2007 STORIES of IMPACT

Dedicated Foster Grandparents

Serving Children with Special and Exceptional Needs

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Foster Grandparent Program

of Northeastern Minnesota and Northwestern Wisconsin

Douglas County in Wisconsin / Carlton, Cook, Lake, Pine, and St. Louis Counties in Minnesota

715-394-5384      888-338-6492     fgp@ccbsuperior.org

WISCONSIN

Douglas County, volunteer stations by community

Minong (This site is located in Washburn County, but children from Douglas County are served)

Northwoods Elementary:

·         Grandma has only been working at the school for a month, yet her impact is already apparent.  She reports that one student she works with is shy, quiet, and frequently appears sad, and Grandma has been working hard to establish a relationship with her.  One day, this student wore a pink shirt, a departure from her usual all black clothing.   Grandma commented on how pretty she looked in pink, and since then, this student has worn something pink everyday, and her attitude has improved:  She seems happier and smiles more.  It seems that Grandma’s care and kind words made a connection and a world of difference for this student!

·         Grandma has a lot of clout in this classroom!  She reports that students are very respectful to her, even when they may not be to the classroom teachers.  In one instance, the teacher asked a student who needed help to sit at Grandma’s table and so she could help him.  The student refused to move because he knew he would have to buckle down and work hard at Grandma’s table.  After repeated attempts by the teacher to have the student move and the student’s repeated refusal to do so, Grandma rolled her chair over to his desk and said, “Let’s work together” and they did!  Grandma said, “He wouldn’t come to me for help, so I went to him!”  Sometimes Grandmas can get kids to do things that other adults can’t.

Solon Springs

Solon Springs Elementary:

§         Grandma at Solon Springs main focus this month is helping many students "catch up" on reading, writing, and math assignments they missed due to illness.   Grandma has been working hard to bring these students up to par with their classmates and is happy to report that most students are now working at class level. 

§         In kindergarten, Grandma has been working with a little boy on fine motor skills; specifically, letter writing.  This child was unable to write very well at the start of the school year:  He often wrote his letters backwards, and was unable to write his name legibly.  In addition, this child did not want to write and had a very short attention span, making learning difficult.  Grandma is happy to report that since she has been working with him he is now able to write his name legibly, and can write most all of his letters correctly.  When this student becomes upset and loses focus, he and Grandma take a short walk around the hall, and then return to the writing task.  This physical activity allows this child to re-focus and complete his work.

§         Grandma enjoyed helping students make keepsake Easter “Eggs” to enjoy for years to come with this easy recipe:   3 cups sugar + 3 tablespoons water (this makes enough for 2 eggs).  Grandma was great at navigating the student through the process, explaining as they went.  First, Grandma asked the student to add the sugar to the bowl after she measured it, and then had the student stir the mixture after adding the water.  Next, after mixing was complete, Grandma showed the student how to press the mixture into an egg mold, and then had the student do so as well.  Last, Grandma let the two molds form for a bit, and then eased the mixture out of the molds onto paper towels to dry.  The “eggs” were left to dry overnight, and then would be decorated once they had hardened.  The students were so excited to make these Easter “Eggs” with Grandma that they could hardly wait for their turn!  Even though this was a fun activity, it was still a learning opportunity for students—following a recipe and process in order to make something is an important skill to master. 

§         Grandma was working with her reading group—a mix of 3 students with varying reading abilities (the hope is that struggling readers will model and learn from better readers).   After students read a paragraph, Grandma has a discussion about the material, asking opinions and questions about what was read in an attempt to foster a discussion about the material.  On this particular day, students were reading about a zoo in Budapest, Hungary.   Grandma asked if any students had been to a zoo before, and a discussion ensued about the zoos students had visited and the animals seen there.  Grandma took this a step further and made the connection with the similarities between zoos in the US and Hungary.  The students enjoyed the discussion and gave many examples of their own zoo experiences.  Grandma reports that several children in this reading group have made nice gains in their reading ability since the beginning of the year; they are more confident reading aloud and comprehend what they read better.  She attributes this to discussions about material read, which makes learning fun and also serves to reinforce what was read.  In addition, tying student’s experiences to material personalizes the experience for them; they remember that material much better because they relate it to their own life experience. 

§         As I arrived, I saw both Grandmas accompanying students en route to the auditorium.  Today is concert day, and the Grandmas were assisting students as they prepared to practice songs before the big concert event. The auditorium was buzzing with excitement as students eagerly awaited their class performance. The Grandmas sat with their respective classes and cued fidgety students to be respectful of those performing on stage by refraining from talking or being loud.  It was amazing to see how well behaved students were when they received a “no-nonsense” look or a “finger to the lip” gesture for quiet from Grandma!  Both Grandmas helped performers line up and walk to the stage as their class had a practice turn, and their pride was evident in their wide smiles and photo taking as they watched their class perform!  Their overall impact on students was evident as well—both Grandmas participate in all aspects of student’s school day, from serious classroom work to fun concerts—tutoring and mentoring no matter what the day brings!    

§         Grandma has been working with first graders on book reports, which seem to help students better understand the concept of the book.  It is quite a process:  Students read a book to grandma, and then complete a worksheet that tells about the book.  Students write the title of the book, what the book was about, and a draw a picture of their favorite part of the book on the worksheet.  Grandma has been assisting with sentence structure, printing, and spelling.  She reports that some students are having a hard time writing letters correctly—many write letters backwards, like “d” for “b” for example.   Some students struggle with spelling words correctly, and Grandma is a “stickler” for spelling!  Because the process is relatively long, grandma reports that she uses frequent praise and encouragement.  Students have the book report routine down now, and some have improved upon printing, spelling, and reading comprehension.

Superior

Bryant Elementary:

§         Grandma at Bryant has been working on counting with students.  She reports that through the use of repetition, a student who was unable to count over 10 at the start of the year is now able to count to 48!  Grandma also reports that several children would skip numbers in sequence when counting (such as "1, 2, 3, 6, 9") and now are able to remember to include all numbers when counting. 

§         February is Black History Month and Bryant Elementary is putting on a play honoring African Americans who contributed to history.  The play is about Bessie Coleman, the first female African American aviator.  Bessie Coleman received her pilot’s license two years before Amelia Earhart, which is a little known fact.   Grandma’s role is to help students learn their lines for the play.  Grandma practices reading lines with students and gives suggestions regarding loudness and tone of vocals.  She stated that it is exciting to see how much the students have progressed in their performances.  She is enjoying helping students with the play and is amazed about how much she has learned about African American history!

§         Grandma has been helping 2^nd graders with reading; specifically, helping students to sound out and pronounce words they are unfamiliar or struggle with while they read.  She helps one student in particular who often skips key words while reading a sentence, making the sentence unmeaningful.    When this occurs, Grandma gently reminds this student that the sentence doesn’t make sense without the key words, and has the student re-read the sentence, taking care to read all the words.  Grandma reports that this student’s reading and comprehension has improved significantly since the beginning of the year.

§         Grandma worked with a student who needed help in most areas in order to participate in school.  At the start of the year, this student needed constant help with letter recognition, reading, completing worksheets, and zipping her jacket, to name just a few.  Grandma reports that this child responded well to consistent repetitive instructions about how to complete tasks.  All of a sudden, Grandma stated that “something clicked” with this child—she began to blossom and would state, “I can do it myself, Grandma” when working on a task.  Grandma said that it was her cue to step back and let this child exert her independence.  Grandma also said that before she knew it, this student was saying “I can do it myself, Grandma” all the time:  She no longer needed Grandma’s help!  This was a bittersweet realization for Grandma as she was happy to see this student gain her independence, but sad that she would no longer be working with her.    

§         Grandma has been helping students make watermelon plant pots for Mother’s Day presents.  The pots are painted to look like a slice of watermelon, decoupaged with the student’s picture, and then filled with watermelon candy.   Students paint the rim of the clay pots green, the middle red, and then use black paint to make random watermelon seeds.  Grandma’s job is to help students get paint, instruct students about where to paint each color, and show students how to hold the paint brush and paint effective strokes; particularly several students with fine motor difficulties.  The watermelon seeds symbolize student’s growth over the year, and Grandma said that she thoroughly enjoyed helping students make these adorable pots for their moms!      

§         Grandma has been working with a student whose learning ability has been compromised due to a brain tumor.  This student is currently in remission and back in school eager to learn, but is having difficulty comprehending math and spelling skills.  He frequently writes letters and numbers backwards, has difficulty spelling, and difficulty spacing letters to form words (letters are too far apart).  Grandma has been showing him how to write letters legibly and recognize when they are written backwards, teaching him how to space letters to form words, and assisting him with simple math problems.  She reports that even though it is early in the year, this student shows improvement when he works with her.  His will to learn is strong despite his learning disadvantages, and grandma is happy to help him succeed to the best of his abilities!      

§         Grandma is an expert crafter so she is assisting students with a special holiday project.  She is helping students prepare for their Christmas party, when they will complete crafts with their families at school.  Grandma will be there too; giving instructions about the crafts and filling in for parents that are unable to attend.  Students and parents will be decorating gingerbread houses this year.  Grandma’s job is to construct gingerbread houses from small milk cartons, frosting, and graham crackers.  She reports that students enjoy decorating the gingerbread houses the most even though it is a difficult task--many kindergarteners lack the fine motor skills to work with small objects, and it is often difficult for little fingers to manipulate small beads, candy, and glue.   Good thing grandma is there to help! 

Cooper Elementary: 

§         Grandma at Cooper Elementary has been working with child with behavioral issues. This student often has a difficult time focusing on his work or will refuse to complete his work altogether. Grandma has found a way around this obstacle! When this student refuses to work, she states, “When you are ready to work, let me know and I will help you” and walks away. When this student starts working, Grandma offers him choices as they work. For example, “You can complete your math problems first, or we can read first, whichever you would like to do.” Grandma reports that these strategies have been very effective for this student. He feels more in control and likes having choices. He now is able to focus on his school work and has improved in math and reading.

§         Grandma has been assisting a student with a task he struggles with—time management.  This student has been behind on class assignments and was struggling to keep up on with his peers.  Consequently, he would have received “incompletes” instead of grades on his report card if his assignments were not completed by the end of the grading period.  This student had a large amount of anxiety about getting so much work completed in a short time.  Grandma noted this student’s anxiety, and she encouraged him to complete assignments one at a time before moving on to the next and to keep up with assignments as they were assigned.  She also offered to assist this student complete assignments by answering any questions he had or helping him problem solve.  Grandma asked most every day how he was progressing and if he needed help.  As this student completed an assignment and went on to the next one, his confidence grew, and he worked hard to get the remainder done.   Grandma decreased asking this student if he needed help and how he was doing as she saw the progress he was making.  By the end of the grading period, this student had completed all his assignments and received grades on his report card.  Grandma reports that she checks with this student periodically regarding completion of assignments, and he is always happy to tell her that he is keeping up with the class!  

