Making a difference

For children, having a stable adult in their lives can be the difference in establishing success. That's why the Foster Grandparents program is trying to make sure every at-risk student has someone they can talk to.

The Foster Grandparents program puts seniors in schools to help special-needs students. Currently, there are only two seniors in the program in the Valley (see related story), but organizers are hoping that will change. There are 256 foster grandparents and elder mentors in the state, with 82 of them from Southcentral Alaska.

"I'm sure there are seniors out there who don't know about the program and would like to make a positive difference in the lives of children," said Priscilla Wedge, the state coordinator. "All that it takes is a desire to help children succeed."

Often, seniors are looking for something to do with their time, Wedge said, and the Foster Grandparent program gives them a structured atmosphere in which they can volunteer, and help children in the process.

Foster grandparents spend up to 20 hours a week in a local school, working with a group of children, but particularly special needs children.

"Special needs is such a vague term, and it means just about anything," Wedge said. "Some may have English as a second language, some of the children may be coming from a foster home, maybe a low-income family or maybe they are coming from a home where there isn't a real adult presence."

The only requirements for being a foster grandparent is that volunteers must be over 60 years old and be willing to donate their time to children. There are orientation sessions as part of the training, where speakers talk to the seniors about a wide variety of issues, both professionally and personally.

While in the classrooms, the foster grandparents develop relationships with children and help them with their schoolwork, offer support throughout the day and serve as a person the students can talk with about a wide variety of issues.

"The seniors do only what they are comfortable doing. Sometimes, a young child just needs an adult to talk to. They may not have stability in their life, and their foster grandparent is someone they can turn to," Wedge said.

One thing foster grandparents don't do is discipline children.

Foster grandparents work within the framework of the classroom setting, meaning the teacher and the administration do all of the discipline work.

"They are there to set a good, positive role model and give children another avenue for success," Wedge said. "And it works. The kids really form a bond and a healthy relationship with the foster grandparents."