KANSAS CITY, Mo — It may seem out of place to see grandparents in grade school classrooms, but there has been a steady growth of them in Kansas City-area school districts.
School administrators and leaders in participating districts say grandparent volunteers with AmeriCorps “Foster Grandparent Program” have been a vital part of their students emotional and academic growth.
The “Foster Grandparent Program” is a federally, grant-funded program through AmeriCorps seniors. Its local sponsor is Reconciliation Services located in Kansas City, Missouri.
To qualify, candidates hoping to become volunteers must meet income eligibility requirements, be 55 and older, pass a background checks, be willing to participate in monthly training and attend a four-day orientation.
The program requires each Foster Grandparent to mentor/tutor at least 15 hours per week for which they will receive stipends of $3.15 an hour, tax free).
“Grandparents are helping to support just that basic writing, reading skills right there in the classrooms," said Keya Jones, a family school liaison at Freda Markley Childhood Center. "They also help with the social, emotional part, too."
Jones says on average, one out of every four four-year-olds have experienced some form of trauma. And out of a group of those students, another one has experience more than two traumas.
This means students from all different walks of life and types of learning levels come to school, and grandparents help to balance out the playing field.
“I see our progress weekly. I can see where our grandma has sat with Kiddo A or Kiddo B, and this kiddo maybe could only recognize 20 of the upper case alphabets," Jones said. "Well maybe by the end of the week, they’ve moved up to 22."
The Hickman Mills School District says the “Foster Grandparent Program” is one way they are combating staffing shortage as well.
It has helped them fill the vacancies since partnering with Reconciliation Services two years ago. The district currently utilizes the program at two campuses, but hopes to expand to three soon.
“Our secondary schools probably have the biggest hit versus our elementary schools,” said Danyca Singelton, a student support specialist. “So again, we’re looking to advertise the need and looking to also make sure that we get qualified staff back into our districts.”
Volunteer Eloise Franklin-Magitt, better known as “Grandma E,” has been a strong and steady matriarch of a fourth grade class at Genesis School.
She decided to come back to KCPS through the program in 2014.
“They keep me motivated; they keep me going, Franklin-Magitt said. “I hope that it is something that I may have said or done that as they go through walk of life, that they maybe can remember me.”
The “Foster Grandparent Program” is currently recruiting 15 additional Foster Grandparents in the Jackson County area.
If anyone is interested in learning more about the program or would like to stop by and complete an application, contact the office at 816-777-0568.
“It’s like getting love from a grandparent, you know, maybe they don’t get too much love at home and they come out here and I show love to the kids," said Michal Collins, a Foster Granpa. "And they appreciate that you know."
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