This month’s Edutopia magazine featured none other than our very own Jenks. With a title of “Senior Citizens Help Young Children with Reading – and Relationships” I was pretty sure where the article was going, but was I in for a surprise…
In 1998, Don Greiner started construction of a nursing home in Jenks next door to a district-owned daycare with rundown playground equipment. Mr. Greiner contacted the district about building a playground at the nursing home if children could come and play for residents to watch. From there a great collaboration was born and a playground became much more. Today Grace Living Center in Jenks is part nursing home, part school: permanent home to two classrooms of roughly 60 prekindergarten and kindergarten students and 170 “grandmas” and “grandpas.”
GLC residents wait for children to arrive in the morning and interact with children throughout the day as they are able. Teachers follow the district curriculum while finding unique ways to rely on the help and knowledge of the resident elders. Children and the elders do hands-on activities and dramatic play together. The article sites several examples, including their “book buddies” partnership which pairs rotating groups of residents and kindergartners to read to each other 30 minutes several times a week. Since 2004, Jenks has tracked the number of entering first graders whose reading skills are below grade level. Ten percent fewer GLC students have required reading intervention in the first grade than their peers at the local elementary school.
With a waiting list of children, low staff turnover for nursing home staff, and high satisfaction cited by the elder residents and teachers – the program has drawn attention from around the country in support of intergenerational programs. The article has some great anecdotes and an audio slide show of pictures.
For additional information and more great stories on this also check out a 2002 American Profile Article: School of a Lifetime. Favorite quote: while explaining how snails move around by making a wet trail with their tongues, Ellen Pongrace, a kindergarten teacher asked her students how the snails get around if they don’t have arms or legs. Expecting the children to talk about scooting or wiggling on their bellies, young Christopher has another idea “They could get around on wheels like the grandmas and grandpas.”
Also see a 2002 CNN Live Today transcript of an interview with Don Greiner.
Besides the great stories woven throughout the articles and the program itself, I really liked the idea that a conversation about playground equipment could generate a completely new and innovative school set up. It would be great to learn more about what that process looked like – or examples of other collaborations taking similar paths. Anyone?
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Image used under a Creative Commons license from flickr user I, Timmy’s photostream.
This is a great post. The concept of building playgrounds next to senior centers really speaks to the need of more intergenerational contact in our communities. These are the connections that can really help build a community and it teaches children respect and the R’s as well as giving seniors a breath of fresh air everyday. This seems like such a simple a-ha moment, but it really is about weaving through a pretty significant thread that can produce multiple benefits. Who new that this innovative concept is in Jenks!?
On a sidenote, intergenerational reading programs have been gaining popularity the past 10 years and have really come to light in the Native American community where they’re trying to keep the bonds of family connection strong and not lose their native languages. Back in 2004 when I was in grad school, I took a summer class that was in New Mexico and we visited tribal libraries in pueblos around the Santa Fe and Alberquerque area. It was fascinating. One of the pushes at that time was to strengthen grandparent reading to grandchildren programs. They’ve also been doing this work on Arizona and California. It serves as a great benefit to both the seniors and the children.
Grace Living Center is one of the nursing homes that I work with through our Caring Companions program at VOA, which matches volunteers with nursing home residents who don’t normally receive regular visitors.
It’s inspiring to see such an innovative program that utilizes intergenerational learning and friendship here in Tulsa. The presence of children really breathes new life into a nursing home environment.
I always try to encourage my volunteers to bring members of their family along to the nursing homes. There really isn’t enough awareness and interaction between younger and older members of society today.
Thanks for posting this story!
Sherry, does this program also match nursing home residents with opportunities for volunteering? I think that’s the most innovative aspect of this and I’d like to know more about it.
I love this story and the fact that it meets the needs of indivdiuals and the community on some many different levels creates an incredible return on investment for the health and well being of our city.
[...] can model the Golden Rule of Social Neuroscience as well. A great example in action comes from The Grace Living Center, a retirement home in Tulsa, Oklahoma, located across the street from an elementary school. Don [...]
[...] the Golden Rule of Social Neuroscience for us as well. An inspired example in action comes from The Grace Living Center, a retirement home in Tulsa, Oklahoma, located across the street from an elementary school. Don [...]
[...] the Golden Rule of Social Neuroscience for us as well. An inspired example in action comes from The Grace Living Center, a retirement home in Tulsa, Oklahoma, located across the street from an elementary school. Don [...]
I WORKED WITH ELLEN AT THE VERY BEGIN OF THE GRACE LIVING CENTER IN JENKS. I COUNT MY SELF VERY BLESS TO BE WITH HER IN THE GREAT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TO BE CONNECT WITH THE RETIREMENT HOME. I WAS VERY BLESS MY OLDEST GRADAUGHTER SHE TOLD HER IN THE KINDGARTER..I DON’T KNOW ANYONE LIKE ELLEN SHE IS SO SPECIAL, THERE NEED’S TO BE MORE TEACHER’S LIKE HERE. I LEARN ALOT FROM HER. THE CHILDREN LOVE HER SO MUCH, SHE MADE IT SO FUN TO COME TO SCHOOL EVERYDAY!!! ELLEN IF YOU READ THIS E-MAIL ME.. WE HAVE LOST TOUCH..LOVE YOU I SEE YOU ARE STILL DOING GREAT WORK!!! WILLIE WEST