§        Students in Grandma’s class worked on completion of the DARE program this month.  In order to graduate from the program, each student had to write a paper about what they learned through the course, and then present their paper to peers in class.  Students voted on the presentation they thought were the best, and the presentation winner will give his/her speech to the entire DARE graduating class from all the grade schools in Superior at Senior High School in the near future.   Grandma’s task was to assist students as they picked their presentation topic, and she did so by giving students what she calls a “memory boost”, or reviewing important parts of the program with them.  She also asked students what part of the DARE program impacted them the most, and then suggested that they use impact as a speech topic.  Last, Grandma helped students ensure that their speeches had an introduction, body, and conclusion so that it flowed well.  Grandma reports that she enjoyed helping students with their speeches, especially since the DARE program is instrumental in keeping kids away from drugs and alcohol.     

§         Grandma started working as a Foster Grandparent in October.  There are several students in 4^th grade that Grandma works with on reading who were initially shy, reluctant to receive help, and had a difficult time reading aloud.  Grandma helped both students work on their reading techniques during the course of the year, such as pausing at the end of a sentence, and “turning up the volume” so that the students can be heard while they are reading.  As the students worked with Grandma each week, they became less shy and started to go to her for help.  As their relationship with Grandma grew, so did their reading confidence!  Grandma proudly reported that both these students confidently read their essays in front of the class and did a fine job!

§         Grandma was working with 3 students in a study area on math worksheets.  It was a whirl-wind of activity as she constantly re-directed students to focus on the task, answered questions, helped students correct wrong answers, and discussed problem solving.  Her head was reeling, but through it all, she remained calm and collected.  She even had the opportunity to talk to me briefly, explaining that the students she is working with need fewer distractions and noise to work effectively.  She reported that she has worked with these students throughout the course of the year, and it really serves to help them complete their schoolwork and stay caught up with the rest of the class.  I was amazed how she was able to focus each child and get them to complete their math worksheets when there was so much going on at one time!  Kudos to you, Grandma!

§         Grandma has been the “substitute” foster grandparent in a classroom, filling in for another FG who has been on leave until recently.  When this FG came back to school, grandma moved to different classroom and started working there, but apparently left a lasting impression on one student in particular.  In the classroom grandma had subbed in she had been working with a student who needs 1:1 attention everyday to focus on sounding out words and reading.  He took quite a “shine” to grandma, worked very well with her, and was quite distressed when she left.  He asked his teacher if he could continue to work with grandma even though she was no longer the FG in his class, and all the teachers agreed that this would be beneficial to the student.  Grandma now works with him for 20 minutes each morning.  The student is thrilled to be with grandma again and is working extra hard during tutoring time!         

§         There are three bullies in the classroom that Grandma works in.  Grandma’s teacher has become very frustrated in trying to deal with these students and their classroom disruptions so she researched bullying interventions and teaching strategies in an attempt to stop the bullying in her classroom.  The teacher discovered the Ron Clark story which made quite an impact on her.  Ron Clark is an acclaimed teacher who has helped countless children live up to their potential by using special rules for his classroom and highly innovative teaching techniques.  Clark has an undying devotion to his students and helps them cope with their problems.  He has been able to make a remarkable difference in the lives of his students because of his efforts.  The teacher was very inspired by Ron Clark’s story and enlisted the help of Grandma, who completed her own research on bullying intervention strategies and contacted local libraries in order to obtain the video of the Ron Clark story.   To date, Grandma has learned some interesting concepts about changing bullying:

1. Kids need to know you care and have a genuine interest in them
2. Kids need to like who you are
3. Kids need structure at school

            The teacher and Grandma are going to complete their research on bullying and Ron Clark   and then implement interventions.  Grandma will serve as the teacher’s backup—using strategies to provide consistency and modeling appropriate behavior.  Grandma has been very proactive and helpful during the process and should be proud of her efforts!  To be continued next month…….

Family Forum: (This includes two Head Start centers in Douglas County)

§         Three year old children in this Head Start room are learning their letters and numbers.  Five of the children know the alphabet and Grandma is happy to listen to them recite it and help them if they get stuck.  They are still working on recognizing and tracing their names.  When they arrive, they check in with Grandma and she helps them with this task as they choose their name tags.  Grandma helps them with their assigned tasks; learning how to wash their hands, set the table and be helpers in a variety of ways.  This day, the children were searching for hidden snowmen in the room.  Grandma instinctively started singing her clues to them.  Great relationships have developed.

§         One of Grandma’s activities is reading to children.  In a Head Start class of 3 year olds, children’s attention span is short, but Grandma is looking for ways to hold their attention as long as possible.  Over the year, attention has improved and the children have formed a bond with Grandma by sitting around her when she reads.  Intergenerational relationships are important and further development of interpersonal skills.

§         The Head Start children are gaining competency in recognizing their names as Grandma greets the children and makes sure they get their name tags each day.  There is a rhyming word question printed by the name tags and each day Grandma works on the rhyming word with the children.  This is a very fun way for children to learn words, letters, and sounds and have an intergenerational exchange.  There is also a question of the day and Grandma discusses this with the children at lunch.  By doing so, she helps them express their feeling and thoughts about the question. 

§         Grandma has been helping the children with their cutting skills.  They have increased coordination and Grandma is seeing positive results. This week, the lessons have been focused around dinosaurs and the children made dinosaur soup which they will have for lunch today.  Grandma helped the children peel the carrots and potatoes which enhanced small muscle development and eye/hand coordination. Grandma reinforced healthy eating and good nutrition.

§         Grandma accompanied the children on a field trip to the Dairy Queen and along a hiking trail.  As they walked through the neighborhood, she talked with the children.  It was a special treat and helped the children explore the city, learn how to walk safely and enjoy their treats. These walks provided positive intergenerational experiences and the children were able to see that Grandma enjoyed being with them, was interested in them and their activities and that she had fun being with them.

§         Grandma at Head start Center 2 has been helping 3 year olds work on shape identification and fine motor skills through puzzle play.  In addition to helping children fit puzzle pieces into puzzles, Grandma assists the children identify shape pieces and match shapes together.  She reports that the children have made progress since the beginning of the year--many children are able to identify shapes now and can work puzzles with little assistance. 

§         Grandpa at Head start Center 1 has been assisting children with fine motor skills; specifically, writing letters and numbers.  Since many children write letters and numbers backward, Grandpa's job is to show them how to form these correctly.  Grandpa reports that many children he works with have improved in writing things such as their names.

§         Grandma at Head start Center 2 reported that she is working with children on writing letters, especially each child’s name.  Specifically, she shows children how to write their letters correctly, the right way to form letters, and how to print their name in a straight line from left to right.  Grandma reports that the majority of children are able to write their names more legibly since the start of the school year. 

§         Grandpa at Head start Center 1 enjoys reading a variety of books to children every day and is focusing on reading comprehension.  While reading, Grandpa associates the pictures in the book to the story so that the children better understand the meaning of the story.  Grandpa reports that the children often ask, “Grandpa, what does that word mean?”  and he explains the definition of each word that they don’t understand.  Grandpa says that the children seem to understand stories better with this approach.

§         Grandma at Head start was eating with about 5 children at lunch time.   She modeled family style eating and manners by dishing food onto her own plate, then passing the dish on and encouraging children to do the same.  Sometimes children would dish out their own food, but forget to pass the dish on.  Grandma would remind them to do so by stating, “Let’s pass it on so everyone gets some, thank you!”  Most children were able to dish their own food and pour their own drinks, which is impressive for 3 year olds!  It was like watching a little assembly line in action!

§         Grandpa serves as a safe haven for the children, and this was evident several times during my visit.  Grandpa sat in his rocking chair next to the children during circle time and sang “The Days of the Week Song” softly with them.  Several children climbed up on his lap while singing, happy to rock and be with Grandpa!  After this activity, a child was hit by a peer and began crying.  Grandpa walked over to this child and he hugged Grandpa, obviously glad for a shoulder to cry on.  Grandpa talked to him softly and comforted him, and the child calmed down and was able to go and wash his hands for lunch.  It was wonderful to see the impact Grandpa has on the children just by being in the classroom!

§         Grandma assists children with oral hygiene and fine motor skills by getting each child’s tooth brush out and putting toothpaste in a small cup (children are responsible for putting toothpaste on their own toothbrushes).  Grandma prompts each child to put toothpaste on his/her toothbrush, to brush all his/her teeth, and to brush for at least one minute.  She reports that oral hygiene and fine motor skills have improved over the course of the year:  Children are much more willing to brush their teeth for a longer period of time and are more diligent in brushing all their teeth as they have learned to coordinate all the steps involved in oral hygiene.

§         Grandpa has been helping children identify and learn the basics about farm animals such as chickens and roosters.  For example, Grandpa might say, “This is a chicken, a chicken lays eggs.”  Grandpa grew up on a farm himself, so he is knowledgeable about many animals and enjoys sharing his experiences with the children.  His expertise was needed one school day when a rooster and chickens were brought into the classroom, and one hen starting getting picked on by another.  The children were alarmed to see this until Grandpa explained that chickens have a “pecking order”, and that the chicken that was being pecked at most likely would not be injured if he learned his place, in this case, sitting down.  In fact, the chicken being pecked at did sit down and was not injured, much to the relief of the children! 

§         Grandma has been helping children prepare for pre-school graduation this month.  She served as a “pretend” audience for students as they rehearsed the songs they would sing at their graduation ceremony—“5 Little Monkeys” and the “Alphabet Song”.  Grandma said that even though it’s an exciting and happy time of accomplishment for these students, it is also bittersweet.  She is sad to see them grow up and move on so quickly.  Over the course of the year, Grandma said that she has seen students mature both physically and mentally and become so independent, many no longer need a stool to reach the sink or are able to brush their teeth independently when they needed many prompts to do so at the start of the year.   Grandma said, “You know kids are ready to move on when they tell you, I can do it by myself, Grandma!”

§         Grandpa was telling me how much he enjoys being a Foster Grandparent, and mentioned that wherever he is in the community, he inevitably sees a child he has worked with, past or present, at such places as Wal-Mart or even at a church dinner.  On one occasion, Grandpa was at Wal-Mart, and a child in his class came running up to him yelling “Hi, grandpa, Hi, grandpa!!”  This child’s mom said that the child spotted him and told her (as he went running toward Grandpa) that he just had to go say “hi”.  Grandpa said that children are always surprising him with hellos and hugs when he sees them in the community, and that it makes his day when children from past classes remember him.  I said that it goes to show how important he is to the children he works with, and what an impact his care has impressed upon them.  He said, “I guess so…I never thought about it like that before!”  

