The Power of Cross-age Mentoring

As schools work tirelessly to rebound from COVID-19, we see the canyon-sized achievement gap grow wider by the day. Low-income schools, and the families they serve, have arguably been hit the hardest by the pandemic. Parents who hold blue-collar jobs haven’t been able to work remotely. Forced to choose between a paycheck and the potential health and safety of their families, these parents are stuck between a rock and a hard place. The parents who have chosen a paycheck have had to find last minute, often less than ideal, childcare for their children. The parents who chose to leave their jobs now have even less money to provide for their families than before. And it wasn’t much to start with. These families are struggling. Now with most schools back in some form of hybrid learning, their children are struggling too. 

Due to the pandemic, school has been overwhelming for kids, parents, and teachers. It continues to be challenging as we all work to rebound from the academic slide students have experienced. School staff have to focus on academic content and support and are spread thin when it comes to helping children cope with difficult situations.  We need to think creatively and outside the box to meet the growing and changing needs of our students. They not only have academic needs but social-emotional needs as well. To help relieve some of the workload for teachers, C4C is providing support during the school day. In these classrooms and school buildings, college students will help provide social-emotional support to students in need. We truly believe in the power of cross-age mentoring.  C4C college students will tutor in academic content in addition to providing guidance, sharing strategies on how to cope with stress, helping students stay on task, and removing distractions from the classroom.

What is often overlooked is the value of near-peer mentoring and the ability of kids to help other kids. Not only will kids get a mentor with whom they can form relationships, but they can also begin to rebuild socialization skills that may have been lost. While the pandemic continues, our need for creative problem solving does as well. This mentoring and peer support network has the ability to create positive change. We strongly believe that our model is a powerful vehicle for change that can impact communities across the country.