Foster grandparents help young people achieve improved physical, mental, emotional and social development, thereby helping them become more confident and independent.
The following are some of the roles of foster grandparents:
- Teachers of fine and gross motor skills;
- Role models for appropriate behavior;
- Tutors who help children with learning disabilities;
- Links to the outside world for children in juvenile justice centers, group homes and centers for children with disabilities;
- Emotionally supportive people who provide activities for hospitalized children;
- Nurturers who tend to physical needs;
- Friends and mentors who help find positive solutions to problems.
To qualify as a foster grandparent, you must:
- Be 60 years of age or older;
- Meet the program's income requirements;
- Not be in the regular work force;
- Be able to participate 20 hours per week;
- Live in Jackson, Clay or Platte county in Missouri;
- Be able to understand the special needs of the children served and have a strong desire to help with their growth and development.
Foster grandparents receive a non-taxable stipend (currently $2.55 an hour); reimbursement for transportation expenses; one nutritious meal each day; supplemental accident insurance; holiday pay, sick leave, funeral leave and vacation leave; 40 hours of pre-service training and monthly in-service training. Many foster grandparents say they experience increased feelings of usefulness, self-respect and independence; and decreased feelings of social isolation.
The program in Jackson, Clay and Platte counties is sponsored by the City's Neighborhood and Community Services Department. Locally, 98 foster grandparents provide more than 102,000 hours of service annually to more than 300 children, which is an average of 1,044 hours per grandparent. At the current average value of volunteer service, the service of our local foster grandparents is worth more than $1.4 million annually.
Nationally, the Foster Grandparent Program has existed since 1965. The federally funded effort was founded under the Economic Opportunity Act of 1965 as an employment program, and in 1969 it became a stipended volunteer program for low-income, older adults. The Corporation for National and Community Service funds this program.
For more information about the local Foster Grandparent Program, call (816) 784-4519 or visit their office at the Robert J. Mohart Multipurpose Center.
