Enroll a Child

Parents and guardians are an integral part of the Big Brothers Big Sisters match at every step of the process. Not only will you provide information about your child’s strengths and needs, you will also approve the selection of the Big Brother or Big Sister.

Once the match is made, parents remain closely involved in several key ways, including:

• Approving match activities and supporting your child’s involvement
• Asking your child questions about the match meetings and reporting any concerns to the agency staff
• Regularly reporting back to the agency about your child’s progress and milestones in the match relationship – Big Brothers Big Sisters will contact you regularly, but we welcome your feedback at any time
• Participating in training on child safety offered by Big Brothers Big Sisters staff and communicating with your child about the training he or she receives

Community-based Parent/Child Info

Getting your child a Big Brother or Big Sister is giving your child the gift of friendship. A Big Brother or Big Sister will be a fun and responsible adult friend who will spend time with your child in the community, participating in activities they both enjoy. A Big is another positive adult figure in your child's life who can be a source of encouragement and motivation to your child and who can help your child with setting goals, problem-solving, communication skills, and making good choices. These are some of the possible activities your child will do with his or her Big:

• Walk the dog
• Shoot hoops
• Play a board game
• Take a walk in the park
• Learn an art or craft
• Rake leaves or weed your garden
• Create a new recipe
• Wash and wax the car
• Just talk and hang out

Your child’s safety is important to us!

All Bigs are carefully screened members of the community. We focus heavily on the quality and integrity of our volunteers by:

• Completing a national criminal background check
• Gathering information from at least three references
• Verifying a valid driver's license and auto insurance
• Completing an in-person interview including a potential home assessment

Step 1

Our professional team works with you to find the best friendship for your child. Please call the Big Brothers Big Sisters office at 404-601-7000 Ext. 0 to discuss the next steps to enroll your child in the program. If you are certain that you would like your child to participate and he or she is eligible for our program, you may also submit your information via web here.

Step 2

You and your child will attend the Parent-Volunteer Partnership and Making Big Friends Training session and bring the following pieces of information with you:

• A current photo of your child (for our file)
• Your child's social security number
• Name of your child's school and principal
• If your child is seeing a counselor or therapist for any reason, please bring us the counselor's name and contact information.

Step 3

Complete an in-person interview with our staff including you and your child to determine the best Big for you. You are the expert on your child, so your input is very important to us. Please provide us with information about your child’s strengths and needs.

Step 4

Once all your materials are collected, evaluated, and approved, we will pre-match your child with a Big and discuss the potential match with you and the Big. When you and the Big have approved this “pre-match,” we will then arrange a "Match Meeting" so your child and his or her Big can plan activities and begin their friendship!

Step 5

Once the match is made, you and your child remain closely involved with our Match Support Department. Our team is there to ensure that your child’s match is a successful, fun, and rewarding experience for everyone. You will have contact with our Match Support and Compliance Department throughout the life of your child’s friendship.

For more information or to enroll your child, call us at 404-601-7000 Ext. 0 or click here .

Parent FAQ