Head Start & Foster Grandparents
The Challenge…
A nurse and mother of five who retired after 32 years in the profession mentioned to a cashier that she was bored. Meanwhile, a child in the agency’s Head Start program wasn’t talking when she should have been, developmentally. Her parents were concerned.
The Solution…
Action for Boston Community Development’s (ABCD) recruitment of Foster Grandparent volunteers included good old-fashioned fliers. When the retired nurse told a cashier that she didn’t know what to do with herself as a retiree, the cashier handed her a flyer for the AmeriCorps Seniors program operated by ABCD. That was four years ago. The retired nurse became a Foster “Grandma” in an ABCD Head Start classroom. The teacher noticed that Grandma’s specialty was working with children with limited verbal skills. Grandma worked closely with this little girl, and the girl made tremendous progress. She runs to Grandma, eagerly sitting by her side, and talks and interacts with classmates. She is now ready for kindergarten. “I have tears in my eyes just thinking about it,” the Foster Grandmother said.