A Portland nonprofit is getting a boost from a new study by the Society for Prevention Research.
Friends of the Children hires people to mentor kids from the foster care system and high-poverty schools. The mentors stick with the kids for twelve years — from kindergarten to high school — advising them on everything from getting into college to staying out of jail.
Terri Sorensen with Friends of Children said a five-year, randomized trial found kids in the program had fewer problems in school and formed better relationships.
“Having that long-term stable adult, who believes in them and helps parents and teachers start to have a more positive attitude towards them, comes a long way in helping them break the cycle of poverty,” she said.
Sorensen says her organization has known for a long time that more than 80 percent of their kids graduate from high school and that 90 percent avoid the juvenile justice system, but this long-term study proves it.
Copyright 2017 Oregon Public Broadcasting
