence-based outcomes and expansion plans for Fayette County: three program models (community-based, high-school bigs, school-plus), list of participating schools, trauma exposure statistics and reductions in juvenile justice interactions reported.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bluegrass briefed the board on its partnership with Fayette County Public Schools, describing three mentoring models and reporting local program outcomes and expansion plans.
Charlice Lewis, FCPS family and community engagement liaison, introduced Meredith Downey Watts, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bluegrass, who described the program’s mission and three local models: community‑based matches where volunteers meet littles in the community; a high‑school bigs program pairing juniors and seniors with elementary students; and a school‑plus model where community volunteers meet students at elementary schools and sometimes expand to community mentoring.
Watts presented program statistics she said reflect local outcomes: prevalence of childhood adverse experiences among participants (her slides cited figures such as 54% of enrolled children having experienced trauma, 18% with an incarcerated parent), reductions in juvenile-justice interactions (the presenter stated that in the past year 100% of local program participants had zero interactions with juvenile court or police), and indicators of school success (84% of littles reporting improved self‑esteem and 71% reporting improved grades). She also said the local program reduced a waitlist from roughly 200 kids to under 50 after an active recruitment push.
Watts named several Fayette County schools engaged with the program and described a planned launch at Tates Creek High School partnered with Tate Creek Elementary and new matches at Frederick Douglass and Liberty Elementary. Presenters asked teachers and family-resource center staff to help identify students who would benefit from mentoring.
Board members thanked the presenters and recognized mentoring as an intervention that supplements schools’ work serving students experiencing trauma. No board action was taken; the presentation was a community-partner spotlight.
(Program statistics were presented by the nonprofit speaker; numbers quoted in this article are the presenter’s statements.)
