Mission:

The mission of West Chester Area School District (WCASD) is to educate and inspire our students to achieve their personal best.

Rationale:

Everyone needs someone to walk alongside them and offer them support. The school district serves a diverse population of over 12, 000 students in grades K-12. In the process, we know some households could benefit from having an additional helping hand and community connection. When parents and guardians feel fully supported and connected, they become equipped and empowered to better assist their children. We believe students will flourish academically, socially, and emotionally when there is a true partnership of schools, families and community members joining together to support the mission of the district.  This mentorship program seeks to support parents so their students may become the beneficiaries.

Mentoring Program:

What is the WCASD Community School Partners of Mentors (CSPM)?

Navigating school is one of the most difficult aspects of school life. A plethora of research has identified mentoring as the most beneficial concept used to shape children’s experience and their life’s trajectory. The CSPM program will serve as an additional resource to connect families, parents, and guardians who are seeking mentorship with community members and other families volunteering as mentors.   The mentors are people with various experiences and strong desire to work towards ensuring all of our families are supported, so they can in turn assist their students to grow, succeed, and sustain their passion of having a successful life. The volunteers will work collaboratively in pods made up of four people who will respectfully serve up to 10 families outside of the school setting.

The mentors will assist in:

• Listening and hearing the concerns of the mentees
• Working with mentees to find the best solutions to challenges
• Supporting mentees with their youth who may need to make connections
• Providing information for dealing with crises in home and community
• Assisting mentees with strategies to support student engagement and discipline
• Taking advantage of available resources and programs
• Developing a positive relationship with school to support student performance
• Modeling ways mentees can assist their children to achieve school and personal goals
• Providing information including but not limited to behavioral support, health and social services, school and community
• Providing academic enrichment activities,
• Advising about tutoring, behavior support, health and social services, and family and community engagement

Benefits of Mentoring:

• Equip parents to assist their students in increasing academic performance
• Empower parents to support their students to engage in academic and social life
• Build parents and students' confidence
• Develop self-awareness, confidence, and resiliency
• Promote open parent-child communication

The Evolution of CSPM

In March 2023, we had our first informational launch of CSPM. At that time, we had envisioned a mentoring and tutoring program for students. As we held several community meetings, we recognized there was a shift in where to place the focus. As time progressed, it was clear some parents could benefit from having additional support and close community connections to help them better meet the needs of their students. Hence, our primary focus is to mentor parents with the expectation that the students will be beneficiaries.

Who Can be Mentors?

Any caring, empathetic person with the capacity to listen well. Clearances will be required to volunteer.

Sign Up

Complete and submit the form via the QR code or visit: www.wcasd.net/mentor

Time Commitment

Time may vary based on need. We anticipate a minimum of a couple of minutes per week, up to 45 minutes via:

• Text
• Phone
• In-person
• Zoom or any other virtual platform

For more information, please contact:

Una Martin, Ed. D.
Interim Equity Director
WCASD
umartin@wcasd.net
(484) 266-1196