Twice a week during the lunch hour, the Lunch Buddies Program at LangtreeSchool pairs, on average, about 12 kindergarten and first grade special needs students with 15-30 of their older schoolmates. Training on appropriate behavior and sensitivity is provided for the older students who act as mentors and are given pre-selected topics for discussion. The goals of the program are to facilitate social interaction, help children build a stronger sense of self worth and value, develop positive relationships with peers, assist in the development of expressive language and listening skills, and foster kindness, empathy, trustworthiness and citizenship. Meetings are held periodically to help mentors discuss their mentees’ progress and development. The mentees also have opportunities to evaluate the program and provide feedback in the classroom. Feedback from both the mentors and mentees has been positive. Teachers have observed the goals of the program being met.
