Mentor Tutor Connection (MTC) was originally named Partners for New Generations (PNG) and was created through the Los Altos Rotary Club in 1995/96. Originally, PNG began by tutoring elementary and high school children. The following year the program was expanded to mentor high school students at Alta Vista, a continuation high school. The mentoring program was ultimately expanded to include all three local high schools in the Los Altos Mountain View Union School District.
MTC is a community-based 501(c)(3) organization, the mission of which is
“To help build brighter futures for youth in Mountain View and Los Altos through exceptional tutoring and mentoring programs that improve social and academic life skills”
Mentors help students by acting as friends and advisors. Many of the students in the Mountain View Los Altos High School Union District struggle with serious issues such as family dysfunction, depression and inadequate financial resources. As a result of these and other issues, approximately 25% of the MVLAHSD student population has a GPA in the D+ to C+ range.
The average mentored student can improve his or her GPA by almost an entire grade point. The mentors work with the students to build self-esteem, improve attendance and reduce behavioral referrals. A strong relationship between a caring adult and a teenager reduces significantly the likelihood of the teenager engaging in risky behavior.
The mentor program currently supports 75+ mentor/student pairs at Los Altos, Mountain View and Alta Vista High Schools. In addition to mentoring, MTC supports 50 tutors each year to assist students in the Mountain View and Los Altos elementary, middle and high schools. MTC’s Advisory Committees (all volunteers) performs the recruiting, fundraising and administrative functions.
In addition to its numerous volunteers, MTC has one paid program part-time administrator and three paid part-time mentor coordinators, one at each of the three high schools. Each coordinator is responsible for matching students to mentors, training the mentors, and following the progress of each match throughout the school year.
MTC is a 501(c)(3) Non-profit