Our Services

Combining Traditional and Non-traditional Approaches

For many children with emotional and behavioral problems traditional services alone do not work. These children require a consistent adult presence in their lives – someone outside of the home who will be both demanding and loving. It can’t be done once a week for two hours. It can’t be done unless the mentor gets to know the home, school, and community environments. It can’t be done unless the mentor cares deeply.

STAR Services also can eliminate the trauma and the cost of institutionalizing children. Sending children to residential placements, hospitals or detention facilities is often avoided with early intervention of a committed STAR mentor and development of a custom-tailored treatment plan.

Educational Services

STAR strives to help children reach the academic standards of their grade level. Every child has a weekly mandatory Library Day to concentrate on honing their academic skills.

Mentors meet with or speak to the child’s classroom teacher every week and they attend any school planning meetings (PPTs and IEPs). STAR mentors often suggest innovative ways to get children to complete assignments and improve their performance.

Mental Health

The mentor communicates with the STAR child’s therapist or counselor. Since children often share more with a mentor than with other adults, the mentor frequently provides critical background information and insights that enable the treatment team to better understand and treat the child.

Recreational

Although recreation is important, it’s not a main priority at STAR Mentoring. The program always centers on teaching basic values and improving school performance, behavior, and self-image. Recreation is used as a reward and as a method to build stronger relationships between the mentors and the children.