Introduction to the Guidebook
At an unprecedented
level, new initiatives are emerging throughout the country which aim
to bring young people and older adults together in
various settings – to interact, engage, educate, support, and provide
care for one another. Our focus here is on intergenerational programs
in early childhood education settings.
Just as there
is no one way for a senior adult and a child to share a moment, there
is no one way to establish an intergenerational program.
In this guidebook, we share our experiences and those of some colleagues
doing similar work. Our aim is to provide helpful suggestions for early
childhood professionals interested in involving senior adults – whether
they are volunteers, receive a small stipend, or are paid staff – in
early childhood care and education programs.
To help bring
key intergenerational practices to life, we draw on pictures of programs
in action and, as much as possible, sprinkle in the words
of the participants themselves – senior adults, children, teachers,
administrators, and parents with first hand experience of intergenerational
programs.
The guidebook
is available in hard copy or as a downloadable
429k PDF file. To read the guidebook you will need to have
Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. You can download
Acrobat Reader for free.
We also
invite you to evaluate this project. Please fill out the attached
evaluation form
and e-mail it to Matt Kaplan.
Program
Areas:
