The Bigs in our program are adult volunteers ages 18+. Big Brothers Big Sisters conducts a thorough background check on every volunteer in our mentoring programs and every match is regularly reviewed and supported by a professionally trained Program Specialist. 

Site-Based Mentoring:  Does your child attend one of our partner schools or youth centers?  If so, they can meet with a Big for one-hour per week (or at least twice a month) during their school lunch break or after school at their youth center.  Your child will meet with the same Big each week and will spend time participating in structured activities, playing games, or working on homework while building a friendship with a positive and supportive adult.

Child Eligibility for the Site-Based Program:

• Youth must be enrolled in a grade level served by the specific school/site. To inquire about grade levels served at your school or site, please contact Debbie Smith at dsmith@bbbsaz.org.
• Commit to meeting with a mentor at the school or site 2-4 times per month for at least one year.
• The design of the BBBS mentoring program is one-to-one. Youth must be able to meet and communicate with their mentor and BBBS staff independently of their parent/guardian or site staff.
• The child must be open to participating in our program and forming a relationship with the mentor.
• To ensure safety for both the mentor and the child, serious behavioral or medical situations that are frequent and show a persistent pattern may make the child ineligible for the program.

Big Brothers Big Sisters is currently enrolling girls ages 6-15 throughout the valley. There are Big Sisters ready to volunteer and be a friend and role model to your daughter, granddaughter or niece. Do you know a child who could benefit from our program? If so, have their parents or guardian call us to enroll today: 602-264-9254 or click on the enrollment link above. 

Making the best possible match between Little and Big is critical to the growth and development of a child. But before we begin the matching process, we start by thoroughly screening potential Bigs. 

Big Brothers Big Sisters National Standards of Excellence require each volunteer to complete an extensive screening process that includes: 

• Complete of a formal written application
• Background and reference checks which include: Social Security Address/Alias Trace, Arizona Statewide Criminal Search, Maricopa County/Arizona Warrant Search, Out-of-State County Criminal Search, USA Criminal Search, USA Offender Search, and Motor Vehicle Driving Record
• An in-person interview
• An orientation and training process that outlines the individualized needs of your child and provides information and resources on how to encourage your child's development

Big Brothers Big Sisters also provides child safety tips to you and your child, and we welcome your questions and feedback. Throughout the life of the match, our professional staff will be in ongoing communication with you, your child, and your child's Big. It's the best way to build a strong relationship that will have the greatest impact on your child's future success. 

Additionally, we ensure that all volunteers go through pre-match training which is a comprehensive training on being a "Big", developmental stages of childhood and adolescence, recognizing child abuse, scenarios that might encounter with their "Little" and the agency's role in support the Match. 

All of our staff send regular updates to their matches on training that they find in the community that is pertinent to our matches.  

Through each support contact we make, we ensure that the child is safe and comfortable with their "Big". Our role is to help everyone navigate through the match relationship in a positive, safe way. 

Furthermore, we offer information and resources on cyberbullying, school motivation, developmental stages of youth, and a volunteer handbook on child safety.