Intergenerational Program
The kids at Generations love time with their grandfriends.
Part of our program at Generations Early Learning & Family Center involves activities where the children spend time with the residents at Generations Early Learning and Family Center. Because the childcare and preschool center is located in a senior living/skilled nursing facility, we're lucky to be much more than a daycare and enjoy this unique opportunity. The purpose of the intergenerational program is to:
Provide an opportunity for interaction between the Generations children and Mt. Baker Care Center & Summit Place Assisted Living residents.
Provide a method for establishing long-term relationships between residents and children that are mutually beneficial.
Provide an opportunity for children, through sharing activities around the facility, to seek out residents, making them feel special and needed.
Provide an opportunity for children in a structured learning program to share their experiences with residents who enthusiastically support and praise the children.
Provide a “Grandparent” program that offers extended family and continuing relationships between residents and children’s families.
Procedure:
Children will be involved in the Generations Early Learning & Family Center Intergenerational Program in the following way:
Residents will be able to visit the childcare room and play yard to observe and interact with the children. The interaction may be: reading to the child, playing with puzzles and other manipulative materials, assisting with water play, and other activities.
At no time will children be left alone with residents without supervision of the childcare staff.
Children will participate in planned music and physical activities with the residents outside of the child care room, as a group, and with childcare staff in attendance in the upstairs
Childcare staff take children in small groups to visit residents’ rooms with learning activities, books, songs, etc.
Children may go on occasional field trips with childcare staff and residents as long as the trip is suitable for both groups. This will include walks on the nature trail, lunch at WWU, etc.