§         During mealtimes at Head Start children are responsible for learning “family style dining” or serving themselves food and maintaining/cleaning their own spot at the table.   Grandma has been working with students on routines and table manners so they eventually will be able to participate in family style dining independently.   Grandma reports that she has been teaching children meal time routines, such as clearing food from plates and putting glasses, plates, and silverware in a bin when they are finished with lunch.  Children now have a good sense of mealtime routine—there are several “Grandma’s little helpers” that are eager to maintain their own spots as well as assist other children with theirs!  Grandma also reports that children are responsible for learning to clean up any food or beverage spills they make during mealtimes.  When kids spill, Grandma said, no one makes a big deal out of it.  They are simply asked to get paper toweling and clean up the spill to the best of their ability, which certainly helps them learn how to be responsible! 

§         Grandma has been working with 4 year old children on language and how to ask when requesting items.  She says that many children would simply point to an object rather than ask for it by name, and would become quite upset if they received the wrong object.  So, grandma started asking kids to name what they wanted by stating, “Use your words, please”, or “What would you like?”  In addition, several students are having problems enunciating words, so Grandma will repeat what children state in an effort to show them how to say words correctly.  She reports that after about a month of establishing consistent routines like this, she has seen an improvement in language skills and ability.

§         Grandma has been working with children on writing their names, which can be a frustrating fine motor task for young children.  She has found a unique was to do so:  Children are required to sign their names in the log book when they get to school each morning, so grandma helps them do so by assisting with spelling and forming each letter of their name correctly.  She stated that the children are thrilled to log in because this is typically a task completed by their parents.  Their excitement really helps motivate them to do a good job writing their name, and grandma has seen each child consistently writing their name better and more legible over the last few weeks—quite an accomplishment for 3-4 year olds!   

Four Corners:

§         Grandma at Four Corners has been working on telling time with a child who was unable to tell time before she started working with him.  Because of Grandma's help, this child can now recognize the most common times on a clock such as 11:00 am, 12:00 pm, etc. most of the time.  Grandma reports that since this child has made such good progress recognizing hourly time, she is now helping him to recognize time in minutes, like 11:15 am, 12:10 pm, etc.  and he is doing very well! 

§         Grandma is working with kindergarten students on recognizing and identifying coins and coin values.  Grandma uses games to help students learn money concepts.  To assist with coin identification, she uses dishes of coins mixed together and asks students to pick out different values, for example, “Please pick out all the dimes from the dish.”  In addition, she has laminated coins including pennies, nickels, and dimes.  Students match these laminated coins to a sheet with values of 1, 5, and 10 on it.   Students are able to make the connection that a penny equals 1; a nickel equals 5, etc.   Grandma stated that these are effective ways to help students learn coin values and has seen a nice improvement over the course of the year—most students are able to identify coins and coin values. 

§         The students at Four Corners are excited to be making their very own Maple syrup from the many trees that surround the school—one advantage of being a country school!   Students tapped trees several weeks ago and will collect a fair amount of precious sap used to make syrup with the help of Grandpa.  He reports that several students asked him to help make syrup, and how could he refuse?  Grandpa will help guide students through the sap collection process, will assist students carry sap to the boiling area, and will watch the boiling process with students (School personnel and teachers will complete the actual sap boiling in turkey deep fryers!)  Grandpa is happy to help, but wishes that the hike through the woods wasn’t so lengthy or wet!  

• Grandma has been working with a student this year that has a difficult time reading, telling time, and spelling.  Through consistent/repetitive instructions and help with tasks, she stated that his reading and telling time have improved since the beginning of the year.   She also stated that it is amazing to see his confidence grow as he accomplishes tasks.  And the more confidence he has, the more he able to accomplish tasks on his own.  This student is not yet up to grade level, but is making consistent strides toward that goal with Grandma’s 1 to 1 help each day.

• Grandpa was working with a student in the commons area helping him with math story problems and algebra.  This student was hurrying through the math problems very quickly, and making errors due to his haste.  Grandpa was very patient and gave him many cues to slow down.  He also gave this student much encouragement and praise, such as “When you slow down, you’ve got it (the correct answer)!” and, “You’re really getting this well”.  The big smile on the student’s face indicated how proud he was when Grandpa looked over his last few answers and they were all correct.   When the student returned to class, Grandpa explained that he had been working with this particular student all year.  The student has a difficult time focusing in the classroom and is easily distracted due to noise and activity levels, making it difficult to complete worksheets.  Grandpa gives this student the 1:1 help he needs several times a week so he can finish his classroom work on time.  The quietness of the commons area, the consistent cues to slow down, and frequent encouragement is what this student needs to be successful, and Grandpa is happy to provide him with the help he needs to succeed in school!

• Grandma has been working with a student who has difficulty focusing on his work and has motivation problems—he often asks Grandma to do his work for him!  Grandma has been working on spelling and writing with him since he struggles with both and his writing is often illegible.   She stated that he frequently gets up and walks around, and is distracted easily, so she must re-direct him to the task they are working on quite frequently.  Even though this student’s behavior is challenging, Grandma states that he is a sweet kid and she enjoys working with him.  One day a parent was volunteering in the classroom while Grandma was working with this student.  When he saw that this parent was going around the room working individually with students, he turned to grandma and stated, “I don’t need you anymore, grandma.  I want to work with that lady instead.”  Grandma laughed as she realized that he figured this parent would be easier than she to work with—he figured he wouldn’t have to work as hard with her and she wouldn’t be as “strict” as grandma!   

• Grandpa has proven to be quite the mentor, recently taking two orphaned brothers under his wing.  The principal of the school told grandpa that these two orphans, who lost their mom last year and their dad last month, need a strong male presence in their lives and thought that grandpa was just the man for the job!  He willingly took on this important role by talking to the boys whenever the chance presented itself—in the lunch room, on the playground, or in the hallways in order to build a relationship with them.  The older brother is very shy and seemed to have difficulty talking with grandpa at first, but grandpa kept on trying.  This boy now is more willing to approach grandpa and talk with him, and grandpa feels that he is making progress toward building a relationship with him.  The younger brother enjoyed grandpa’s company right from the start, and grandpa is also tutoring this boy.  He feels like he has made a good connection with this student.   Grandpa states that he will continue to build relationships with these boys and will offer a helping hand whenever needed—hoping to show these kids that he cares and is willing to help make a difference in their lives. 

Great Lakes: 

§         Grandma at Great Lakes Elementary was working with two kindergarten students in the commons area during my visit. The students were drawing pictures on large sheets of paper, which I learned was actually home-made wrapping paper that would be used to wrap Christmas gifts for their families (both students had been out of school ill since before Christmas and were unable to finish wrapping gifts for their families before the holiday break). Grandma was assisting these students wrap gifts, which can be challenging for little fingers to do. Grandma’s assistance with fine motor tasks including cutting and wrapping enabled these students to complete gift wrapping. Grandma was also working with these students on “catching up” on their schoolwork and completing assignments they missed while ill. Grandma was happy to report that both students were almost caught up to the rest of the class!

§         Grandpa was working with a 3^rd grade student on spelling.  Grandpa reports that he has been assisting this student to sound out vowels and consonants when he attempts to spell a word, and it has been an effective technique for this child.  This student has improved in spelling since the beginning of the year—he is now able to spell many words by sounding them out and writing down the letters that he hears.   

§         Grandma works on reading and reading comprehension with students every day.  One technique she uses to ensure that students understand what they read is to quiz them when they have completed an assignment.   This particular day, Grandma was working with 4 students in the commons area.  These students were reading about Franklin D. Roosevelt.  After students took turns reading, Grandma quizzed them about the influential president, asking such questions like “How many years did President Roosevelt serve?”, or “What is one important thing he did during his presidency?”  Grandma states that this technique reinforces what they have read and prepares them for completing assignments and tests. 

• All students in class read books to Grandma daily.  Even those students who are good readers and don’t need much help enjoy reading with Grandma.  As students master each reading level, Grandma encourages them to read at the next level by having them pick from several books that are more challenging to read.   Grandma offers praise and encouragement to students as they read, helps them sound out words, and always find something special about the way they read the book to comment on.  For example, one student read the word “cheese” correctly.  Grandma complimented her by stating that she was the very first reader to pronounce the word correctly on the first try.  This child beamed from ear to ear because she felt such a sense of accomplishment!  Grandma beamed too, just as proud of this young student!  

§         Grandma is helping students prepare for end-of-the year state standardized testing.  Grandma’s job is to review learned concepts with students daily to prepare them for testing and to also assist several students that are still struggling with basic concepts.   She reports that it is amazing how many concepts students forget as they are constantly learning new things.  To help students review concepts, Grandma puts together workbooks for students in various skill areas such as animal knowledge, shapes, patterning, same/different, and the 5 senses.  Students complete workbooks and Grandma corrects and reviews their answers with them as a group; assisting as needed by ensuring that correct answers are found.    She reports that students tend to remember concepts better when they discuss them as a group, and she also reports that the review has been a success:  Most students are well prepared to take the standardized tests.

§         Grandma has been helping 1^st graders sound out words when reading.  She reported that a student that she has been working with had an “a-ha!” moment this week.  This student has had great difficulty sounding out words when reading and has become frustrated.  Through the constant repetition of reading the same books each day and much encouragement, he was able to sound out words independently within the second month of school!  Grandma stated that it was as though a “light bulb went off” over his head, and he just beamed about his accomplishment.  Grandma told him how proud of him she was and how hard work really pays off!

• Grandma has been working with students on math—sequencing, counting, and number identification.  She has a schedule of needed skills in the math area and works on those skills with students daily.  Grandma also has math assignments ready for students as soon as they get to school in the morning, which provides students with consistency and establishes a routine.  These morning math assignments are typically ones that students did not complete the day before.   She reports that students seem to be understanding concepts and are starting to become more independent when completing their worksheets.  She is enjoying seeing the progress they are making already this school year!

Northern Lights: 

• Grandma at Northern Lights is working with students on reading skills.  One first grade student was unable to read at all during the start of the school year.  Since Grandma has been helping this student with reading, she can now read the most basic books!  Grandma reports that this student has also gained enough confidence from her reading success that she now attempts to read books that are more difficult!

§         In 2^nd grade, Grandma has been working exclusively with a student who needed a lot of help--she was unable to recognize any letters at the start of the year.  This student would often confuse letters with one another, such as mistaking V’s for U’s and R’s for N’s.  Grandma worked diligently with this student each day on letter recognition.  Grandma stated that it seemed like all of a sudden a light bulb went off—this student can now recognize every word in the alphabet!  In addition, this student is also able to recognize and write simple words as well such as a, and, get, and but, independently!    

§         Grandma was working 1 to 1 with a student on reading.   She was encouraging this student to sound out words, and also talked about the story as the student was reading.  Grandma stated that this ensures that the student understands what he or she is reading.  She also stated that she learned a neat technique for sparking student’s interests in reading that she uses:  Grandma and the student will look through the book before reading it, and she will ask the student what he or she thinks the book is about.  She said that the student becomes curious about the story and it motivates them to read the book to see if they were right about the subject of the story.

