Get Involved! - Family Care Office

Interested in getting more involved with the Family Care Office? If you are interested in helping other students with families, we invite you to consider becoming an FCO Peer Mentor. Interested in providing feedback and shaping how U of T supports students with families in its programs and its spaces? Consider joining the FCO Student Advisory Committee. Finally, we invite all students, but students with families in particular, to apply for work study positions.

Become a Peer Mentor
Join the FCO Student Advisory Committee
FCO Work Study Positions

Become an FCO Peer Mentor

The submission period to become a peer mentor for the 2026-2027 academic year is now open! Submit your application before Monday, August 24, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Becoming a mentor at the Family Care Office is a rewarding experience! You will gain mentorship skills, while developing interpersonal abilities and meeting new people. The program offers training and the ability to partake in various family events throughout the school year. Also, our mentorship program is recognized by the Co-Curricular Record, which means you will earn credit towards your CCR.

Most of our mentees are student parents who are looking for practical tips and advice on how to juggle the demands of student and family life. However, our mentees might be caregivers to a parent, sibling, or someone else in their lives and request a mentor with these particular experiences.

We request that our mentors have been enrolled in their program for at least one year. During the first year of your program, you will gain practical experience navigating life as a student with family responsibilities that will allow you to become a better mentor. The first year of your program is also critical to your own learning as a student with family responsibilities and it may be difficult to juggle multiple responsibilities.

We only request that our mentors devote two to three hours monthly. We understand that life as a student with family responsibilities is hectic, for that reason we have ensured that our mentorship program aligns with these demands. We encourage mentors and mentees to use communication methods that best adapt to their needs, from e-mails and phone calls to a brief meeting at a café. Whatever works for you and your mentee!

All our mentors receive training before they are able to take on a mentee. In addition, we encourage our mentors to take advantage of the resources available through the Student Life Mentorship Program. We are also happy to provide on-going support to our mentors by making an appointment with our staff at the Family Care Office.

Training and Time Commitment

Mentors commit to attending a training session before the school year starts, one-on-one meetings with their mentees, and social events for a total commitment of just over 10 hours from September to March as detailed below. Mentors are always asked whether they can take a mentee before being assigned one. Student mentors will:

Commit about 2 hours to mentoring student with family responsibilities from September to March (in person, by email, phone, messaging or Skype), with the possibility of extending this commitment if the mentor so desires.
Let the Coordinator know about possible periods when not available during the year.
Commit to approximately eight hours for events and training as outlined below:
- A 2½-hour training session
- The Family Care Office Orientation for Students with Family Responsibilities
- At least two more events in the fall/winter terms

Co-Curricular Record Recognition

The Peer Mentorship Program is an approved activity for the Co-Curricular Record (CCR). In order for your volunteer work as a Student Mentor to be recognized on the CCR you must complete the activities as outlined for the program, and you will be required to submit a self-reflection piece at the end of the academic year.

For further information on the program, please view the Information Guide.

Join the FCO Student Advisory Committee

About the committee

Provides advice and recommendations for improvement on services currently offered by the FCO
Provides advice on the outreach efforts of the office
Assists in identifying new programs and initiatives for the FCO
Provides feedback on the policies of the Family Care Office and the university policies related to family issues
Identifies future directions and potential areas for growth.

Being a member of the Advisory Committee is an approved Co-Curricular Record opportunity.

The Student Advisory Committee meets three times during the academic year (usually in November, January and March). The committee members decide whether to hold meetings in person, online or hybrid.

To express your interest in serving on the FCO Student Advisory Committee, email family.care@utoronto.

FCO Work Study Positions

The Family Care Office hires work study students for the Fall/Winter & Summer sessions. For more information about the U of T’s Work Study Program and to view the FCO’s job postings, please visit the Career & Co-Curricular Learning Network (CLNx) website.