Mentoring

The KCPS Lunch Buddies is a program in which a mentor is matched with an elementary school student in grades K-5 and visits the school each week to eat lunch with their mentee. Lunch Buddies provide guidance, support, encouragement, and friendship.

What can a Lunch Buddy Expect?

Lunch Buddies will:

• Be matched with an elementary school student in grades K – 5 at Kansas City Public Schools
• Attend an initial 90-minute, pre-match training
• Serve as a positive role model and friend
• Commit to supporting their mentee for an entire school year
• Check in with their mentees for 30 minutes, 3-4 times per month
• Invest in the present and future success of a Kansas City Public Schools student

Kansas City Public Schools was selected by the Obama Administration as 1 of 30 school districts in the nation to participate in and implement a groundbreaking campaign to address chronic absenteeism in public schools: the My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) Success Mentors Initiative. The MBK Success Mentors program aims to connect students with dedicated Success Mentors in the first-ever effort to use an evidence-based and data-driven mentor model to support students and tackle chronic absenteeism.

Success Mentors serve as motivators, problem solvers, connectors, and advocates for students in grades 6-9. They form supportive relationships, identify and celebrate students’ strengths, promote their attendance every day, and connect them with the necessary resources to keep them on track and thriving.

What Can Success Mentors Expect?

Success Mentors will:

• Be matched with a student in grades 6 – 9 at Kansas City Public Schools
• Attend an initial 90-minute, pre-match training
• Serve as a positive role model and friend, promote good attendance and goal setting
• Commit to supporting their mentee for an entire school year
• Check in with their mentees for 30 minutes, 2-4 times per month
• Invest in the present and future success of a Kansas City Public Schools student

The Career Mentoring Program matches volunteers to students in 10th-12th grade. Career Mentors provide encouragement, guidance and support for mentees as they begin planning for and transitioning into college, training or the workforce.

What Can Career Mentors Expect?

Career Mentors will:

• Be matched with a student, or group of students, in grades 10 – 12 at Kansas City Public Schools
• Attend an initial 90-minute, pre-match training
• Assist students with learning more about their postsecondary options and planning
• Commit to supporting their mentee for an entire school year
• Check in with their mentees for 30 minutes, 2-4 times per month
• Connect students to workshops, internships and networking opportunities when possible
• Invest in the present and future success of a Kansas City Public Schools student

Audience: 9th-12th Grade Students  

Program Description 

The R.I.S.E. Program is a college and career readiness mentoring program that has an intentional focus of preparing students to attend post-secondary institutions and/or technical schools. Students become part of the program beginning their freshman year of high school and obtain mentorship: academically, socially, emotionally, and behaviorally over the course of their time in high school. In addition to the mentorship and support, R.I.S.E. Students also participate in monthly workshops that reinforce the importance of community, authenticity, resiliency, and excellence. During monthly workshops, students navigate between sessions of their choice, that help them reach their own academic, personal, and professional goals.  While the R.I.S.E. Program is open to any participant of any: race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or sex; the design of the program has been developed with intentionality on students of color.  

Our Vision

With the guidance and support of a dedicated R.I.S.E. Mentor, all student participants will be provided the academic, social, emotional, and behavioral supports to thrive. R.I.S.E. Participants will be equipped with the tools necessary to not only gain acceptance into a college or postsecondary institution/technical school, but also successfully graduate from a secondary institution/ technical school and obtain a career that they are both passionate about and prepared to lead.   

Program Goals

• Empower historically marginalized students to successfully graduate from high school.
• Aid students in high-school course planning and graduation. 
• Provide active mentorship that both encourages and challenges students.
• Assist students and families through the college/technical school admissions process.
• Provide students with experiences to visit colleges/universities and technical schools.
• Inform, practice, and register for college entrance exams.
• Increase student's sense of belonging while nurturing the cultural, social, and linguistic identities of students of color.
• Develop an individualized plan to help students achieve their goals.

Core Values

• Community
• Authenticity
• Resiliency
• Excellence

Anyone who is over 18 years old and can pass a criminal background check is welcome to volunteer. 

Yes, every mentor in our program is required to attend training. We have two standing training dates per month that can be done virtually. To register for a training session, go simply go to https://www.kcpublicschools.org/mentoring. If you are part of a group that would like to get involved, we are happy to schedule a separate training session in-person or virtually on a day and time that works best for your group. These requests can be made to mentoring@kcpublicschools.org.  

Once you have completed training, you will be emailed a link to complete your mentor profile. The Mentor Program Coordinator will review your profile and once it is approved, you will be sent a separate email with a link to complete a background check and your references will be contacted. Your profile is not 'active' until you have completed the background check and there has been a response from at least one reference. 

We ask that our mentors meet with their mentees for 20-30 minutes, 2-4 times per month for the entire school year. 

We do not offer a virtual option for our program. 

Yes! Our program operates at 31 of our district schools. We are happy to provide a recommendation if you are unsure what school is closest to you or would be the best fit. 

Sure! While our mentor/mentee relationships are typically 1:1, you are welcome to invite your friends and family to join our team and get connected with a student at the same school site as you. 

No! You just need a genuine interest and desire to build relationships with students. Mentoring just one child can truly make a positive difference in the life of a child. 

KCPS strives to ensure all mentors and mentees who would like to participate in this program can do so in a meaningful way. We welcome you and we will make accommodations to ensure all mentors and mentees receive the support they need to go through training, meet with their mentee/mentor in a comfortable environment, etc. 

• This program makes a big impact, with a small-time commitment asked of you on a weekly/bi-weekly basis. We ask that you make a commitment of 30 minutes, 2-4 times per month during the school day.
• Our mentors are not there to serve as case workers, tutors, or therapists. If you are hoping to build a meaningful and honest relationship with a student, then this is for you!

We do not require our mentors to be vaccinated against COVID-19. We do encourage all our mentors and mentees, despite their vaccination status, to exercise caution and ensure to wash their hands, wear a mask if they choose, and practice health safety protocols recommended by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) and the Kansas City Missouri Health Department. 

Absolutely. These requests can be made to the Mentor Program Coordinator. 

Sure! We hold training throughout the entire school year and make new matches up until spring break.