Whether you need help help tying your shoe, making a cake or
want somebody to talk to, sometimes you just need a Grandma or
Grandpa to come in and save the day.
Whether you need help help tying your shoe, making a cake or want somebody to talk to, sometimes you just need a Grandma or Grandpa to come in and save the day.
For years, the Tri-County Foster Grandparents program have been doing just that, uniting low-income seniors with kids who need them. And with full day kindergarten just around the corner for the Hollister School District, local educators are saying the need for a few good grandmas and grandpas is greater than ever before.
“Honestly, I don’t know who gets more out of it, the kids or the grandparents,” said Dee Brown, HSD Trustee and member of the Foster Grandparent Advisory Committee.
Hollister School District trustees decided to extend kindergarten classes next year from a traditional 8am to noon program to a full-day schedule. Though class sizes were reduced to a 20:1 student-teacher ratio, there is no money available to hire additional aides to help teachers manage students during the extra three hours a day. Foster Grandparents and the school district are hoping to recruit 50 new foster grandparents to come into kindergarten classrooms next year as well as help out with older students, special education and English language learner students. Anyone is welcome to volunteer with local students, but for those who qualify, becoming a Foster Grandparent has its distinct advantages.
Foster Grandparents is a federally-funded program that has been around since the mid- 1970s, according to Tom Reefe, Program Director of the local chapter. Seniors 65 and older who make less than $12,250 a year volunteer 20 hours a week in preschool through third grade classrooms, working primarily with at-risk or special needs children.
“Our foster grandmother Evelyn Fuentes is wonderful with the students,” said Kathy Hudson, Sunnyslope kindergarten teacher. “She’s a positive role model and she teaches them good values, and gives them the extra special attention they need.”
In return for their service, foster grandparents receive a small volunteer stipend, around $200 a month tax-free that won’t affect their social security status, a hot lunch with the students, a transportation allowance, an annual physical and some additional insurance.
“When I tell my friends to try the program, sometimes they just want more money,” said Ramona Garcia, 68, who has been a foster grandma at Calaveras School for seven years. “But it’s not really about the money, it’s about getting out of the house, getting some exercise and getting your mind off your troubles so you can do something good for the kids.”
Foster grandparents aren’t expected to do all the work of a classroom aide, but they can and do help students master basic tasks like holding scissors correctly or coloring in the lines, help teachers with paperwork, or just spend time listening to students read.
“I am cognizant at all times that our foster grandma is 79,” said Hudson. “But when you’re in a class with up to 37 kids, just having that extra pair of eyes looking out or that extra arm to hug really matters.”
According to survey results compiled by the Tri-County Foster Grandparent program, students who work with a foster grandparent are 76 percent more likely to advance to the next grade level, and their self-esteem is improved 84 percent. The presence of a foster grandparent enhances the teacher’s ability to manage his or her classroom by 81 percent.
“Just by showing up, a foster grandparent’s energy calms the classroom down in a very important way,” said Reefe.
Currently, San Benito County has 18 foster grandparents – 15 work with HSD, which pays a $3,000 fee every year that covers every foster grandparents they can find, and three work with the Head Start preschool program.
“I think these teachers need all the help they can get,” said Garcia. “You could just stay at home and watch TV, or you can go out and meet people and help children who need you. Everywhere I go, whether it’s the grocery store or wherever, kids come up to me and say ‘Grandma, Grandma we love you.’ There’s nothing like it, and I love it.”
If you would like to become a foster grandparent, call Reefe at (831) 475-0816.
