Intergenerational Program Database

The Intergenerational School Breakfast Program (ISBP) traditionally pairs adult volunteers with young children, pre-kindergarten through the third grade, during the school breakfast program. Volunteers serve as role models, reading storybooks to the children and teaching them about the importance of good nutrition and eating breakfast. Some of the sites have a senior volunteers only stipulation

The GrandPals program is a learning and reading program pairing older adults with students in the Princeton Regional Schools. Senior volunteers read to kindergartners at Littlebrook and Riverside Schools to encourage a love of reading and to develop intergenerational friendships.

The students, through the visits by seniors and the outreach to them in the community, understand the seniors as a group and understand the physical strength and weaknesses of the seniors, thereby getting a better understanding of the process of aging both from a generic point of view and as a way to understand their own aging future. The course, and its Center, provides the students with the opportunity to apply their theoretical knowledge and gain practical experience working with an age group that many will work with during their professional careers, i.e.  as physical and occupational therapists, geriatric doctors, directors of programming in community senior centers, assisted living facilities, etc.

For 24 years the Livingston Board of Education, Livingston Township Council and Livingston High School Key Club has hosted an intergenerational prom for high school students and seniors.

Parents Anonymous of New Jersey, Father Time, and Bridgeton Municipal Alliance's youth to youth members spent Martin Luther King weekend serving soup to seniors at the Oakview Heights apartments and RiverWalk Senior Apartments. The groups also donated materials for pillows and blankets and distributed them out to the seniors. A news article about our 2012 event: http://www.nj.com/cumberland/index.ssf/2012/01/bridgeton_youth_serve_soup_to.html

The Friendship Center is an intergenerational child care facility that  incorporates senior citizens from Heath Village, the adjacent retirement community, into its child care programs. Senior volunteers assist the center's professional staff by teaching Bible stories and foreign languages, conducting nature walks, providing musical accompaniment, reading stories, and supervising craft and woodworking projects. Heath Village residents join with the children for special events and holiday celebrations, and pair off with them to be pen pals. Most important, the Heath Village residents who share in the Friendship Center's activities bring their maturity and love of children to help create a warm, caring Christian environment, giving children the feel of a large extended family. Keyword: Shared Site

You can change a life by providing the individual attention that helps children build confidence and success. Opportunities are available in Kennetth A. Brett Elementary School and 18 other U. S. cities. OASIS volunteer tutors are paired with children in grades K-3 who would benefit from a one-on-one mentoring relationship. Tutors are trained to work with kids using a proven approach to literacy that emphasizes reading, talking and writing. They meet with their students at least once a week throughout the school year, providing a caring, supportive environment where reading and language activities, keyed to the child’s interests, spark curiosity and learning.

Interactive experiences between local youth and residents of the Home include activities such as the Mentoring Group, which makes biweekly trips to nearby Winnisquam Middle School for conversations and activities with the students, and weekly visits to the Home by older students from the Tilton School for games, crafts and recreational activities such as volleyball and bowling adapted to the physical challenges of the residents. Gilford High School and Middle School are also regular visitors to the Home, and the New Hampton School, which brings international students eager to practice their English skills while interacting with the residents.

Intergenerational programming is a natural fit at Easterseals since the Child Developmental Center and the Adult Day Program share the same site. The program uses the power of art, music, dance, literature, and drama to achieve a variety of therapeutic objectives that are beneficial to both children and the elderly. The Intergenerational Program has become an important component of how Easter Seals works with its children and seniors. Keyword: Shared Site

The Intergeneration Orchestra of Omaha brings together performing artists of two eras, joined through the universal language of music. Musicians may audition if they are either age 50 and older or age 25 and younger. There are no minimum or maximum age restrictions in the ensemble. This year's Orchestra is comprised of 63 musicians ranging in age from 12 to 82 years. The Orchestra's concert season runs from September through April, with a schedule of 10 to 15 concerts. Performances are given for senior and retiree groups, at nursing homes, private events, conferences and schools