Families in Greenwich, Darien, New Canaan, Westport and the rest of Fairfield County can work with a Blackburn mentor entirely by video. A student or young adult gets one dedicated mentor, weekly goals and sessions in Eastern time, and parents of high school students stay involved from the first call. Our team is based in Los Angeles.
An illustrative Fairfield County week
Every family is different, but the shape of the week here is familiar. One parent may be on the New Haven Line into Manhattan by 7:00 am. The other may travel for work or run the household around three children’s schedules. A high schooler might have practice until 6:00, a travel team game on Saturday in another state, and homework squeezed in after dinner. There is plenty of support around, yet the student often ends up as the one keeping track of it all.
A mentor gives that student one steady reference point. A typical plan for a busy sophomore might look like this:
- A 30 minute video session on Monday at 4:30 pm Eastern to set the week’s goals
- A short text check-in midweek about the one thing most likely to slip
- A 30 minute session on Thursday to review, adjust and plan the weekend
- A progress update to parents, so dinner is not spent asking about grades
When a parent commutes or travels
Parents tell us the hardest part is not caring less but being less available. When one parent leaves before the bus and the other is managing everything else, a teen can go days without a real conversation about how school is going. A mentor does not replace that, but adds a consistent adult who knows the goals and checks in on schedule. Read how we work with families.
Teens with full calendars
Students in Fairfield County often balance rigorous public or independent schools with varsity sports, music, volunteer hours and summer plans. High school mentoring here usually works on:
- Planning backward from tests, tournaments and deadlines
- Sleep and routines during in-season months
- Saying no to one more commitment when the week is already full
- Confidence and independence before the move to college
Our mentors are not tutors or admissions counselors. They help a student keep pace with the plan the family and school have already built.
Graduates who move back home
Plenty of young adults return to Fairfield County after college, sometimes for a job in Stamford or New York, sometimes while they figure out what is next. Living at home again can be comfortable and stalling at the same time. A mentor helps young adults set a job search plan, a savings goal and a date to move out, and keeps the conversation with parents practical instead of tense. Our guide on moving back home after college covers the basics.
A good time to start
Many families start in late spring or early summer, when schedules loosen along the shoreline and there is room to build habits before fall. Others start in January, after first-semester grades arrive. Either works. What matters is a standing time and a few goals the student actually agrees with, so the plan belongs to them rather than to the adults around them.
If a teen is dealing with anxiety, depression or substance use, a licensed professional should be involved, and a mentor can coordinate with them with your permission. In a crisis, call or text 988.
Related
- Online mentoring in New York City and Westchester
- Online mentoring on Long Island
- Building a summer plan for your teen
- Online mentoring nationwide
- Online Mentoring in Westchester County
- Online Mentoring in Hartford and New Haven, Connecticut
Common questions
Do you work with families in Greenwich and the rest of Fairfield County?
Yes. We work with families in Greenwich, Stamford, Darien, New Canaan, Westport, Fairfield and nearby towns, entirely by video.
Can a session move when there is an away game or a family trip?
Yes. Sessions are by video, so a student can join from a hotel or a relative’s house, and the mentor can reschedule within the week when needed.
Do parents get updates?
For high school students, a parent or guardian joins the intro call, agrees the goals and receives regular progress updates.
Is mentoring the same as tutoring?
No. A mentor works on planning, follow-through and life skills, and can work alongside a tutor the family already uses.
Get started
Thinking about a mentor for your student? 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.