ENROLL A CHILD
Who We Serve
Our Community-Based Program is open to youth who want support outside of school hours.
This program is designed for youth who would benefit from extra encouragement, social support, and time with a trusted adult beyond the school day.
Mentors and mentees meet on evenings or weekends, at least twice a month. They spend time doing everyday activities—like going for walks, baking cookies, or visiting local attractions—while building a meaningful, long-term relationship.
Eligibility Requirements
To qualify for a mentoring relationship through Companions for Children, youth must meet the following criteria:
Parent/Guardian Support
A parent or legal guardian must be willing and able to complete the enrollment process and communicate with our team each month.
Location
The child must live in Minot, ND or within a 15-mile radius, and plan to remain in the area for at least the next 18 months.
Age
Eligible youth are between 6 and 17 years old.
Who May Not Qualify
While we wish we could serve every child, youth may not be eligible for our program if any of the following apply:
Severe Physical or Medical Conditions
The child has significant physical disabilities or is medically fragile.
Recent Psychiatric or Residential Treatment
The child has been in a psychiatric hospital, group home, or residential treatment facility in the past 6 months.
Significant Emotional Challenges
The child is currently experiencing severe emotional disturbances that would make participation unsafe or inappropriate.
History of Violent Behavior
The child has a known history of violence.
Safety Concerns
The child poses a risk to themselves or others.
Delinquent or Criminal Behavior
The child has been involved in criminal or delinquent activity.
Looking for a School-Based Program?
If you're interested in enrolling your child in a school-based program—like Lunch Pals, Lunch Pals+, or Pen Pals—start by connecting with your child’s teacher or school counselor. These programs are coordinated through participating schools, but you’re also welcome to contact us directly if you have questions or need help getting started.
ENROLLMENT PROCESS
When it comes to the future of our children and the well-being of our communities, we’re all in this together. So it should come as no surprise that we need the parents to be involved every step of the way to ensure a successful match.
Application
The first step to enrolling a child is to fill out an application online at companionsforchildren.org. Companions for Children staff will reach out to ensure eligibility and review the enrollment process.
Training & Paperwork
All parents are required to complete online training to learn the difference between their roles and those of a mentor, and how to support the mentoring relationship. In addition, paperwork must be completed via DocuSign. Together, both items take about 1.5 hours to complete.
Parent Interview
Upon completion of the training and paperwork, a parent interview will be scheduled. Parent interviews take about 1 hour to complete.
Mentee Interview
A 30 minute time block is scheduled for the child and Companions for Children staff to complete a mentee interview. This interview gives staff insight on their desire to have a mentor, their interests and other matching benchmarks.
Parent & Mentor Meeting
A 30-minute meeting will be set to introduce the parent and mentor before introducing the mentee. This is a time to discuss expectations, communication plans, and
Match Meeting
A 30-minute match meeting will be set up for the parent/guardian, mentor, mentee & our staff to introduce the mentor and mentee to make plans. Your 18 month commitment begins at this time.
Support & Reporting
Throughout your match, Companions for Children will provide on-going support via monthly reporting phone calls.
We welcome referrals from teachers, social workers, therapists, guidance counselors, law enforcement, and other professionals. However, a child can only be enrolled if their parent or legal guardian is supportive and willing to actively participate in the process.
Our staff will determine interest and readiness for the program—both from the child and the parent—during the initial inquiry call and throughout the screening process.
Not every child is a good fit for a mentoring relationship. If you’re unsure whether a referral is appropriate, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re happy to talk it through.
We have been absolutely blessed with the mentor and mentee match. The mentor is so caring, sweet, and such a great role model for the mentee. The mentee absolutely adores their mentor and is always excited to spend time together. Since being matched, the mentee has come out of their shell, gained confidence, and truly enjoys their time together. The mentor finds activities the mentee loves, and they enjoy spending that one-on-one time. We couldn’t be happier and are so excited that the mentee was able to form such a wonderful, lifelong connection.
Parent of Mentee