Intergenerational Program Database

Open Book is an intergenerational early childhood literacy program with adult volunteers reading to children in the pediatric and foster care clinic waiting rooms at Westchester Medical Center and at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the Marie Fareri Children’s Hospital. In addition Pediatricians at White Plains Hospital are trained to include reading as part of the well child visit. Over 8,000 books are given away for free annually at these locations. Open Book is a partner of the nationally acclaimed “REACH OUT AND READ” program.

The Early Discoveries child care center and Day Haven adult day services are located at this site. Each day another classroom of preschoolers is invited to visit the “grandma’s and grandpa’s" for some special time together. Teachers and elder care staff work together to design activities that are both meaningful and purposeful for both children and elders.

The Heritage House Childcare & Learning Center is located across the street from Heritage Park (for older adults). All participate in crafts and recreation time, and children are encouraged to interact and develop relationships with the older adults receiving services at Heritage Ministries.

This 6 week program with locations in Libraries in Yonkers and Mt. Vernon matches volunteers with children (grades K-6) who come to the library for help with their summer reading assignments. In addition to preventing “summer slide”, these one-on-one sessions are interactive and fun! Summer Reading Buddies volunteers range in age from 12 – 90 and work to turn children into readers who look forward to delving into their next book. In 2016 over 1,000 children read with more than 350 “buddies” proving there is both a need and a desire to improve literacy in our community.

Intergenerational program for high school students who have recently arrived in this country with little or no English language skills. Bilingual volunteers work with students in our ESL (English as a Second Language) Center during the school day and after school to provide support. Increases communication skills and familiarity with American culture. Brings consultants to help students acclimate to their new environment safely.

Students and Mature Adults Read Together (SMART) utilizes the largely untapped resources of older adults to benefit the youth of Westchester. Older adults use the skills, knowledge, and insight gained over many years, and through diverse experiences, to tutor and mentor students who are reading below grade level in Kindergarten through 8th grade.

The Magic Moments program uniquely blends two groups of people who are often marginalized in American society: developmentally challenged teenagers and nursing home residents who have dementia. Through the program, which runs daily from 9:30 am to 11:45 am, the students assist Nursing and Therapeutic Recreation staff by setting up a resident lounge with games such as beanbag and/or ball toss and various art projects. The students model their interactions on those of the professional staff, working as a team, co-leading activities, encouraging residents to participate, and serving them refreshments. The Magic Moments program has pioneered a way for these young people with developmental challenges to provide direct support and encouragement to residents who have dementia, taking them from behind the scenes into the spotlight.

Our Folks is a program of Groundwork Hudson Valley in Yonkers, NY, where teens survey older homeowners, identify needed yard and household repairs, and carry out improvements. Around 20 youth and 25 older adults each year participate in this program. One goal is to bridge the generation gap by bringing people together over shared projects and shared lunches, which the students and homeowners prepare and eat together. Another part of the program is the "food team," which trains older adults to conduct cooking demonstrations of healthy foods in afterschool programs and at community events. Through ComNET, Groundwork organizes teams consisting of teens and senior citizens — and a few in-betweeners — to identify problems that need fixing. The problems are logged, along with the exact GPS location, into hand-held computers. Then, back at the office, Groundwork staff collate the problems into detailed reports that are then forwarded to the appropriate Yonkers government official and monitored to ensure that the problems are remedied.

At the Senior Lunch Program volunteers serve hot kosher meals every Sunday to 20-25 low-income seniors at one of our senior housing sites in Kipps Bay, Manhattan. Residents are invited from different nearby Met Council senior housing sites to attend this program. Some volunteer duties include setting up, waiting on the clients, serving lunch, and – most importantly – socializing with our clients. Volunteers include teen and young professional groups.

Through this “e-literacy” intergenerational program, high school students use their skills to teach older adults computer knowledge over a period of 6 weeks.