Intergenerational Program Database

The Intergenerational Program gives residents and children the opportunity to form close friendships that span many generations. One program within the Intergenerational Program, called Read-To-Me, encourages kids to read out loud to the residents in a relaxed, low-stress environment. Students from Pierce Elementary School make quarterly visits to the Jewish Home and Care Center to participate in the Read-To-Me Program. This vital exercise builds the confidence of the students and strengthens their reading skills and ability. Additionally, the residents gain a sense of purpose and usefulness in helping the students achieve their academic goals. Another program within the Intergenerational Program gives middle school students from Hillel Academy the opportunity to conduct formal and informal interviews with residents of Chai Point Senior Living. The students use the information and stories from the interviews to create meaningful classroom lessons in research, personal and cultural history while learning methodologies in expository writing.

Located within the Lutheran Home are several programs for adults : Skilled Nursing Care, Memory Care Assisted Living, Adult Day Services, and Rehabilitation Care. There is also an NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children)accredited Children's Center that is licensed for 122 children between the ages of infant through 12 years of age. All classes of the children, infants through 4 year old Kindergarten, meet with different groups of adult residents and participants 2 to 3 times a week for scheduled activities planned by the recreation therapists and children's center teachers. In addition twice a month there are planned activity mornings for the children and all adult residents and participants that are interested. For the past two years the Lutheran Home has put on an intergenerational Art Show. Some resident artists are highlighted, but many of the pieces of art are made by the residents/participants and the children. During the summer the children in the school age classes also participate in the intergenerational activities. The children enjoy spending time with their grand-friends, and the adults seem to feel the same. Keyword: Shared Site

Companion Day Services is part of the Tiny Tiger Intergenerational Center focused on bridging the gap between generations. The Tiny Tiger Intergenerational Center provides three interacting services under one roof including Child Care, Adult Care and a Human Service Academy public charter school. The Human Services Academy is the first intergenerational career-based program in Wisconsin, and possibly the nation, annually enrolling over one-hundred students. Keyword: Shared Site

In B.A.B.E.S (Beginning Alcohol and Addictions Basic Education Studies)trained volunteers use animal puppets to educate students about substance abuse, coping skills and peer pressure. Senior volunteers serve as role models, developing caring relationships with students over the course of the five weeks they are in the classroom.

Grandparents' University is designed for children ages 7-14 accompanied by their grandparent(s). All are welcome to participate! Classes will be offered in various classrooms across the UW-Green Bay campus.

CATCH brings children and adults age 50+ together to learn good eating and physical activity habits for a lifetime. The program combats obesity by engaging adults age 50+ as mentors to teach healthy lifelong habits to kids in grades K-5. Adults in the program benefit in several ways. Research shows that volunteers have lower rates of depression and mortality and greater functional ability than those who do not volunteer. As they promote healthy habits for kids and for themselves, they also experience the rewards of meaningful community service.

Every summer, the Wisconsin Alumni Association hosts Grandparents University (GPU), a two-day program that brings children ages 7 to 14 and their grandparents together to learn from each other and to experience the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s dynamic campus atmosphere. You’ll have the opportunity to explore a “major” and participate in hands-on activities led by top UW faculty and staff.

An RSVP Folk Fair is a demonstration of arts, crafts, hobbies, everyday items and unusual or interesting items-some from "years ago", some more recent. The fairs, offered at local schools, serve as an informative way to show the younger generation what older adults do for hobbies and what life was like when older adults were young.

Serves individuals and families of ages with disabilities.

This program recruits, trains, and coordinates undergraduate students to facilitate creative storytelling sessions with elders with cognitive disabilities in care communities affiliated with the Creative Trusts in Milwaukee. Students commit to a semester of storytelling but commonly continue for the full year. At year’s end, the stories are shared publicly to inspire others to use creative engagement to nurture relationships with people with cognitive disabilities. TimeSlips is used in service-learning around the country, but the Creative Trusts offers stable, shared governance of the program that is a national model for collaboration in this important area of need.