• Grandma was working with a first grade student on antonyms and opposites worksheets.  Grandma reports that this student has been a challenge to work with because at the beginning of the year she refused to work, answer questions, or write down any information about what she knows.  As a result, it was unclear what this student actually understands about the material her class is studying.  This student started working with Grandma, and it soon became apparent that she was attempting to control the situation by refusing to work.  Through a lot of patience and a strong commitment to helping this student learn, Grandma has slowly started to extract information from her, and she is now willing to work on worksheets and take tests part of the time.  Grandma reports that she attempts to draw this student in by making the work fun and interesting, and she also respects this student’s decision to stop working—some work is better than none at all.  

§         Grandma has been working frequently with a student who requires constant 1:1 assistance with reading and writing in Kindergarten class.  This student is easily distracted by other students and noise, and has a vivid imagination, often pretending to be a power ranger or invisible.  Quite often, Grandma must re-direct him to the task at hand, which can be difficult when working with a child who is pretending to be invisible!  Grandma just goes with the flow, relating to this student on his level.  She often uses humor to re-focus him, such as “Power rangers read books too, you know.”  As Grandma was relating this to me, this particular student came out of the classroom to find Grandma because he was concerned that she wasn’t in the classroom.   He came up to her and gave her a hug, then stated, “I was wondering where you were, Grandma!” and wanted to know who I was.  His bond with her was very evident through his affection and genuine concern.  It was quite a sight to see the impact she has made on him!

• Grandma was working with a first grade student on a numbers sequencing worksheet.  The student had to look at the number on the sheet and determine what number followed it in the sequence, i.e., 4 comes after 3.  This student did not know the sequence of numbers from 1-10 and needed to count from 1 to each number in order to determine the answer.  Grandma was so patient throughout this tedious process, and gave frequent encouragement to keep going.  After this child was finished, I commented that it must get overwhelming at times working through a tedious process like that every day.  Grandma stated that although it can be overwhelming at times, she reminds herself that for some students, working with her is the only 1:1 time they receive at all.  She stated that this became apparent when some students failed to turn in homework each week.   In order to combat this, grandma now assists these students complete homework before they leave school.  She stated that even though students only work with her everyday, it is “One more tracing on the brain”, or one more positive routine and pattern in place to help students learn.  How fortunate these students are to have grandma in their classroom!   

• Grandma was working in the hallway at her desk with a student playing a game that is designed to teach students counting and letter identification at the same time.  Instead of the typical numbered game board, this game board contains all the letters of the alphabet.  Players roll a die and then move the game piece accordingly.  Moving the game piece requires that the player is able to count and then move the game piece the correct number of times (remember, the board is not numbered, but lettered).  The player also must identify each letter he lands on, so he must be able to identify the alphabet as well.   This student understood the concept of the game but had difficulty identifying letters, often mistaking “y” for “v” or “k” for “y”.  Grandma was very encouraging and patient, and frequently asked this student, “Let’s look at the letter again—what letter do you see?”  She gave this student ample time to come up with the correct answer.  If the student was unsure, she gave him the letter sound, which helped him identify the letter.  At the conclusion of the game, she stated, “You did a great job--aren’t you proud of yourself?” The beaming smile the student gave her said it all!  When this student went back to class, grandma reported that she works with this student most every day on letter identification as it has affected his ability to read.  This particular game has proven to be one the student’s favorite, and he has improved upon letter identification and letter sounds since he started playing it—and grandma’s patience and encouragement hasn’t hurt either!

YMCA Daycare:

• Grandma has missed a week at the daycare because of her recent surgery.  While gone, the children sent her cards and were very glad to have her back greeting her with hugs.  She has been working with the children on matching cards with pictures to numbers on cards.  In this 4 year old kindergarten, children recognize numbers to 10.  Some of the children can count to 25 and Grandma listens to them and helps them when they get stuck.  Of practical significance, Grandma helped a little girl learn how to peel a banana-a basic life skill that can be difficult for a 4 year old.

• Today, Grandma is at a table with three children, two are working on puzzles and one is building with blocks that have numbers printed on them.  Puzzles can be frustrating, especially since the puzzle pieces are much smaller than they were at the beginning of the year, but Grandma’s patience and support enables the girl to manage the smaller pieces, an accomplishment since the beginning of the year helping her increase dexterity and eye/hand coordination. Grandma also asks the child working with blocks what the numbers are and when the child does not answer, Grandma encourages her and the child smiles as she says the correct number.

• Grandma has seen the 4 year old kindergarten children accomplish much this year.  Most of the children are ready for kindergarten.  Grandma spends extra time with a child who is behind the other children in learning skills including printing and recognizing, letters, and writing her name. Focusing is difficult for the child. On the day of the visit, Grandma was with the little girl as she worked on writing her name.  The child wrote several letters of her name this day, a surprise to Grandma, as this was significant progress for the child.  Grandma was very pleased and felt that she has helped the child make progress.

• Grandma is a positive influence helping the children develop good hygiene.  She sits by the bathroom door and as the children come of the room, they show her their hands and she talks to them about washing both hands, top and bottom and drying them so that their hands will be clean for lunch.  This is one of the life skills that are taught in the daycare setting and Grandma is able to talk with each child individually to reinforce the activity.

• Grandma has been working with children at meal times on table setting and clearing, using appropriate table manners like “Please pass the peas” or “Thank you”, and using portion control when dishing food on their plates.  Grandma states that the children are doing very well and have made much progress in those areas, but still need frequent reminders to eat their vegetables!  Grandma thought hard about a way to motivate children to dish a significant amount of vegetables and also eat them.  She came up with a wonderful solution that really works:  During meal times, Grandma states, “The farmers who grew this food are going to be so proud of all of you for eating your veggies!”  The children are so happy to think that the farmers are proud of them that they clean the vegetables right off their plates!  Grandma said that so far, it has worked every time, and 2 weeks later, children are still eating them.

• Grandma has been working with a child who has some developmental delays; specifically, he is unable to differentiate between letters and numbers.  When grandma asks him to identify letters by pointing them out, he will typically point out numbers, and vice versa.  So, grandma uses the large letters of the alphabet bordering the room to make it fun for this child to learn.  For example, she tells this child that they are going to identify letters, and uses the word “letter” frequently throughout the exercise (i.e., this is the letter A).  She walks around the room and identifies letters for this child, then asks him to identify letters for her.  Grandma reports that this child is able to recognize more letters since they have routinely done this exercise.  She also reports that he is able to identify some numbers, but she is focusing more on letter identification now so he won’t become confused.  

• Grandma has her work cut out for her this month:  She is teaching children Christmas songs and finger plays that they will perform at their Christmas program!  Children are learning 5 songs, which is challenging for 3 and 4 year olds, so Grandma is helping them memorize the words through daily practice and repetition.   She has been singing songs along with the students and modeling correct finger plays.  In one song, children pretend to play the flute; in another they pretend to rock a baby all the while singing along!  Grandma says that she has also been encouraging the children who are shyer to sing along with the rest of the children, and has offered them frequent praise and encouragement to do so.  She stated that the children have shown nice progress, and are now able to sing along to the majority of the songs.  She hopes to have all children up to speed by the program in mid-December. 

MINNESOTA

Carlton County, volunteer stations by community

Barnum

Barnum Community Education

• Grandma works individually with children and helps them understand homework assignments, with most time spent on spelling and mathematics.

• While playing word games with children in a small group, there has been a secondary impact--  teaching the children how to “share” Grandma’s attention during the word exercise.

Cloquet

All We Can Be

• In this day care setting, Grandma works in the room with toddlers.  One of their favorite activities is reading books.  Grandma was aware of budget constraints at the site and took it upon herself to go to the library to select seasonal books for use in the classroom.  The children can't wait for Grandma to arrive in the morning.  One little girl who has very shy, is now the first to grab a book and run to greet Grandma.  This little girl now seeks Grandma out when it is time for an activity or for a little down time.

Churchill Elementary School

• In this Special Education classroom, both the Teacher and the Grandma told me about the connection Grandma had made with a boy in the classroom.  The third grade boy had been a loner and very withdrawn.  Through Grandmas patience, her smile and her accepting nature the boy had grown to trust her and turn to her for help and encouragement. 

Cloquet High School

• Grandma helps with special needs kids by selling cookies and muffins to the student body at breaks and lunch time.  Two of the special needs children are doing real well with giving change.  They know the difference between dimes, nickels pennies and quarters with the help of the Grandma. 

Fond Du Lac Head Start and Early Head Start

• A young girl has been working so hard on her coloring skills with the help of Grandma.  She is now using several colors instead of one and is staying in the lines as well.

• A child had come in with a bloody nose and was teased by the other children and did not want to come back to class because he was embarrassed.  Grandma befriended him and sat with the boy, encouraged him to eat his lunch and read to him. 

• Grandma has been working with the children on setting the table at Breakfast and Lunch time.  They are all learning where the silver ware goes, plates and napkins.  They are very excited to be able to help Grandma and to do it all right.

• The pre-schoolers in this class love to sit next to Grandma during reading time.  They all get to take turns and she enjoys their loving enthusiasm to sit with her. 

• One boy in her class room enjoys doing art projects. Grandma always compliments the boy on his artistic creations. The little boy put his hand on Grandmas hand, a Native American sign for love. Grandma told him she loved him also.

§         Grandma works in a Head start classroom of two and three year olds.  At this age the children enjoy doing art projects.  Grandma always compliments the children on their artistic creations.  She knows this will help to improve their self esteem.  One little boy put his hand on Grandmas hand, which is a Native American sign for love.   Grandma told him she loved him too.

§         Children look up the Foster Grandparents working in their classrooms.  Many actually think of the Foster Grandmothers as their own personal Grandmother.  Because of this close bond, the children are able and willing to share their thoughts and feelings.  One little girl was upset because her cat had just died.  Grandma wanted to comfort the girl and thought the girl would open up even more if Grandma shared her own story about when her fish died.  Both the little girl and Grandma were able to discuss their shared feelings and console one another.

Lil Lumber Jacks Learning Center

• A little 2 year old  boy who has never been in Daycare before has been crying non stop.  Grandma spends a lot of extra time with this boy to help him feel welcome and comfortable in his new environment and reports she is successful.   

• Two boys did not talk at all when they came to Daycare.  With the Grandma just sitting with them and just taking that extra time to talk and listen to them, they are both talking none stop now and enjoy telling Grandma everything that is going on in their lives.  

Esko

Winterquist Elementary School

• Grandma, just back from sick leave, volunteers in a kindergarten class.  She works in small groups helping children learn to count to 100 by 1’s, and 10’s.  In the few days Grandma has been at school she has developed a relationship with students in the library, talking to them about what they are reading and helping in the computer lab.

