During COVID-19, many people have found peace and direction from a Mr. Rogers story turned internet meme, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news,” Mr. Rogers said to his television neighbors, “my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”

The same decade Mr. Rogers hit the airwaves, the Foster Grandparents Program was created in 1965 during the Lyndon B. Johson administration to encourage senior adults to give back to their communities. It is part of Senior Corps, which is administered by the Corporation for National Community Service (CNCS). Reconciliation Services has been running the Foster Grandparents Program for Jackson, Clay, and Platte Counties since 2010.

*Foster Grandparents celebrating their accomplishments at a 2019 holiday party*

“The Foster Grandparents Program is a federal program that connects older adults with limited income to mentorship and volunteer opportunities with at-risk youth in our community, primarily in school and early childhood settings” said Summer Griffith, who has been the Foster Grandparents Program Manager at RS since 2017. The Program has 87 Foster Grandparents volunteering at 27 sites across the region, mentoring, tutoring, and offering emotional support to kids with exceptional needs. The Foster Grandparents receive a small volunteer stipend for their service, which is a real benefit for many of them living on very modest incomes.

While COVID-19 brought the program to a momentary standstill in mid March as schools and early education centers closed their doors, the impact of the Foster Grandparents has still been tremendous. Our Foster Grandparents volunteer with about 230 kids, many of whom have experienced trauma, have personally been affected by gun violence, are living in poverty, experience food insecurity, and are being raised by a single parent.

“When you’re hungry or you’re regularly hearing gunshots in your neighborhood, it’s hard to get your brain to calm down so that you can actually learn,” Summer said. “Connecting with a Foster Grandparent can help make it easier.”

All Foster Grandparents are required to take 20 hours of pre-service training, which includes a deep dive into trauma-informed care. Foster Grandparents learn how to build a healthy, trust-based relationship with the students and how this can lead to better outcomes in the classroom.

“We train the Foster Grandparents how to become a ‘safe person’ for the student,” said Summer. “Studies show that when a student feels safe in the classroom they are better able to set aside their tumultuous personal lives and learn in a comfortable environment.’

“One of our grandparents works with a young girl who has a very unstable home life, which occasionally leads to outbursts at school,” she said. One day the little girl climbed under her desk during class and refused to come out, yelling instead for her grandma. School staff sprung into action and began to call her biological grandma, until they realized she meant her Foster Grandma who was just a few doors down in another classroom at the time. “When the Foster Grandma came into the room, the little girl crawled out from under the desk and sat with the Grandma until she calmed down,” Summer said.

Foster Grandparents are a huge asset in school settings that are underfunded and under-resourced when it comes to providing additional emotional and academic support to kids with exceptional needs. They often act as an encourager and tutor, taking extra time with students who are struggling with learning or may need more help emotionally or developmentally than their peers.

Summer shared an example of how one Foster Grandma worked to help a student learn to write his name. He was quite delayed in reading and writing and was embarrassed in front of his classmates. “Her graceful approach allowed the young man to keep his dignity while learning how to write his name for the very first time,” said Summer. “It also boosted his self-confidence and increased his engagement with his peers.”

Data from a program survey conducted in the 2018-19 school year shows that kids who worked with their Foster Grandparent for six months or more saw a 97% improvement in their academic engagement and social and emotional gains throughout the year.

Summer said that this tremendous improvement has much to do with the program’s trauma-informed approach and the fact that 80% of Foster Grandparents serve in the same zip code where they live.

“Kansas City has a historically-complicated education system,” said Summer. “The magic of this program is connecting the most at-risk students with Foster Grandparents who are actually from their community. Our Foster Grandparents care so deeply about these students and they set a real life example of learning, integrity, and love.”

Recent studies conducted by researchers from Johns Hopkins University and American University revealed that assigning a black male student to a black teacher in the third, fourth or fifth grades significantly — nearly 30% — reduced the probability that the child would drop out of high school.

Unfortunately, in Missouri, only 1.2% of the 66,000 teachers across the state are African American men. The Foster Grandparent program is a small part of the solution to that systematic problem, explains Summer. “Our Grandpas really care about the young Black men in their communities and they can speak into their lives in a way no one else can.”

When COVID-19 forced most schools in the nation to go virtual for the remainder of the school year, all 300+ Foster Grandparent Programs administered by CNCS were put on hold and are now considering how to continue serving these kids in need this fall.

Summer and her team, Robin Harman and Olivette Hamilton, have remained in touch with all of the 87 Foster Grandparents who have been sheltering at home, many of whom rely on their small volunteer stipend each month to get by on an otherwise fixed income.

“All of our grandparents miss their kids and have a deep concern for them given their already difficult circumstances,” said Summer. “But they realize that the priority has to be on taking care of themselves right now as we all figure out how to serve best during the next school year.”

The Foster Grandparents have also connected with one another each week on a Monday morning call where they catch up and share how they are taking care of themselves during this time. Many Foster Grandparents are keeping themselves active and healthy by working in their own gardens, dabbling in the arts, and connecting with one another and their faith communities.

Summer said she is already working with partner schools to plan for next year and they are exploring ways to bring more of the program online if needed. She said that the Foster Grandparents are of course hoping to get back in classrooms and be with the kids, but she is confident that no matter how the program looks next school year, they will be ready to serve.

“We already have some grandparents who take three buses to get to their schools and always show up, rain or shine,” she said. “The work they do is important and very needed. Our Foster Grandparent volunteers are the definition of resilient. Together we will figure out how to serve for a long time to come.”

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Reconciliation Services remains open during this COVID 19 crisis, offering essential services like: case management, housing and utilities assistance, ID and document assistance, medical supplies, trauma and depression therapy, and free to-go lunches through Thelma’s Kitchen. Please consider supporting these vital services and donate today.