Mission
Friends of the Children – King County (FOTC)strives to fulfill its mission to help our most vulnerable children living in seriously high-risk environments develop the relationships, goals, skills, and resources necessary to thrive.

History
Friends of the Children was founded in Portland, Oregon in 1993 by Duncan Campbell, an entrepreneur, himself a former at-risk child. Friends of the Children-King County began in 2000, as a grassroots effort by Microsoft alumni who wanted to make a positive, long-term change in the lives of Seattle’s most vulnerable children through the model initiated by Mr. Campbell. In the first year, FOTC served 16 children from Thurgood Marshall Elementary School in the Central District of Seattle. In six years, the program has grown more than 300%.

Program Details
With the help of schools and other social service agencies, Friends of the Children – King County identifies children in Kindergarten with the most risk factors affecting their immediate environment and their ability to thrive. These factors include: poverty, homelessness, poor academic performance, family histories of domestic violence, substance abuse, and prostitution. Though only 5 or 6 years old, these children have often witnessed violence, lived with any number of caregivers and guardians, and been told time and time again that they were worthless.

The children are selected and then matched with a full-time, paid, professional mentor, called a Friend, who is experienced in child development and education. The Friend provides a caring, nurturing, consistent adult in the child’s life who spends a minimum of four hours of one-on-one time per week with them, from the time they enter Kindergarten, through their completion of high school.

For the past school year, results indicated that:

• Over 95% of program children were promoted to the next grade
• Seventy-five percent of 4th grade program children who took the WASL in 2006 passed the math section, compared to 60% of Seattle Public School children
• Seventy-five percent of 4th grade program children who took the WASL in 2006 passed the reading section, which was right in line with Seattle Public Schools
• Program children had better school attendance than their counterparts
• Program children saw a marked decrease in disciplinary actions
• Program children have a stronger awareness of health and nutrition