• Grandma works on the alphabet with kindergarten children.  She also reads to them and they answer questions about the story.  Grandma also spends time with children in the computer lab where they are learning their last names, addresses and phone numbers.  About ½ of the kindergarten children know this information thanks to Grandma’s help.  She listens to children count from 1-100 by 5’s, 10’s 20’s, etc.  Most of the children are now about to achieve this goal.  Grandma’s individual attention helps children feel special as she supports and tutors them to produce these outcomes.

• The kindergarten children are to reach the goal of counting to 100 this year.  After the teacher tests the children, those who are having difficulty reaching this goal come to Grandma who works with them so they are successful.  Ten of the fifteen children now can count to 100.  One little girl has trouble remembering 30, so Grandma suggests she remember what comes after 2.  She encourages the children by telling them, “Look how far you got this time!”  Then they keep trying.  She also works on phonics with children as they learn to identify the first and last letters in the words by the phonetic sounds or identify the sound when they know the letter.  One boy in particular has difficulty, but Grandma has worked with him and he now knows almost all letters and sounds.

• Grandma helps children who have gotten behind or are having difficulty in a kindergarten class.  They are working on counting and the beginning and ending sounds on letters.  She has been helping a boy trace a stencil of a child who is carrying an umbrella.  The little boy saw the project as very large because it involved cutting something that was somewhat intricate, coloring and pasting the pieces together.  He was afraid he would not be able to get it done, but with Grandma’s encouragement, he accomplished this in the allotted time using small muscles, eye/hand coordination, visual skills and communication.  It was a success that improved his self-image.

• Grandma has helped children learn to tie their shoes this year.  She was observed as she patiently helped a child who has not mastered this task yet.  She told him he was getting better and almost had it.  At the beginning of the year, only two children in the kindergarten class knew how to tie their shoes and now only two do not know how to do this.

Moose Lake

Moose Lake Elementary

• This Grandma works with special needs children and they are all very appreciative of the loving hands of the Grandma.  They all want to sit with her and be her special helper for the day. 

• Grandma helps a child feel more confident in his math skills, reviewing the math problems with him and going over the problems when his answers were wrong. He has been very accepting of this tutoring and looks forward to his sessions with her every day.

Cook County, volunteer station by community

Grand Marais

Grand Marais Community Education:

§         Grandpa has been busy interacting with the children at various stations and during recreational activities.  He is pleased that the children now recognize him in public and seem happy to talk with him. 

Sawtooth Elementary:

§          Grandpa is an artist and while serving as a Foster Grandparent, he encourages children whose self-esteem and social skills can be enhanced by fostering artistic skills.  By all accounts, this has become very important in allowing children to achieve academic success.  During the noon hour, Grandpa noticed a high school girl sitting alone.  He approached her and saw she was drawing.  He was overwhelmed by her ability and because of his artistic talents, he encouraged her talents and assured her that it is OK to have talents and that because she has them she is not different than other students.  He told her that her talents should be developed and doing so will be beneficial for her.  He is going to continue to support her and find ways to encourage her success.

§          Grandpa is an artist and while serving as a Foster Grandparent, he encourages children whose self-esteem and social skills can be enhanced by fostering artistic skills.  By all accounts, this has become very important in allowing children to achieve academic success.  During the noon hour, Grandpa noticed a high school girl sitting alone.  He approached her and saw she was drawing.  He was overwhelmed by her ability and because of his artistic talents, he encouraged her talents and assured her that it is OK to have talents and that because she has them she is not different than other students.  He told her that her talents should be developed and doing so will be beneficial for her.  He is going to continue to support her and find ways to encourage her success.

§          Grandpa continues to help a child who has issues in the classroom.  Using Grandpa’s expertise in art, he encourages the child who has the potential to be very skilled artist.  Other children in the class ask to join the group so a system has been developed to allow everyone a chance to join the group.  This is very beneficial for the child as he learns appropriate interaction with other children.  Grandpa works with another child who prints well if he takes his time when 1:1 with Grandpa.  Lunch time is great-the children all like to sit with Grandpa and they have a wonderful intergenerational experience.

Lake County, volunteer station by community

Beaver Bay

North Shore Christian Academy: 

§         During the year, Grandma has spent quite a bit of 1:1 time with a boy who benefits from the time together.  His school work is improving and lately they have spent time reading together.  They take turns reading and the boy is developing fluency and comprehension as they work their way through “Heidi.”

§         Grandma is tutoring a child who is not working up to his ability.  Because the classroom is non-graded, the staff believes the child could be at a higher level.  He is going on vacation, so Grandma helps him catch-up before he leaves.  She is also listening to students read Charlotte’s Web for comprehension.  She helps them understand they are reading to understand the story not just answer questions about the book.

§         Three girls in this open graded classroom have been reading to Grandma. One girl in particular needs her attention because the girl does not know how to pronounce some of the words or understand their meaning.  Consequently, she makes up her own words unless Grandma urges her to slow down and go back, pronounce the words and figure out the meaning.  This is an important part of learning to read and with help; this girl is getting much better and can retell the story.

§         Grandma spends quite a bit of time with a child who reads to her.  To assure that he comprehends what he reads, Grandma asks him questions throughout the story to assure that he understands and remembers what he has read.  He is much better at focusing and comprehending than earlier in the year because of the 1:1 help he has received.

§         One of the teacher’s children is in this open classroom.  This was a difficult situation because he always wanted to be near his mother and ask her for help.  After Grandma talked with the teacher/mother, they decided that Grandma should work with the child, who may be slightly dyslexic, and he will not go to his mother for help and interaction except as appropriate.  He is now benefiting from this relationship with Grandma, trusts her and is achieving at his level of ability.

§         Two kindergarten children need help learning basic skills and one child is especially challenged academically.  Grandma gives them individual and small group time because this open graded classroom is overwhelming for the younger children.  Together they are learning their alphabet and numbers by singing songs, doing worksheets and using manipulatives.  Additionally, the girls need to learn social skills and as Grandma works with them, she teaches them to be polite, wait their turn, appropriate interaction and sharing.  This personalized interaction could not take place in the classroom.  Academic and social results are already being realized during the first two weeks of school.

§         Grandma works with three kindergarten children helping them with letter sounds and recognition.  The children knew very few letters at the beginning of the year and with practice each day, they now know over half of the alphabet, upper and lower case.  They are also learning the sounds the letters make by speaking into a piece of tubing and hearing the echo.  This is fun and encourages the children.

§         This school setting allows children to progress at their level.  Consequently two girls Grandma has worked with have moved to first grade level work.  They continue in the same room and Grandma continues to help them at the more advanced level. The remaining little boy is not at the level as the girls and is behind the kindergarten level.  Grandma spends 1:1 time with him working on identifying and writing letters although he knows the letter sounds.  He has made progress as Grandma has worked with him and now knows letter sounds and will continue to work on printing upper and lower case letters. 

Silver Bay

Steps of Faith Daycare:

§         Grandma has found a fun way to help preschoolers/kindergarteners learn numbers.  She plays Go Fish cards with them and by observation; the kindergarten child was having no difficulty.  The positive interaction and smiles between them showed that an intergenerational relationship had developed over the summer.

Pine County, volunteer stations by community

Bruno

Nemadji Daycare

§         Several of the children have been sick with colds and Grandma has been spending lots of time in the rocking chair helping the kids get that extra nap that they need to feel better faster. 

§         An 18month old girl naps much longer since the FG started rocking her to sleep. She is also getting along better with other kids and she is happier all around while playing with the other kids.

§         The children are so excited to be back outside more with the weather warming up.  The FG is working with the youngest children in the Daycare on going down the slide.  They are all learning new confidence on going down with-out holding someone’s hand to help them feel safe.  

§         A new set of twins has been coming to the daycare.  They both are struggling with their own identity.  The girl was very bossy to her brother and others.  With the help of the Foster Grandparent guiding this girl by using puzzles, age appropriate games and reading books to her, she is improving.  She is learning to share better with others and has become more affectionate to her brother.

§         One child, who has anxiety about being good all the time due to her mother’s expectations, has become less apprehensive and exhibits fewer tantrums due to Grandma’s consistent and loving response to her while at the daycare.

§         Grandma helps the toddlers with their vocabulary, talking to them while sharing toys and during mealtimes.

Finlayson

East Central Schools

• Math flash cards are a fun learning tool for 2 boys that are struggling with Math.  Grandma works with them each day for about 10 minutes and they are getting faster all the time at knowing the correct answers.

• In the Kindergarten class there are 2 Math groups that the FG has been playing a card game with them to help with number recognition.  All the students are now able to recognize all the numbers.

• Grandma concentrates on reading with the children they are all improving so much this year with the loving care of the FG.  

• Grandma has been helping a 2nd grade boy who struggles with a brain disorder that does not allow his fingers to do what his brain is telling them to do.  She is helping him to make letters and working with the sounds that go with them.  He is improving slowly, but at a steady pace. 

• One child in kindergarten with limited fine motor skills sees an OT, ST and a PT during school. He also receives guidance from Grandma who holds her hand over his as he traces the letters of the alphabet until he can master the task on his own.

• A second-grader with below average skills in reading and math works with Grandma daily. As a result of her tutoring, his math scores and timed reading proficiency has improved.

• One first-grade boy with frequent emotional outbursts has become much more confident about his schoolwork and cooperates more with his classmates due to the daily interaction with his Foster Grandma.

Finlayson Elementary

• 1st grade girl is working on speeding up her reading level.  She has made so many improvements with Grandma’s loving care.  She is now reading at the 3rd grade level.

• A 2nd grade boy with a speech and hearing problem is slowly improving with his reading.  He has been struggling with reading as he hears differently.  The improvement is slow but steady and he feels a great sense of accomplishment with the Grandma's help.

• A 1st grade boy that has been struggling with reading and recognizing vowels is now back reading with the regular reading group due to the extra help from the Grandma in this classroom.

Hinckley

Hinckley Elementary

• A young girls who’s Father is in Prison and her mother works nights is struggling with attendance.  Grandma is spending lots of one on one time with her to help give her a more positive attitude about getting to school as she is on her own to get there.  Her homework is rarely done as well so she is also trying to encourage her to keep up with her homework.  Her attitude is better at times so, the staff is encourages with Grandma’s efforts.

• Several of the 1st grade children have been struggling with finding books that they can read at the Library this year.  With the help of the FG the children are now able to find age appropriate books to read and are enjoying their time at the Library with Grandpa there to help.

• Several of the students have been getting extra attention all year from the FG in Math.  By the use of flash cards and Math related board games.  All of the students are showing signs of improvement and have all very much enjoyed the games with Math problems.

• A first grade child who has difficulty with concentrating on learning his letters and coloring activities has learned to focus with the help of Grandma. He has been very proud of the fact that several of his papers have been displayed at the school—he beams when Grandma and others compliment him on his performance.

