The Nest Program

The Nest Program provides support for families struggling with child management issues either due to a parent or child’s mental health, family trauma or other stressful circumstances that make parenting difficult. Our program matches a volunteer parent mentor with a family. This trained mentor helps parents identify child and parent strengths, grow their social and parenting skills, learn behavioral and emotional de-escalation techniques and connect parents with community resources.

What a Nest Volunteer Mentor Can Do

  • Provide emotional support when things are challenging
  • Model and coach de-escalation skills, crisis intervention and self-care
  • Offer alternative discipline ideas and techniques
  • Engage in supportive phone calls
  • Set family goals and host activities
  • Build positive relationship skills
  • Help parents identify strengths and weaknesses
  • Connect parents with needed resources
  • Assist with school support
  • Help schedule and organize special needs for children and adults
  • Trained mentors work with a family for a minimum of one year. A mentor might volunteer 2-10 hours per month, depending on the needs of the family. In their role, a mentor is expected to consistently provide both educational and emotional support. Activities depend on the plan developed with the family.
"I believe in family and that each member within a family deserves to be happy, safe, and well adjusted. Through the mentorship program with Nest, I am given a great opportunity to give back to others by mentoring. Through encourage, friendship, and sharing of resources made available at Nest, each member can find their place in a functioning society." -Gloria Mobley

For more information about The Nest Program, email Carolyn Washington.