In our school-based mentoring program, matches meet once a week for the length of the school year at the Little’s school. Their sessions are 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the location. In our community-based mentoring program, matches meet 2-3 times per month on average, and spend 2-4 hours together per session.

Once your child is matched with a Big, a professional staff member will be in regular contact with you to provide guidance and support throughout the match relationship. If at anytime you are unsure about what to do or how to handle a situation, our professional staff is here to help.

Parents that enroll their children in the BBBS program want the very best for their children. They see the benefits of introducing another caring adult role model in the life of their child. Many say that their children’s Bigs are able to talk to them about issues that are just difficult for a parent to address. That is why parents often say introducing a Big into their child’s life has not only changed their son/daughter’s life but it’s impacted the entire family. BBBSCO only enrolls children who want and need the program and whose parents specifically want them to be in the program, so 100% of the children enrolled are ready and excited about being matched.

This is what is really unique and great about BBBSCO. We don’t just select the next child on our list and match them with a Big. Each Big and Little are matched based on compatibility and proximity to each other; but ultimately, Bigs and Littles choose each other. Match support specialists get to know each Big, parent and child that enrolls in the program. They get to know their interests, hobbies, what they are looking for in a Match, and much more. This is crucial because once a volunteer is accepted into the program, a match support specialist will begin searching for a few Littles that they think would make a good Match. They will then send a profile of a Little that they believe is a great match for you, and from there you ultimately decide if you think they will be the best fit

Activities  are up to each match to schedule and participate in on their own time. You don’t have to spend a lot of money- it’s about the time. Common activities include going to get ice cream or going to a movie, playing catch or a video game, attending a sporting event or concert, hanging out at home and making dinner, or running errands. We encourage Bigs to share time instead of trying to create new time. Bring your Little on activities you were already going to do. Keep it simple and focus on getting to know each other.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio partners with several organization that provide workshops and trainings that are beneficial to our Bigs.  In addition, your Match Support Specialist is there every step of the way to offer customized support.

We only make same gender Matches. Big Brothers are always matched with Little Brothers. Big Sisters are matched with Little Sisters.

We get it, sometimes things come up – Bigs or Littles move, situations change, or relationships just don’t work out. If this happens, our staff will be there to support you every step of the way.

We ask for a minimum commitment of 18 months for each match we make. Many of our match relationships last much longer than that.