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Facts about <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />BBBS School Based Program
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Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lake County and the Flathead Reservation has been strictly a school based mentoring program for the past 8 years using high school student volunteers to mentor elementary school students in need of a positive relationship in their lives. 
 
We have recently expanded our program to include adults as mentors at the schools in our program area in order to serve more youth that would benefit from having a mentor in their life. 
 
Our focus is on child safety and positive impact for the Littles.  Research on our volunteer programs points to the powerful and lasting impact Bigs have.  The impact on Littles has been proven in the following areas:

• 52% less likely to skip school
• 46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs and
• 27% less likely to begin using alcohol
• More likely to get along with their families and peers
• More confidence in their performance in their schoolwork
• One third less likely to hit someone
• Social acceptance
• Increase in self confidence

 
Big Brothers Big Sisters volunteers have the greatest impact in the area of alcohol and substance abuse prevention.  Minority boys and girls were the most strongly influenced; they were 70 percent less likely than their peers to initiate drug use.
 
Big Brothers Big Sisters is the ONLY Best Practice prevention program in Montana proven to impact a broad spectrum of risk factors
 
 

• Big Brothers Big Sisters is honored to collaborate with this school so that K. William Harvey students have the opportunity for friendship with an older student.  Teachers can refer a child that they feel will benefit by being in our program simply by filling out a School Referral form from Michelle Wood and Robyn Bevington, K. William Harvey School Couselors.   

• Teachers are critical to the evaluation portion of our program at K. William Harvey. We measure our impact using the Program Outcome-based Evaluation form, POE, to evaluate the quality of our service delivery to each child.  POE provides a valuable assessment of the impact of every match, allowing each agency to evaluate the quality of their service delivery.

• In school-based BBBS programs, POE forms are completed by the teacher and volunteer at the end of the school-year for all matches of 3 months or longer duration, or at match closure (if the match is over 3 months duration).