Hinckley High School

• Grandpa is working with children who have detention and learning problems.  Several of the children are doing better at completing home-work.  Grandpa is very diligent at keeping the students on task of getting work done; his efforts are very much appreciated by the staff.

• Grandpa loves to play cards with a boy as this helps with his math skills.  The student seems to really enjoy his time with the Grandpa and loves playing cards.

• Working with a young man on trust issues.  He is always trusting and unfortunately gets hurt a lot by others because of that.  Grandpa is encouraging the boy to trust people but to also learn when not to trust.

• One boy with spelling proficiency at 10% has been tutored regularly by Grandpa. As a result, the child has gained much self-esteem along with improved scores-- his level has increased to 70% or above.

Pine City

Alternative Learning Center 

• A teen-age boy has mastered the art of crocheting a pot holder.  Grandma has been working with him all year as he has struggled with dropping stitches a lot.  He has made a pot holder set for his Mother for Valentines Day, thanks to the loving patients of Grandma Ruby.

• A teen age boy who is struggling in all areas of school is now sewing even when the FG is not always there to encourage and help him.  He is making a beautiful quilt that will be donated to the Hospice Center at North Memorial Hospital in the Cities when completed.

• Several of the students at this site are graduating this year and will no longer be in the school come spring.  They are all really showing their appreciation to the FG for all the hard work, patience and love that she has shown them. 

Pine City Elementary

• Grandma  works with 2 little boys in the Kindergarten class have been struggling with cutting, sounds and behavior.  They are now learning to work more on their own with-out getting in trouble and can stay on task much better.

• The Kindergarten class that has been struggling with cutting.  They are now learning to work more on their own with-out making too much of a mess.  All of their small motor skills are getting better each day.

• The FG has been working with a Kindergarten girl who is trying to get attention in all the wrong ways.  The FG sits with her and helps her stay on task with school assigned projects.  The child is doing better and really loves her Grandma.

• One kindergarten boy was overwhelmed with the classroom experience, often becoming distracted. Grandma has been helping him with basic skills such as printing his name, recognizing colors and shapes, numbers and letters in the alphabet. As a result of this individual attention he has improved all these skills, with only an occasional reminder to stay on task. His interaction with other students has also improved as he became more comfortable and secure.

• One child came to kindergarten without any experience using scissors, crayons, or a pencil. Grandma provided tutoring and praise on the use of these tools and as a result this child is holding pencils and crayons correctly, and can cut objects safely with his scissors.

Sandstone

Grindstone Lake Bible Camp

• While in the craft room at camp, a six year old boy was struggling with sitting still and concentrating on painting.  Grandma sat next to him, helping to keep him on track during the week.  He was able to complete his craft projects and was very proud of his accomplishments.  He did a wonderful job with her encouragement!

• A 2^nd grade boy was struggling with home sickness and an ear infection.  He was crying a lot and not wanting to do his craft project.  Grandma sat with him, encouraging him to complete his project.  Talking to him about how much fun he was having even though he was struggling with missing his Mom.  He was able to complete his project, although he did go home early because of the ear infection.  His mother and other staff were very appreciative of the extra attention that was given to this needy child by the Foster Grandparent.

• A 15 year old girl, who has been in foster care for the past 8 years and struggling with several emotional needs was the key person this Grandma worked with.  The girl enjoyed just talking to Grandma and sharing her feelings of being unloved by her family.  Grandma sent her a letter so she could receive mail at mail call, which helped her feel special like the other kids.  They worked together making cookies one day for the other girls in her cabin.  Grandma encouraged her to work hard on her craft project, which she did and it turned out beautiful.

• Grandma encouraged several kids that came to camp that were struggling with behavior problems and were at camp as a group through Kanabec County.  She would sit and talk with them to encourage them to do a good job on their craft projects.  Grandma was a positive influence on their lives by helping them when struggling with behavior and emotional problems.  They were all able to complete their craft projects doing a wonderful, creative job with her encouragement.

• A young girl who had a attitude of not wanting to work well with others because of emotional problems got the full attention of this Grandma.  She had been tossed around to several foster homes in her short life and really struggling with relationships.  Grandma encouraged her to make a craft project with flowers for someone who was special for her in her life.  They picked flowers together and arranged them on cloth in a pretty design for her craft project.  By the end of her time at camp she seemed to improve with a more positive attitude towards the Grandma and her fellow campers.

• With the caring attention of this Grandma, a 3^rd grade girl was able to focus on her craft project.  She needed someone to talk to, encourage her and give her that extra attention she needed.  Her home life is a struggle for her.  Because of the caring Grandma this child’s camp experience was much more fulfilling for her.

• Archery was the area which this Grandpa concentrated his attention, encouraging children through the summer.  One special boy who struggling with self confidence was encouraged by Grandpa to do his best.  The boy grew from not even being able to pull the bow back to hitting the bull’s eye and a moving target.  The encouragement and positive influence this Grandpa had on this child was remarkable.  The boy went from a very difficult child to work with to a happy, caring boy.   The child cannot wait to come back to camp next summer and spend time with Grandpa.

Harvest Christian School

• The Kindergarten class has learned how to follow directions and walk and stay in line with the teacher at the front and Grandma in the back.

• A 1^st grade girl has really been improving on writing; she has learned to take her time and is doing a beautiful job.  Is now learning some cursive, she is a girl who is really struggling with always wanting to do things to fast and things turn out sloppy.  Grandma is always there to help her slow down.

• Grandma has been working with a child on staying on task.  His English grades have been improving with the guiding hand to assist him staying on task.

• One boy with reading difficulties has a Grandma to help him sound out his words. This affects his math because the directions for the problem have been hard for him to understand. Grandma states that he is becoming more capable of figuring out sentences himself. He also benefits by her praise when he accomplishes a task—before he often was critical of himself when he did something wrong.

Sandbox Nursery School

• The kids are learning their shapes.  Squares, rectangles, triangle, stars and circles.  90% of the time they all get them right when working with Grandma on reviewing this.  The kids love to work with Grandma on learning everyday.

• The children are working on the letter K.  The kids are all enjoying the time they spend with the FG working on the letter K and finding all kinds of words that start with K.

• The children are working on the letter M.  The kids are all enjoying the time they spend with the FG working on the letter M and finding all kinds of words that start with M.  Now that the letter M is learned by the children they can put together many more words when writing as well.

§          A young 4 year old boy was struggling with shapes and colors.  With the patient encouragement of the Foster Grandma, this boy now knows his shapes, colors and is so proud of his accomplishments.  His behavior has also improved by having his confidence lifted with the help of this Grandma.

• One developmentally delayed child has learned to use scissors correctly with the guidance and praise of the Foster Grandma. The girl gives a big smile on her face when she does accomplishes her task.

(Northern) St. Louis County, volunteer stations by community

Aurora

Mesabi East Elementary

• Grandma has been helping in the morning with testing – she works with students having them read a series of words to monitor their reading progress.  In the afternoon she has been working with a class that has had a substitute for a few days due to teacher illness.  She reports that the children really like having a familiar face in the classroom and she believes their overall behavior is better because she is present.

• Grandma was out on the playground with several classes of children.  The children regularly came up to her with help for their bumps and difficulties with the other children.  She encouraged them to be safe on the playground and helped them solve their problems.  This helps the children learn the best ways to get along with others – it gives them problem solving skills for later life.

• Grandma was seated at a Kindergarten stations table focusing on math.  As each group came around, she helped the child who needed the most help, giving appropriate training based upon their skill level.  One girl, who was very skilled at math, kept asking for help even though she didn’t really need any.  Grandma helped her understand that she was quite capable of and should do the work on her own.

• Grandma was working at a math table in the Kindergarten room and one girl kept looking at another girl’s paper for the answers.  Grandma helped her understand the importance of doing her own work.  This builds the child’s confidence as well as their understanding of how school functions in the higher grades.

• Grandma was working with a succession of Kindergarteners at completing a math paper.  The children were rotating through a series of stations, and Grandma was working with the neediest student in each group.  She helped them remember the tips they needed to solve the math problems.  She varied her assistance according to need, giving some only encouragement and others reminders, and to yet others hand over hand assistance.  Tailoring her support to each child’s need helps them grow and achieve exactly what is necessary for them to succeed in school.

• Grandma was in the lunchroom when a group of students came in.  Several girls wanted to sit and eat with her.  She introduced me to them, and I shook their hands.  She spoke to each one individually and conversed with them.  She taught the students manners and pleasant table conversation. 

• Grandma was helping the kindergarteners put on their outerwear in preparation for lunchtime recess.  She was helping one boy in particular who was behind all the other children partly because of some motor and attention difficulties.  She encouraged him to stay on task, and helped him ‘catch’ the zipper on his coat, so he could zip it himself.  She is helping this child have enough time to eat lunch and still have playtime left over, while still allowing and encouraging him to do the dressing tasks himself.

Chisholm

Vaughan Steffensrud Elementary

• Grandma was working with a group of about 8 children who were taking turns reading sentences and discussing the type of sentence and their content.  She helped them identify whether a sentence was a statement or a question and helped them understand how they could know that using both punctuation and the first word of the sentence.

• Grandma works in Kindergarten classrooms and usually works most often with children who need some extra help.  She is working with one little girl who is having difficulty writing her name – a required skill to enter 1^st Grade.  So far this year, Grandma has taught her the first three letters, and she anticipates that she will be able to write her whole name by the end of the year.  Without attaining this skill, this girl would not be able to progress to 1^st Grade.

• Grandma says that she speaks with many children who have problems at home.  She comforts them when they are sad because their parents are fighting, or when the children are tired from being shuttled back and forth between two houses with great frequency.

• Grandma works with the children on reading, writing and math and she states that even the children who have difficulty with their subjects are able to complete their work. With her help, these children are experiencing classroom success in areas where they may never have before, and deepening their understanding of their potential.  Turning ‘cant’s’ into ‘cans’ now can prevent future learning problems.

• Grandma was helping a girl with corrections on her paper.  She had made a number of mistakes, and she and Grandma went over them together.  She helped her understand her mistakes.

• Grandma was working with a girl who had obvious motor, attention and color identification problems with a coloring page.  She was having a very difficult time keeping up with the rest of the class.  Grandma was patiently helping her learn her colors and not get too frustrated that the rest of the class was way ahead of her.  Grandma was trying to help her attend to her work.  With effort, Grandma will help this kindergartener keep up with her class this year so she can have a good foundation for first grade.

• Grandma was working with a boy on his reading sheet.  He was stumbling with some of the answers and Grandma very carefully prompted him by asking him questions so that he could figure out the answers by himself.  She helped teach this boy and gave him confidence in his own knowledge.

Eveleth

Chicagami Too

• Grandma works with school age children in an after school program.  She helps with homework as needed – she enjoys helping the children to complete their homework because it helps them perform better in school.

