America On Track Exceeds MCP Program Goal

Starting a mentoring children of prisoners (MCP) program two years ago was a natural conclusion for America On Track in Orange County, California, according to co-founder and CEO Terry Thompson. For the past ten years America On Track has operated Kids On Track…Through Mentoring, a program designed to promote educational success as well as to keep kids away from gang involvement and drug use. The organization began reaching out to children of prisoners when Thompson learned that they are “seven times more likely to become involved in the juvenile and adult criminal justice system.” “We didn’t even know that there were so many [children of prisoners] in Orange County,” says Thompson. “You tend to know your given area. We know the gang area. We’re there. We know the drug area, and so on.”

America On Track has a 95 percent retention rate with the teen mentors that it trains for its Kids On Track program. “We thought ‘wouldn’t it be wonderful to use everything we’ve done to take caring adults and train them to be the ones who bring hope to these families?’,” says Thompson.

However, this lofty goal proved more challenging then first expected. “It is not easy to recruit people who are busy,” she adds. “So that was very hard. Our staff had to send out thousands of flyers [and] contact hundreds of other agencies and businesses.” Volunteers are recruited through churches, colleges, businesses, clubs, Parent/Teacher Associations, as well as the community at-large.

Before becoming a mentor, volunteers in the agency’s MCP program must go through a rigorous process that includes completing an interview, a 45-minute questionnaire, criminal background and Department of Motor Vehicle checks, and a four- hour training session. In addition, volunteers must agree to meet with a child for two hours per week for one year.

Thompson recognizes that the program asks a lot of its volunteers, but says, “I’d rather lose somebody that I’m not sure of than make a mistake.” To help ensure a successful match is made, America On Track involves the school in the match process. The initial match meeting between of the child, caregiver, and mentee takes place at the child’s school so that counselors and the principal are aware of the match. Thompson says this increases accountability for caregivers and serves as extra encouragement for them to maintain their part of the match agreement.

Volunteers also need additional support once a match is made. “Finding the mentors and getting them to stick it out” has been the agency’s greatest challenge, according to Thompson. “You can’t take a mentor and expect them to stay with the program unless they’re getting calls from the agency, planning outings, [or] different things like that,” she says. In addition to these motivational techniques, Thompson shows appreciation for the agency’s MCP mentors by pouring through all their activity notes every week and choosing the top 10 mentors. “I personally send them a handwritten note with a Jamba [Juice] gift card,” says Thompson. “I thank them. I want them to know that I’m keeping on top of things [and] I know what they’re doing.”

These added touches have resulted in excellent results for American On Track. The agency has more than 100 matches and has met its match goals for its funding agency, the Department of Health and Human Services.

Fall 2006