Family Education Supports

The Family Education Supports Program helps refugee students succeed in K-12 and beyond.  Mentors work with students who display signs of disengagement from school, as well as with students whose primary language is not English.  They connect with these students and seek to reengage them with learning. 

Who are our Mentors? 

Family Education Supports Mentors are bilingual advocates on our staff who help students navigate the educational system and plan for careers. 

What do Mentors do? 

Family Education Supports Mentors work with refugees who have been in the U.S. less than 5 years.  They use the Check and Connect model to pair students with coaches, who meet one-on-one to address student progress and goals. 

Mentors and students meet once a week to discuss grades, graduation, and behavior.  Our staff are responsible for addressing educational and emotional issues and providing resources on career planning.  They also meet with families to address their needs and promote parent involvement.  Additionally, mentors can help teachers by assisting with technology, connecting students to tutoring services, keeping parents appraised of important information, and helping students advocate for themselves. 

The Family Education Supports program is funded by the Resettlement Programs Office of the State of Minnesota Department of Human Services. KOM is part of the Refugee Resettlement Network, which consists of agencies that work together to serve new arrivals from a variety of backgrounds who have been in the U.S. under 5 years. KOM currently serves as Lead Agency for the Family Education Supports program. See the full list of agencies here.