Intergenerational Opportunities in Early Childhood Settings

With the number of children in care settings increasing every year and fewer resources available1, intergenerational programs in early childhood programs have become a growing trend. Intergenerational programs can pool limited resources for the benefit of children, the community, and older adults. These programs come in different forms: older volunteers entering child care centers, preschools, and other schools to tutor and/or mentor children; children visiting older adults in nursing homes or other care facilities; older adults and children sharing space and interacting on a daily basis; and much more.

This fact sheet will highlight the benefits of intergenerational programming in early childhood; share program examples that show positive results; provide possible partners to get started; and offer resources for more in depth information.

What are the Benefits?

The benefits of intergenerational programs in early childhood settings are numerous.

For Children:

• Increase understanding of the aging process
• Develop a new relationship outside family
• Exhibit better behavior in classroom and other environments
• Learn they can give to others in need • Learn soft social skills such as manners

For Older Adults:

• Demonstrate their value to society
• Have other people who care about them
• Increase emotional support, giving and receiving
• Expand social roles
• Work part-time, as volunteer or with stipend

For Community:

• Combine limited resources to address a need
• Implement innovative program ideas
• Create greater volunteer opportunities

Why?

Intergenerational programs in early childhood education are compelling for those developing or designing good programs. These programs can:

• Bring individuals of different generations together for a common purpose, like education,
• Fill a need that might not otherwise be met, such as tutors in the classroom or child care workers,
• Create opportunities for interaction across generations,
• Enhance social/personal skills for children by over 5 months compared to children in non-intergenerational programs2, and
• Build organizational capacity.

Program Examples

Intergenerational programs in early childhood settings are emerging in communities throughout the country. Most of these programs take place in classroom settings, but more and more programs are taking innovative approaches to bringing older adults and young children, like in a co-located day care center. Here are just a few examples of the programs that currently exist.

OTTER (Older Teachers Training Ealyy Readers (ORLANDO, FL)

• OTTER is an intergenerational program designed to boost the reading skills of at-risk preschool children.
• The program which was launched during the 2004-2005 school year is run by the Foster Grandparent Program of Central Florida and has since doubled its size.
• For more information call 407-298-4180 or visit their website at www.fostergrandparentprogram.org/Foster_Grandpx.html

The Generations Child Development Center (San Francisco, CA)