Friends of the Children

Basic Function / Position Objective:  

We pair a Professional Mentor, “Friend,” with eight kindergartners to serve as a positive adult role model, developing loving, caring, and sustained relationships with each child. Mentors support our youth's emotional, social, and academic growth, empowering them to have the skills and resilience to thrive. We walk beside our youth for 12.5 years – No Matter What. 

A Friend will set positive expectations; nurture and promote each child’s strength, talents, and abilities; help ensure physical and emotional well-being; teach life and academic skills; provide enrichment activities; and model responsible behavior. A Friend will fully document activities and participate in the ongoing evaluation process. Friends will work primarily one-on-one with their children, while also building trusting supportive relationships with parents/caregivers. A Friend must know, understand, honor, and support the organization’s mission, vision, values, and principles and be able to articulate the organization’s function clearly.

Who We Are

Friends of the Children is a nonprofit organization that is impacting generational change by empowering youth through relationships with professional mentors. We do this by providing children facing the most obstacles with a long-term, salaried, professional mentor, who we call a “Friend,” from kindergarten through their high school graduation.

At Friends of the Children, we put children first and use our values to change the way the world treats and views youth facing great barriers. As a Friend, you will nurture long-term relationships from a foundation of love, acceptance, and culturally informed practice.

Learn more about Friends of the Children – Phoenix here https://friendsphoenix.org/

And check out our Power of One Video!

For every youth, a Friend will...

• Set positive expectations.
• Spend time weekly: one-on-one, in the classroom, on "outings" in the community, and communicating/collaborating with families and teachers.
• Nurture and promote their strength, talents, and abilities.
• Help ensure physical and emotional well-being.
• Teach life and academic skills.
• Provide enrichment activities.
• Model responsible behavior and boundaries.
• Develop positive relationships with families, teachers, and others involved in each youth’s life.
• Fully document all youth service efforts.
• Participate in an ongoing reflection, observation, and evaluation process.

Essential Responsibilities

• Spend time with children, one-on-one
• Develop and sustain a long-term, caring, protective, and loving relationship with each child
• Partner with parents/caregivers to provide concrete and social-emotional support for the family
• Set realistic expectations and goals based on each child’s strengths, talents, abilities, and needs
• Teach life skills and help develop a talent/skills/area of interest with each child
• Provide enrichment resources and activities that include opportunities for cultural awareness
• Develop positive relationships with families, teachers, and others involved in each child’s life
• Reinforce basic academic skills
• Maintain a 40-hour work schedule that includes afternoons, evenings, and occasional weekends
• Maintain spending within budgetary guidelines
• Complete, distribute, and collect time summaries, activity journals, short-term plans, expense reports, and evaluation material accurately and in a timely manner
• Attend and actively participate in team meetings and staff functions
• Maintain current driver’s license, good driving record, and vehicle insurance
• Maintain First Aid/ CPR certification
• Transport children in personal vehicle as required for mentoring activities (mileage reimbursement provided)
• Provide information and support to the development and executive teams on related activities
• Fulfill other responsibilities as requested
• Bachelor’s degree with one year of experience working with children; OR
• Associate degree or completed 75% of credits towards a bachelor’s degree with three years of working with children.
• Vehicle in good working condition to transport youth to and from activities
• Current driver’s license, good driving record, and vehicle insurance 
• Cleared criminal background check and valid Arizona Department of Public Safety Level 1 Fingerprint Clearance Card
• Willing to commit for a minimum of three years
• Demonstrated ability to work with children in varied capacities and settings
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• First Aid/CPR certification 
• Knowledge and experience with community resources in the Phoenix area
• Spanish speaking

Position Qualification Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree with one year of experience working with children; OR
• Associate degree or completed 75% of credits towards a bachelor’s degree with three years of working with children.
• Vehicle in good working condition to transport youth to and from activities
• Current driver’s license, good driving record, and vehicle insurance 
• Cleared criminal background check and valid Arizona Department of Public Safety Level 1 Fingerprint Clearance Card
• Willing to commit for a minimum of three years
• Demonstrated ability to work with children in varied capacities and settings
• Strong written and verbal communication skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Mentoring experience with children
• First Aid/CPR certification 
• Knowledge and experience with community resources in the Phoenix area 
• Spanish speaking

Salary Range

$45,000 - $50,000 annually

Benefits

• 100% employer paid medical, dental, vision
• 100% employer paid long term, short-term disability, and life insurance policy
• Paid Holidays (11) including the 3 Floating Holidays
• Three (3) weeks’ vacation
• Two (2) weeks paid sick leave 

Location: Phoenix, AZ

Friends of the Children is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to addressing discriminatory practices, and to working toward racial equity. The equal employment opportunity policy of Friends of the Children provides fair and equal opportunities for all employees and job applicants regardless of race, color, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, marital status, familial status, disability, or genetic information, in compliance with applicable federal, state and local law. Friends of the Children hires and promotes individuals solely on the basis of their qualifications for the job to be filled. Friends of the Children is committed to our community, to equal employment opportunity, and to diversity in our workplace.