Students, families and young adults anywhere in Delaware can work with a dedicated Blackburn mentor by video. The whole state runs on Eastern time, and every session is booked on your local clock, whether you are in Wilmington, Newark, Dover or near the beaches in Sussex County. Text and phone check-ins fill the days between sessions.
Three counties, three ways of life
Delaware has only three counties, and each has its own character:
- New Castle County in the north: Wilmington, Newark and the suburbs that blend into the Philadelphia region, with corporate offices, banking and a college-town feel around Newark.
- Kent County in the middle: Dover, the state capital, an Air Force base and a lot of farmland.
- Sussex County in the south: poultry farms, small towns and the beach communities of Lewes, Rehoboth Beach and Bethany Beach, which fill up every summer.
Driving from Wilmington to the beaches takes a couple of hours on a summer weekend. For a family in western Sussex or a student in Kent, a good mentor nearby can be hard to find. Video solves that.
A small state with an outsized role in business
Delaware is famous as the legal home of a large share of American corporations, thanks to its corporate law and its specialized business court. That supports law firms, registered agents and financial services in Wilmington. Banking and credit card operations are major employers, the chemical industry has deep roots in the state, and health care has grown into one of the biggest sectors. In the south, poultry farming and summer tourism carry the economy.
For young adults, that mix means many first jobs are in finance, law, health care or seasonal work at the shore. Our page on the first job after college covers the common challenges.
Close to everything, which shapes college choices
Delaware students attend public districts, a number of charter schools, and Catholic and independent schools concentrated around Wilmington. After high school, the state has public universities, including a historically Black university, a statewide community college system, and several private colleges.
Because Philadelphia, Baltimore, New Jersey and Washington are all close, many Delaware students look across state lines for college, and many students from neighboring states come to Delaware. It is common for a student to be an hour or two from home: close enough to come back often, far enough to lose the daily structure of high school.
Putting it together
Here is how mentoring tends to fit at different stages in Delaware:
- High school: a weekly plan for school, activities and a summer job at the beach, with a parent or guardian involved from the intro call onward. See mentoring for high school students.
- The first year of college: steady contact through the transition, whether the student is in Newark or out of state. See college transition mentoring.
- College years: routines, deadlines and decisions about a major: mentoring for college students.
- Young adulthood: career, money and moving out, especially for graduates commuting to Philadelphia or working in Wilmington: young adult mentoring.
Pages for Delaware and nearby areas
Parents can start with our page for families, and anyone can read how online mentoring works. Other states are on our mentoring by state page.
Related
Common questions
What time zone do you use for Delaware?
Eastern time, statewide. A 4 pm session in Dover is 1 pm for a mentor in Los Angeles, and evenings are easy to schedule.
My student goes to college in Pennsylvania or Maryland. Can the mentor still work with them?
Yes. Sessions are online, so the mentor works with the student wherever they enroll and, with permission, keeps the family in Delaware informed.
Can sessions continue over a summer at the beach?
Yes. As long as there is a quiet spot and a connection, sessions continue through summer jobs and family trips.
Do you meet in person in Wilmington?
No. Our team is based in Los Angeles, and Delaware clients work with their mentor entirely by video.
Get started
Would it help to talk through what your family needs? Call (888) 305 5422, email contact@blackburnmentoring.com or start with a short assessment. A member of our team reviews every assessment personally and sets up a free intro call.