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Friends of the Children presents mentoring model, seeks District 25 enrollment ties to Fort Hall
Summary
Gina Judd, director of Friends of the Children, told the Pocatello District board the program uses full-time, professional mentors who commit to children for 12+ years; the Idaho chapter plans limited enrollment (up to 16 children) and is coordinating with Fort Hall partners to serve Native students.
Gina Judd, director of Friends of the Children, presented the nonprofit’s long-term mentoring model to the Pocatello District board during a work session, saying the program pairs highly trained, full‑time mentors with children identified as facing the greatest obstacles. “Our model is professional mentoring,” Judd said, “We are resilient. We are relentless.”
Judd described a structured approach in which each mentor (a “friend”) serves about eight children, spends roughly three to four hours weekly with each child (including classroom time), and commits to youths for as long as 12 years. She emphasized continuity: because mentors are paid staff rather than volunteers, they are less likely to leave when life circumstances change, which the organization says is crucial for building the sustained relationships that research ties to better outcomes.
The program screens children using a research‑backed tool for adverse childhood experiences and works with local referral partners—Head Start, CASA, tribal services, juvenile probation and the housing authority—to identify candidates. Judd said the Idaho chapter has operated for two years in American Falls and is beginning work in Fort Hall. “We’re not enrolling more than 16 youth, 8 boys and 8 girls, and 50% at least will be Native American, members of the Shoshonebenk tribe,” she told trustees.
On operations and safety, Judd said mentors are mandatory reporters, undergo initial and ongoing training (including a weeklong new mentors course and shadowing), and are supervised before off‑site mentoring. To protect children and mentors during transport, the organization uses dash cameras in vehicles and interior cameras in clubhouses that are regularly reviewed; Judd said parents sign releases for school communications and records and that mentors generally communicate with caregivers rather than contacting children directly on personal devices.
Board members pressed on classroom logistics, consent and privacy. Eduardo, one of the mentors introduced by Judd, described meeting teachers at school open houses and coordinating supports so the mentor’s presence supplements classroom instruction rather than detracts. Judd and Eduardo gave practical examples—such as adjusting homework routines and teaching bicycle maintenance—to illustrate how mentors help families, stabilize routines and support school engagement.
Judd cited multi‑decade program outcomes and evaluations in explaining the program’s cost‑benefit framing—one external study she referenced estimated community savings for every dollar invested in the long‑term mentoring model. She closed by saying the chapter has hired at least one mentor for Fort Hall and is in the process of child selection and enrollment; both presenters offered to follow up with staff and trustees on logistics.
The board thanked the presenters and indicated staff may follow up on cross‑jurisdiction issues around students who move between Fort Hall and District 25 schools so the mentoring relationship can continue if a child’s residence or school assignment changes.
