Los Padres Mentores Ambulantes / The Mobile Parent Mentor Program

covid.jpg

During the pandemic, Parent Mentors have shown us what mutual aid looks like: Parent Mentor logs showed: 7,015 instances of individual support such as emergency funds; support navigating unemployment and SNAP; food pantries; grocery delivery; tech device assistance. (Mar 27-June 24, 2020)

For more information, download the PDF of our Covid-19 Spring Response and Report HERE.

This fall we are ready to get back to working with students. Safely. Instead of entering the classroom, Parent Mentors can choose:

outdoor.jpg

  • Outdoor Family Sessions (parent/guardian must be present, all sessions will be socially distanced with masks)

  • Virtual Family Sessions (parent/guardian must be present)

  • Small group tutoring through Google Classroom breakouts during synchronous learning time

  • Family engagement phone calls (as requested by the teacher, not about student progress, max 1 hour/week)

does an “outdoor planning session” look like?

  • Excited kids: "My Parent Mentor is coming today!

  • Building relationships with families

  • Play! Learning games! Music!

  • Reading out loud with diverse books! Reinforcing what the teacher would like to focus on.

We are a network of 1,300 Parent Mentors, Coordinators and Organizers in IL. The structure and values of our program have not changed:

  • We continue to work with 8 Parent Mentors per school who are each matched with a teacher. Parent Mentors will still receive weekly training, workshops, and $500 stipend. And our focus remains on students.

  • We recognize that we are working in COVID-19 hot spots, and that Black, Latinx, and immigrant families in our neighborhoods have had to bear the brunt of cases and losses.

  • We are committed to supporting our most vulnerable students. We are committed to protecting the health and safety of our Parent Mentors, program staff, teachers, and school communities.

  • We are committed to ensuring that the Parent Mentor Program is open and accessible to all parents, regardless of language, education level, and pre-existing conditions.

We are committed to protecting the health and safety of our Parent Mentors, program staff, teachers, and school communities. To ensure safety the program will implement the following protocols:

  1. Outdoor Family Sessions are 100% outdoors

  2. All adults and kids wear masks or face shields

  3. 6 feet physical distance is maintained

  4. Parent Mentors bring hand sanitizer with them to use before and after session

  5. Parent Mentors bring a Parent Mentor photo ID

  6. Parents provide consent to be contacted by the community organization

  7. Parent or guardian is present the entire time during a family session (in-person or virtual)

  8. Location (front yard, public park, school grounds) and time are mutually convenient and safe for Parent Mentors and families

  9. We prioritize In-Person Outdoor Family Sessions, but Virtual Family Sessions are permitted for weather or safety reasons

“Total consensus that the Parent Mentor Program has been invaluable in preparing [parents] for the moment and in providing a steady lifeline for ongoing contact and support during this period…and it was clear that they were seen as leaders and resource brokers in the community.”
— Dr. Maria Vidal, Independent Evaluator
 

general resources