Foster grandparents mentor children in classrooms

On a recent Thursday morning, at Carver Head Start on Breazeale Avenue, young Pablo Deleon looked up from a Potato Head toy he was assembling to give a smile and a wave to a reporter visiting the preschool that day. With a grin even wider than Pablo’s, his Foster Grandma, Carolyn Ward, looked on with pride.

Ward is one of Carver’s five volunteers — easily identifiable by the short-sleeved, red smocks they wear — present at the center every Monday through Thursday, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., as part of the WAGES Foster Grandparent Program.

WAGES is the Wayne Action Group for Economic Solvency, and, according to the organization’s website, it “is committed to connecting citizens to educational, social, and economic programs that foster self-sufficiency and transform lives.”

Foster Grandparents serve at several Head Start centers and elementary schools throughout Wayne County. Their role is to act as a mentor, tutor, or role model for children with special or exceptional needs; these children may have developmental or communication delays, they may be in the foster care system, or they may have a teen parent or a parent who is incarcerated.

“All they want is a lot of love and affection, that’s all they need,” says 72-year-old Ward. “That’s all we need to give ‘em.”

Program Director Angela Gardner explains that each Foster Grandparent is assigned three children to work with throughout the school year. The children undergo assessments at the beginning of the year to determine any areas they may need extra help with. Then, Gardner emphasizes, the Foster Grandparents “meet the children where they are.”

Foster Grandparents help the children work on specific areas where they need improvement, while also re-enforcing what is being taught by the teachers. “They ask them open-ended questions and try to engage them in conversation, working on their sounds, their colors, their letters, their shapes, working on their social skills and interacting with others,” says Gardner.

Ward has been volunteering five years, long enough to see the program’s impact. At the beginning of each school year, she shares, some children are reluctant to play with others, some are withdrawn and have difficulty engaging in conversation. “But, at the end, if you keep working with them, faithfully, at the end, you’ll see that you have accomplished a lot,” she notes. “‘Cause they’ll come in the room sometimes, and they’ll run to you in the morning, give you a big hug.”

Tearing up, she continues, “That makes me feel good myself; it helps me.”

Foster Grandma Esther Humphrey, 74, is similarly affected by witnessing the children’s progress. “I like it when I see them smile, when they say, ‘I got this, Grandma,’” she allows. Her mission, as she sees it, is to do “anything to help the kids on their journeys.”

And, yes, the children do refer to each of the ladies as “Grandma.”

“Even when they see me in the store, they say, ‘Hey, Grandma!’” says 73-year-old Marion Sloan, who, like many others, found the Foster Grandparent program when she retired and was looking for a volunteer opportunity. She’s been with the program over five years.

“I love children,” Sloan says. “I love working with them and helping them. I love the babies.”

“Babies” is an affectionate term often used by the Grandmas to refer to the preschoolers.

Yvonne Hobbs just turned 65 and is in her third year of volunteering. “I love to get them to pay attention and listen to Grandma,” she says. “I want them to learn something. And they do pretty good, for babies. They really do.”

Hobbs began volunteering when she became disabled and was no longer able to work. “I was just sitting around the house, doing nothing but crocheting,” she recalls.

Her own positive experience in the Foster Grandparent program compels her to urge others to give it a try. “For the seniors, it’s beautiful, it’s wonderful,” she asserts. “You get to get out of the home. You get up in the morning and you feel alive. You feel like you’re doing something for a purpose.”

Evelyn J. Darden, 78, declares, “I love it!” when describing her feelings about being a Foster Grandma, and the fact that she’s been in the program approximately eight years supports her enthusiastic pronouncement. Like Hobbs, she encourages other seniors to consider doing it. “It’ll give them a chance to help the children, to get them prepared to go to kindergarten,” she notes.

Requirements for becoming a Foster Grandparent include: being at least 55 years old, passing a physical exam showing that the senior is able to work with children with special or exceptional needs, passing a criminal background check, meeting income criteria (based on federal poverty guidelines), a willingness to volunteer at least 20 hours per week, and — of course — having a love for children.

In deciding where to place a volunteer, Gardner, the program director, chooses a center or school near where the senior lives. Volunteers receive reimbursement for travel costs they incur, and, for those who want to volunteer but don’t drive, “We have a van driver that transports them, so we don’t want not having transportation to be a hindrance for them,” Gardner says.

Volunteers also receive a tax-free, hourly stipend.

Prior to becoming a Foster Grandparent, seniors receive training. They complete 20 hours of pre-service training with Gardner, followed by 20 hours of shadowing an experienced Foster Grandparent in the classroom.

At the end of each school year, not only are the children assessed to see what progress they’ve made, but the Foster Grandparents are also assessed to see if there are any areas in which they need additional training.

As Gardner looks to place more Foster Grandparents in Head Start centers and elementary schools throughout Wayne County, she stresses that both men and women are welcome to apply; she also welcomes those who speak different languages, “so we can reach out to other populations and draw them in.” In the area served by Carver Head Start, there are many Creole- and Spanish-speaking families, so the need for volunteers who speak those languages is always high.

If you’re a senior and you have an interest in volunteering with children, keep in mind what those already serving as Foster Grandparents have learned: This program helps both the children and the seniors. As Hobbs, one of the volunteers, puts it: “It’s useful all the way around!”

For more information about becoming a Foster Grandparent, call 919-734-1178, ext. 202.