For Parents and Guardians: FAQs

Students are referred to VOICE by teachers, counselors and other school staff and sometimes by parents or guardians. There are many different reasons why students are referred. It could be that a student may benefit from additional help staying engaged at school, making friends or managing challenging social situations. Other reasons could pertain to the support students receive by having an additional encouraging and positive adult to meet with, one-on-one, at school each week.

Mentoring occurs on school premises during school hours. For secondary schools, mentoring can take place before or after school hours, but during office hours.

If your student is in elementary school, the school's VOICE site coordinator will collaborate with your student's teacher to determine the best day and time for mentoring.  

If your student is in secondary school, the school's VOICE site coordinator will determine the best day and time for mentoring based on your student's schedule.  Secondary school students also have the option to meet with their mentors before or after school.

Depending on why a student has been referred, there are a number of things that can take place in a mentor meeting. It could include reading, creating art together, playing games, chatting, or talking about common interests, etc.  In the secondary grades the focus may shift to helping with organization, fostering motivation (in and out of school), and setting students up for success as they prepare for adulthood.

Notify the site coordinator and/or the attendance secretary at your school as soon as you know that your student will be absent.  That way, the Site Coordinator or office staff can let the mentor know that there is no need to come into school that day. The more notice, the better.

Adults and high-school-aged students can apply to be mentors (high school mentors can only mentor at the elementary grade levels). However, all mentor applicants must go through a vetting process (refer to the FAQ on how mentors are screened).

All mentor applicants must go through a vetting process that includes a mentor application, the checking of 2 personal references, a background check through the Washington State Patrol (for adults), and a mandatory 2 hour training and assessment session before they can be approved to become mentors in our program.

Participation in the VOICE program is not mandatory.  A student may withdraw from the program at any time.  However keep in mind that all students in the program have been accepted because their counselor or other staff believe that a mentor would be beneficial in some way.

Parents do not typically interact with mentors. Usually questions and concerns related to mentoring go through the school's VOICE Mentor Program site coordinator.  There is a designated VOICE coordinator at every ISD school.

There is a VOICE program site coordinator at every school who will be your primary contact should your student be accepted into the program.  Once a student is accepted, the site coordinator will initiate contact to discuss program parameters and receive parent/guardian permission.

To find out who the VOICE program site coordinator is at a specific school, please reach out to the VOICE program using the contact information below.