MentorPRO Partners with Kaufman County’s Juvenile Justice and Truancy Prevention Initiative

MentorPRO today announced a partnership with Kaufman County’s Juvenile Justice and Truancy Prevention Initiative, bringing evidence-based mentoring to court-involved and at-risk youth in North Texas. The pilot, championed by Justice of the Peace Amy Tarno and delivered with partner agency Lakes Regional Community Center, pairs the MentorPRO platform with MentorPRO Academy training and MentorAI support for mentors.

“Judge Tarno and LaDonna Maiden are proving that a county courthouse can be a launching pad for mentoring rather than a last stop. Putting trained, supported mentors alongside young people at exactly the moment the system touches their lives is evidence-based practice at its best,” said Jean Rhodes, PhD, Co-founder of MentorPRO.

Since launching in early 2026, the initiative has matched mentors and mentees, with mentors completing MentorPRO Academy courses in-app and beginning to use MentorAI for timely, research-informed guidance. Program check-ins through the spring showed steadily increasing engagement.

The partnership positions structured mentoring as an alternative pathway for justice-involved youth, supported by peer-reviewed research linking mentoring with improved school engagement and well-being.