Dear Kids Hope USA Directors,
When my daughter was little, there was a computer game she just loved called JumpStart. At the end of the school year, we received an order form for this game, and being the good mom that I am, I ordered it every summer. It was designed to help kids with what we now call the “summer slide.” The main character (a dog in kindergarten) would coach the player through the different activities which had an educational aspect. At KHUSA, we have our own version of JUMPSTART designed to help you get your mentoring program up and running strongly this year. And just like those computer games, you’ll have a coach (your Program or Launch Success Specialist) to guide you through. We look forward to helping you step by step beginning with the tools outlined in this newsletter. Please reach out as you need our assistance.
Lori Cyr – Program Support Specialist
Let’s JUMPSTART Your School Year!
Throughout August, we’ll send brief weekly emails with videos and tools as you prepare for fall.
To kick off the month, you can JUMPSTART Your Organizing with these resources:
- Beginning of the School Year Checklist – This is a great summary piece to help make sure fall mentoring is ready to begin.
- Overview of the Kids Hope USA Portal Video – A quick tour so you can see what the director portal has to offer.
Watch for upcoming JUMPSTART emails during the weeks of:
- 8/9 JUMPSTART your Volunteers: Review of how to screen and train.
- 8/16 JUMPSTART your School Communication: Basics to cover with your school.
- 8/23 JUMPSTART your Relationships with your Student: Activities for connecting with students.
COVID UPDATE – With recent announcements from the CDC, we recognize fall mentoring may feel like a moving target. Know that we are here to support you and already have awesome resources in development to support virtual mentoring should that be needed. Children need mentors this fall, and as long as kids are in school, we are confident we can make meaningful connections. More soon – and reach out to us now if your need is pressing.
JUMPSTART Your Volunteer Engagement
Share the Link Below with Volunteers
Register for Our Back-to-School Webinar!
Mentoring After COVID: Practical Tips for Engaging Students with Dr. Emilie DeYoung
Register in advance for this meeting:
August 17th 1:00 PM Eastern Time
Register in advance for this meeting:
Dr. Emilie DeYoung of Winning at Home will take us on a deeper dive into the issues our students may be facing and how mentors can best respond in love and encouragement. Dr. Emilie holds a Ph.D. in psychology and has been working with children and families for 25 years. We’re so thankful to have her as a resource for our Kids Hope USA programs!
Registrants will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Best Practice: Screen & Safety Standards
Best Practice: Screening – Screening requirements have gradually become more rigorous in youth-serving organizations over the years. Remember that screening looks at two dimensions of the potential mentor: suitability and safety. Suitability for a mentoring relationship includes things like having the right temperament and personality to develop a caring relationship, and safety encompasses the factors related to past abuse or neglect of children. A good screening process looks carefully at both dimensions.
Tools to Help You Meet the Standard – Kids Hope USA now offers MinistrySafe: Sexual Abuse Awareness Training to directors in training. The training identifies common misconceptions related to child sexual abuse and replaces these misconceptions with facts to better equip directors to protect students in their care. We have 50 training spots available for existing directors. Please email your support team member to secure your spot TODAY!
Kids Hope USA Mentor Packages
We’re excited to offer new mentor packages for the 2021-2022 school year – designed to save you time by bundling some of our most well-loved items. There are a few options to help with launching or re-launching your program.
- The starter package contains welcome items such as a Kids Hope USA tote bag, notepad, pencil, and stickers.
- The deluxe package contains the same items, plus a tumbler.
- The appreciation package contains several tumblers, notepads, lapel pins, and pencils.
Packages are available for purchase in groups of five. To order, please follow the Kids Hope USA store link from the director page home screen. This will bring you to a landing page where you will be prompted to enter your first/last name and email. Select register and wait for approval. Once approved, you will receive a welcome email and can shop away!
For any store-related questions, please send an email to onlinestore@kidshopeusa.org.
Save the Date: September Prayer Call and Director Group
Save the date for our fall prayer call & director group on Thursday, September 16th at 1 PM Eastern time. We will be praying for our programs, students, and school staff as they enter a new school year. After a time of prayer, directors are invited to stay on the call for a time of encouragement as you begin the new school year. Stay tuned for more details!
Ideal Idea
Need help spreading the word about your KHUSA program? Who could better express the need for more mentors than the principal, counselor, or social worker? Talk with your supervising pastor about inviting someone from the school to speak during a service or record a short video to express the need. See this document for sample talking points and questions to ask during an interview-style presentation or video. Check out this inspiring pastor-principal interview at Lake Forest Westlake Church in Denver, NC.
Game On!
Jenga is a fun game to play that involves removing blocks from a stacked tower. Each person must remove one block carefully and place it on the top of the tower without the entire tower tumbling. To add the “Get-to-know-you” portion, each player must answer a question from the list before making their move. If you have never played Jenga watch this short video to learn how.
Book Review
I Can’t Do That, Yet: Growth Mindset by Esther Pia Cordova.
This is a great story that will give a child a glimpse of a bright future: their own!
Watch this video for a read-aloud version of the book.
Story Time
During a visit to her neighborhood school in Hudsonville, Michigan, Rebecca asked the principal how she could help. The principal mentioned their Kids Hope USA partnership and the importance of the mentors that were faithfully meeting with children. The principal went on to say that there was a KHUSA mentoring waiting list with at least 12 children on it. Inspired to help meet this need, Rebecca approached her church to see if they’d come alongside the existing church partner serving that school to find mentors for these additional children. This summer, Rebecca is training to be her church’s program director and can’t wait to recruit mentors to serve in the school. Thanks, Rebecca for asking the principal, for stepping up to lead, and for your commitment to the children of your neighborhood school.
If your school has significant demand for more mentors that you’re not sure your church can meet, have you thought of inviting another church in your neighborhood to join you as a KHUSA partner? Wouldn’t it be exciting to see more mentors in your school, caring for the children that need the extra love and support? Pray about it, and see where God opens doors to new conversations and ways to serve more kids.
Join Our Director Facebook Group!
Connect with other directors and team Kids Hope USA by joining our private director Facebook group. Click the button below!
Connect with the Program Success Team!
Cheryl Molhoek – Program Resource & Training Director
(616) 202-6877
cmolhoek@kidshopeusa.org
Beth Wassink – Program Success Specialist
(616) 536-1012
bwassink@kidshopeusa.org
Davina Pennington – Program Support Director
(770) 727-1478
dpennington@kidshopeusa.org
Kari McLennan – Launch Success Specialist
(847) 971-0963
kmclennan@kidshopeusa.org
Kate Cochran – Launch Success Specialist
(210) 288-7520
kcochran@kidshopeusa.org
Lori Cyr – Program Success Specialist
(281) 772-4338
lcyr@kidshopeusa.org
Tammy Johnston – Program Success Specialist
(817) 717-3116
tjohnston@kidshopeusa.org