Be a Hero to a Child Who Needs You
You can be the caring adult to help a child succeed. Become a Foster Grandparent and help struggling students love learning.
The Foster Grandparent Program is a nationally-affiliated program, through AmeriCorps Seniors, offering individuals 55 and over the opportunity to tutor and mentor students in a school near their home. This child mentoring program takes place in the child’s classroom with a teacher present.
Foster Grandparent volunteers are role models and friends to children with exceptional needs. For children who are struggling in school, at-risk, neglected or abused, the support of a foster grandparent can help build confidence and stability.
A Foster Grandparent is someone with time, love and understanding, who enjoys being around children and wants to help them to be their best. They take time to listen, offer support and friendship and share knowledge gained through a lifetime of experience.
Volunteer opportunities serving children and youth create a legacy for the future and help children, families and communities become stronger and shift from surviving to thriving.
When Foster Grandparents get involved at a school, what are the benefits?
- Build an overall positive school climate
- Improve literacy, vocabulary, fluency and reading comprehension
- Increase student willingness to read aloud in class and read with greater excitement and confidence
- Produce more confident writers, who are more willing to make corrections and include more creative details in their stories
- Improve fine motor coordination
- Increase attendance, with students more calm, caring and focused
- Improve social skills and self-esteem
- Improve behavior and decrease disciplinary issues
