Friends of the Children Mentoring Program (Continuation Study)

Mentoring is commonly viewed as an important prevention strategy for youth at risk for involvement in the juvenile justice system. Unfortunately, providing mentoring to the highest-risk youth can be extremely challenging. This multisite randomized controlled trial examined the impact of a 12-year long professional youth mentoring program, Friends of the Children (FOTC), on boys and girls who were identified during kindergarten as at the highest risk and lowest protection for future problems, including antisocial behavior and delinquency. Children were identified through an intensive six-week selection process, working in partnership with neighborhood public schools located in distressed communities within four major metropolitan areas in the Eastern and Western U.S. The majority of children and mentors in the study were racial or ethnic minority, from either low SES or extreme poverty households. On an annual basis, parents/caregivers, children, mentors, and teachers were queried about child problem behaviors and strengths. Measures of the mentor-child relationship, including direct observations of mentor-child problem solving interactions, were taken each year. Child outcomes across the first four years of the program were examined using cutting-edge statistical techniques.

Year Project Began: 2014
Funder: National Institute of Justice

Formerly Affiliated Principal Investigator:

• Jennifer Cearley, Ph.D.