• Grandma sometimes plays board and card games with school age children (who have completed their homework).   She helps them learn social skills and how to play fairly with others.

• Grandma was working with a toddler at the play dough table – they were laughing, making figures together, playing with them and remaking them into new figures.  She showed him how to make some simple figures, which he copied.  This activity encourages creative thinking and is an important tactile stimulus for these children.

• Grandma was at the play dough table helping the toddlers.  Two of the children had a conflict over one of the figures, and she helped them solve it by teaching them each how to make one of their own – she encouraged independent problem solving over conflict.

• Grandma was at the play dough table when a little girl became upset because another child wrecked her play dough figure.  She talked to her about how play dough is made to be made and remade, and that something lost is easily remade.  She helped the girl to learn to solve her own problems without fussing.

• A toddler in Grandma’s classroom was very interested in the highlighters in my briefcase.  Grandma made a lesson on the spot about colors.  We talked about which one was pink, and which one was green, and each child had an opportunity to either name the colors, or point to the named color.  She is helping these toddlers prepare for pre-school and teaching them important color-recognition skills.

• Grandma works through the school year with Kindergarteners, and enjoys her time in the summer with babies.  She rocks, comforts and feeds them, giving them security and a foundation of caring to begin their lives.

• Grandma was outside helping to supervise the children while they played.  She encouraged them to drink plenty of water (it was a very hot day).  This is one of many ways Grandma helps to establish healthy habits early in these children’s lives.

• Grandma was outside playing with a group of toddlers while they played.  One of them received a sound bonk on the head when another child was playing with a toy too vigorously.  He ran straight to her and she held him and comforted him until he was done crying.  These small actions teach compassion.

• Grandma was reading a picture book to a child in the toddler room.  He was pointing to the pictures and she was telling him the object names.  He is learning from Grandma that there are lots of fun and interesting things to be found in books.

• Grandma was helping the toddlers get dressed to go outside.  If they had difficulty with an article of clothing, they would line up for assistance.  One boy was having a hard time with his outerwear, and Grandma showed him how to put the mittens on correctly, by pointing the thumbs of the mittens up.  She is teaching self-help skills.

Gilbert

Quad Cities Head Start

• Grandma helped them make a tooth brushing calendar.  The children each decorated a one-month calendar with dental-care related stickers they are to take the calendar home and mark on it each time they brush their teeth – these activities build lifelong self-care habits that will greatly benefit the children’s health in the future.

• I was invited to have a snack with the children and Grandma.  We all sat down at the table, passed our food, and ate together.  Grandma reinforced table manners and we conversed with the children.  Learning basic manners helps the children to be more easily accepted and liked in society.

• Grandma was sitting with some of the children during story time.  She helped them sit still and listen, and use their classroom manners.  This training prepares them for elementary school by teaching early the importance and skills of listening.

• Grandma was working with students on a Math basics paper.  She encouraged them to try, helped them remember how many objects to draw and praised their efforts.  The children enjoy spending time with her so much, that they approach her table to work on these things during open play time (when there are many other fun activities to capture their attention).  Through her efforts, she has noticed that the children are much more ready for Kindergarten than they were at the beginning of the year.

• Grandma was sitting with a child at the math station.  One child had a particularly difficult time comprehending the assignment and writing on paper.  She showed him the work other children had done, so he would know what it looked like.  She took his finger, and counted with him; one, two, three, four.  She is helping this four year old become better prepared for Kindergarten.

• Grandma reports that she started reading a book to a child in her classroom, and before she knew it, she was surrounded by children who wanted to listen to a story, too.  By simply reading aloud, she is sparking an interest in reading and teaching the fundamentals of reading to a group of children.

• Grandma was going to lunch with the children in the school’s lunchroom.  One little girl asked her if she could please sit by her at lunch, and Grandma said yes.  She was obviously excited.  When Grandma got her lunch, she looked for the girl and a whole table had saved a seat for her.  Grandma is developing mentoring relationships that are very strong.  Having positive relationship experiences helps the children have confidence, and present themselves better in their other relationships.

Hibbing

Greenhaven Elementary

• Grandma and the children were getting ready to break for lunch – a group of children came up to say goodbye to Grandma and one boy had a pronounced stutter.  He spoke to her and they had a short conversation.  She told me later that he hardly ever speaks to anyone because talking is so arduous but he will converse with her – this gives him the practice that he desperately needs to overcome the difficulty and embarrassment of his speech problem.

• Grandma works with children who have a hard time staying on task to finish their math worksheets, helping them complete their work and learn the basic math skills they’ll need to continue building on through elementary school.  

• Grandma was listening to two children while they took turns reading to her.  She carefully listened to them, corrected and gave them partial prompts as necessary.  She encouraged them to try and sound words out.  These children are learning simultaneously the fundamentals of reading, and to try something before you ask for help.

• Grandma was working with a student who had some last minute assignments to complete before the school year ended.  She related that this student struggles with school work and was working diligently to complete his work so that he would pass into the next grade.

• Grandma was working with a student who was having a very difficult time with reading.  She patiently listened to him while he read, and corrected him when he made a mistake.  She prompted him with part of the word when he stumbled.  In this way, Grandma is helping this child overcome his difficulty with reading.

• I observed Grandma listening to a boy read to her.  She praised and encouraged him while he read, and corrected him when he made a mistake.  Then she took him to a computer room to take a test about the book.  Grandma was helping the child stay on task and do his best so that he could do his best on the test.

Hibbing Parents Nursery School

• I observed Grandma teaching a boy to tie his shoe during play hour.  She gave him verbal instruction and correction when he did it wrong.  He was able to successfully tie his shoe!  She encouraged him along and praised him when he did it all by himself.

• Grandma says that the older kids have been ‘rammy’ lately; they have not been able to go outside because of the cold weather.  She plays with them and talks to them and they come to her for guidance – to talk about things going on at home and at school.  Helping these children learn social skills, even under the pressure of cabin fever, helps them learn how to deal with high pressure situations they will face in everyday life.

• Grandma was reading a story to a toddler when I arrived.  Even at this early age, the foundations of reading skills are being formed.  The child saw the pictures, pointed to them and named the objects in them.  Making story time fun and interesting increases the child’s curiosity and when they are able they will want to learn to interpret written word.

• Grandma was working with the babies at snack time.  The children were eating a snack mix and she was helping them sort the snacks into different types and helping them learn to count the number of each type of snack.  This early and concrete introduction to number concepts helps form the foundation of math skills the children will need in Kindergarten.

• Grandma was helping a boy make towers with blocks and knock them down.  She praised his efforts and celebrated every crash with him.  She is helping him learn about social relationships and working on his fine and gross motor skills.

• Grandma was playing with a boy – he was bringing her toy foods and she was pretending to eat them.  She was also working with him on identifying the different foods he brought and what type of food it was.  She was helping this child to increase his vocabulary.

• Grandma was in the lunchroom helping a number of young children with their food.  While they were eating, she talked to them about their food and how it helps nourish their bodies.  Grandma is teaching them about good nutrition.

• Grandma reports that she often is called upon to read the same story repeatedly to children.  She works with very young children and states that she will often entertain them by ‘rewriting’ the story verbally.  She says the children enjoy catching her ‘mistakes’.  This kind of play helps keep young children’s minds active and imaginative.

Kiddy Karousel

• I was visiting Grandma in the room where she works when a baby fell over backwards and knocked his head on a shelf.  Grandma inspected his head for injury, and then comforted him until the pain subsided.  He stopped crying very quickly and responded to her soothing touch.  These interactions help the child form the basis for his future relationships.

• Grandma works in the infant room and they have had many new babies recently.  She says infants can have a hard time adjusting when they are in a new place, and cry every time something changes – someone leaves the room, someone enters the room, mealtimes, playtimes, naptimes – anything.  Grandma’s soothing touch, cuddling, holding, singing and rocking form the foundations of social and academic skills for infants.

• Grandma feels a special attachment with a toddler who is a real showman, he likes to bring his toy guitar and he sings and plays guitar while he is at daycare.  The individual attention she gives him helps shape his personality, and know that he is loved and cared about as an individual.

• Grandma was in the infant room this morning – they care for a baby that cries whenever she is awake, whenever she is in daycare.  Grandma held her for 2 ½ hours this morning rocking, bouncing, shushing, and using gentle words to try to help her be comfortable.  The child drank some of her bottle and slept for 36 minutes (who’s counting!), woke back up and began crying again and Grandma continued to care for her.  This kind of in-the-trenches care for infants is vital to their future well-being.  At this early age, it is difficult to tell if a child has undetected problems, or is just in a phase it will outgrow.  Either way, the TLC this infant receives from this Foster Grandparent is irreplaceable in easing whatever undetectable difficulty makes daycare so problematic for her.

• Grandma was busy rocking a fussy baby with a fever.  His parents were on his way to come get him, but in the meantime, she comforted him, wiped his nose gently and helped reassure him.  Her kind attention helped him feel visibly more secure and calm while he was sick.

• Grandma was comforting a crying infant in a room full of crying infants.  She stated that this baby was ‘new’ to the daycare experience and having a difficult time adjusting.  Grandma’s tender touch soothes the infant and helps ease his transition into life at daycare.

• Grandma was rocking a toddler who was new to their room.  He had never attended daycare before and she said he had a little bit of a difficult time adjusting.  She rocks him when he first arrives, and this helps him transition to his new environment.  When he is ready, he climbs off her lap and plays with the others.

• Grandma was reading a picture book to a toddler.  She would give him an opportunity to identify the picture, and if he couldn’t she would name the object for him, and try to have him repeat it.  Grandma is teaching the rudiments of language.

• Grandma was working with some toddlers, two of whom were twins, and brand new to the room that week.  She fed them, helping them learn to use a spoon.  She is teaching them the first skills they will need to use to feed themselves independently.

Lincoln Elementary

• Grandma began teaching a boy at the beginning of last year when he began 3^rd grade.  This boy is repeating the third grade this year because he has an extremely difficult time learning to read.  At the beginning of last year, she began by working on letter sounds with him (skills that are typically taught in Kindergarten and the beginning of First Grade).  Now, he is reading vowel-consonant words and beginning the ‘magic E’ words.  The boy’s mother was a special needs student as well, and so she has little to offer him in the way of academic support.

• Grandma was multi-tasking – she was tutoring two children at the same time.  One of them was working on a worksheet, while Grandma tutored more closely a boy in reading.  The boy was struggling along, but Grandma waited patiently while he sounded out the words, giving him clues on the harder ones, but never doing it for him.  The girl was able to complete her writing exercise and turned it over for Grandma to inspect – she praised her for doing her work so accurately and quickly.

• Grandma works with a girl who has been dislocated due to Hurricane Katrina.  She needs extra help, but so far has not qualified for Special Education.  Grandma works with her, lending her expertise in Special Education to a child who needs help, but otherwise would have fallen through the cracks.

• Grandma was working with a Fourth grade boy on reading.  He has difficulty with reading and she has worked with him all year.  She has noticed significant improvement in his reading skills this year.

• Grandma was working with two students in a special education classroom.  She worked with them on their reading assignments.  She said that one of the girls was reading 1.5 years below grade level at the beginning of the year, and is now reading at close to grade level.  Grandma has founded a summer tutoring program at her school that will help these same children maintain their skills during the summer months.

• The Grandma works specifically with the Special Ed department in her school, tutoring children during the school year one or two at a time.  Because she saw such a lapse in skills during the summer, she took it upon herself to start a summer tutoring program at her school. She collaborated her efforts with the school, its principal, the teachers and me.  First, she came to me with the idea, and worked with the Principal and me to hash out the details of how it would work.  She then volunteered many hours to coordinating the program and has done all the prep work herself:  she sought recommendations from teachers for students who could use the service, put out notices for the parents, gathered materials and supplies, and worked with the parents to coordinate her schedule. The loss of skills during the summer is a well-documented phenomenon that has teachers generally spending the first two to four weeks of the school year backtracking and re-teaching things that were learned the previous year.  This hits hardest the children who struggle the most in school – they take longer to catch up and lose more during the summer. Although it is difficult to say at this point what the long-term effects of her initiative will be one thing is certain – this Foster Grandparent is a champion for the kids she works with.

• Grandma was working with some students on completing a reading worksheet. She helped them stay on track in spite of the distractions in the room.  Grandma is helping the students improve their focus so they can eventually learn to complete schoolwork on their own. 

• Grandma has been working with several students in the Reading Counts program.  She helps the students read a whole book, then they have to go to the library and take a test on the computer about the book.  This helps the students not only learn to read the words aloud, but also insures that their comprehension will be increased. 

Washington Elementary

• I observed Grandma working with a student on reading. He read to her ‘The Cat in the Hat”.  She helped him identify the difference between the words ‘with’ and ‘wish’ by having him go back over the words and sound them out more slowly.

• Grandma helped a first grade student stay focused and on target while she was composing a short story about a rainbow. With encouragement, she completed the assignment with imagination, neatness, and a healthy self-esteem. The students Grandma works with have shared with her their successes with her, such as doing well on a test, or completing their work on time.  Grandma encourages them and praises them when they do well.

• I observed Grandma working in the lunchroom.  She went around to students whom she knows have fine motor difficulties, and to students who requested her help.  She helped them open their milks and difficult packages that came with their lunches.  She opens some all the way, others only partially, and to some she says “I know you can do that yourself.”  Each according to his need.  In this way, Grandma demonstrates her caring for each student, whether by allowing one who may need to be encouraged to accomplish a task on their own, or another who may need something done for him.

• Grandma reports that while helping a special education second grade student with reading, Grandma noticed by his body language and facial expression that this student was not ‘happy’ with her help.  With encouragement and persistence, they have developed a trust relationship.  A few weeks ago, the student asked Grandma if he could read for her the following day.  Developing this relationship has helped the student reach the point where he was eager to work with her on the subjects he finds most difficult.

• Grandma told me that she helped the children with their puppet shows last week.  The children made stick puppets, and each child had at least two roles.  They had to read their lines and perform the skits for their class.  This Grandma works in a special ed classroom with children with a variety and range of disabilities – she noticed that they have grown in their ability to work cooperatively this year.

• Grandma was in the lunchroom and children lined up for help with opening their containers.  Lunchtime in most schools is a fairly brisk event, and prefabricated containers can be very difficult for little hands to open.  Grandma helps the children with eating their lunch in a timely manner.

• Grandma reports that she is helping a boy in one of her classes who has difficulty with math.  He has a number line that he is being taught to use at his desk to help him with learning simple math facts and the rudiments of addition and subtraction, but he still struggles a great deal.  Grandma says that in addition to the number line, she also shows him how to work the problems on her fingers, and that this seems to help him a great deal.  Using multiple methodologies to teach the same information can help increase a child’s understanding.

Nett Lake

Nett Lake Head Start

• Grandma spent some time in the gym with the children.  She encouraged them in their exercise and play and helped them learn about sharing and taking turns.  These fitness and social skills help the children learn to stay fit and get along with others.

• Grandma told me that last week they had a substitute teacher in the Native studies class.  Grandma, the teacher and the students played a game together that tested the children’s knowledge of Anishabe, their native language.  She encouraged them and helped them - giving them a foundation in their culture that would otherwise be lost.

• Grandma works with the youngest students to help them learn Ojibwe – introducing them to their native language and culture at the earliest ages.  This helps them form a complete picture of who they are as human beings, and Native Americans.

• Grandma was working with the children on a craft project.  She helped a child with obvious fine motor difficulties to complete his project, giving him just the amount of help he needed.  She is helping him to work around and through his problem so that he can accomplish the task, and still grow in strength and dexterity.

Nett Lake Elementary

• Grandma was working with children in their Native Language class.  The children were demonstrating their knowledge of basic Ojibwe language concepts – this Grandma is a speaker of the language and offered them praise and encouragement in their attempts to learn their native tongue.

• Grandma sat with the children while they played a game against the teacher testing their knowledge of Anishabe words.  She prompted them if they couldn’t remember a certain work, helping them learn their native language.

• Grandma reports that the regular teacher of the language class has been absent for several days.  Subs that speak Ojibwe are difficult to find, so usually they settle for one that does not, and Grandma helps the students learn through games while he is gone. In this way, education in their native language is not lost when the regular teacher is away.

• Grandma reports that when the children see her in the hallways, they greet her by her Ojibwe name: “Bou gou, Mah mah way gis ge gook”, which means “Hello, All together sky”.  She has worked alongside their Ojibwe language teacher for most of the school year instructing them in their native language.  When Grandma was a child, she only spoke Ojibwe; she did not learn English until she was eight, and was hospitalized for a very long period.  She is helping native children retain their heritage in this oral tradition language.

• Grandma sat with the children while a story was read to the children about how the animals got fire.  She helped them be still and listen to this important story from their native culture.

• This Grandma, whose first language is Ojibwe, spends her days teaching children about their own culture and language.  She helps them understand the whole of whom they are and where their culture has come from.

• Grandma was working with a classroom of children who were learning about medicines that look like candy, and how to be careful with them.  Grandma helped the students attend to the lesson and finish their worksheets.

• As the children arrived for class, they each knocked on the door.  They were bade enter by the teacher in Ojibwa, and responded in Ojibwa, carrying on a polite conversation in which they greeted their elders, first the teacher, then the Foster Grandparent.  They were being taught, in their native language, how to conduct themselves in polite Ojibwa society.

Palo

Mesabi Head Start

• Grandma reports that the children are making significant progress in their dressing skills.  She plays a game with them when they ask for help by closing her eyes and challenging them to make as much progress in dressing as possible while she counts down from 10.  They really rise to the challenge and enjoy the praise they receive from her when they can show her how well they did when she wasn’t looking.

• Grandma was helping this day with a sledding party that the parents were invited to.  The children and staff had fun hosting the party for the parents, and serving the snacks.  The children learned important hosting skills, such as serving your guests first.  This is a very important foundation for social skills they will need later in life.

• A little boy began crying loudly while I was there and accused another boy of pinching him.  Grandma spoke to the two boys and found out the boy was pinched because he took cuts in line.  Grandma spoke to the boys about using their good manners to solve problems, rather than fingers and tears – this training will help them throughout their lives to overcome the many problems they will face in society.

• Grandma was eating lunch with the children, teaching them good table manners.  They wash their hands before they eat, then everyone sits down and makes sure everyone is served before they begin eating.  This can be difficult at the beginning of the year, but teaches good manners, patience and delayed gratification to the youngest students.  At this time, ALL of the students are accustomed to this practice and serve themselves and wait to eat in an orderly fashion.

• Grandma was helping the children clean up after they ate lunch.  She gently reminded some of the children to clean up their plates.  One playful little girl teased Grandma by pretending she was going to drop her cup into the garbage and Grandma played along.  Being loving and pleasant while teaching little ones to clean up after themselves helps make mealtime a positive experience – lessons these children can carry home to their families.

• Grandma was working with some children as they ate lunch together.  She helped them be patient to wait to eat until everyone was served.  This was very hard for some students, but she encouraged them.  Grandma is teaching the children good table manners.

• Grandma was working with the children during mealtime. She teaches them very specifically to pass the food to each person, to take a ‘no, thank you’ helping if you don’t want any, and to wait to eat until everyone is served.  Grandma, and all the teachers and helpers in this classroom teach these basic table manners very consistently.  Familiarity with basic good manners helps these children be pleasant to eat with, both now and in their futures.

Virginia

Apple Tree Center

• After breakfast Grandma goes with them to the gym, and then they come back to the classroom for their work projects.  She helps them with their projects teaching them everyday gross and fine motor skills.

• Grandma was in the gym with the toddlers during playtime.  She helped them play together safely while they zoomed around on several tricycles.  Keeping playtime safe helps everyone enjoy the gym while the children develop large-muscle skills even when they can’t go outside because of the weather.

• I arrived early in the morning to find Grandma helping the arriving children come in and get settled.  One toddler seemed to need some extra attention and he sat and cuddled on Grandma’s lap until he was ready to face the day and the other children.  Transition times are often difficult for small children and Grandma’s soothing touch and quiet whispers visibly helped him feel calmer and ease into his day.

• Grandma was helping a group of children get ready to transition to another room.  She helped them gather, then they went to use the bathroom and she helped them wash their hands to get ready for breakfast.  Establishing cleanliness routines early in life helps make them a lifelong habit and prevents the spread of illness in early childhood centers.

• Grandma was working in the gym when three toddlers on tricycles tried playing bumper tricycles.  Another teacher made them put their tricycles away.  One of the children was very upset because he had been naughty; Grandma comforted him and helped him understand that everything would be okay.  He could still play on other things and he would be able to play with the tricycles again later.  Grandma helped him see the big picture, and didn’t allow him to become too upset about his faults.

• Grandma says that sometimes the children she works with have problems getting along and she helps them work together to solve their problems.  Teaching these skills at an early age will help them throughout their lives.

• Grandma was working with some pre-schoolers who were playing dress-up.  She encouraged them to build their own story and complimented their costumes.  These children were being encouraged in imaginative play. 

• Grandma was in the toddler room helping children get their hands washed up before snack time. Grandma is helping the children in this daycare learn good hygiene habits that will last a lifetime.

• One boy was in the naughty chair during story time.  He did not look like a happy camper.  While the other students were getting ready to go outside, the teacher spoke to him.  When she was finished, he went and got his outerwear, and put it on.  He came to Grandma for help with a big smile on his face and said “I feel better now, Grandma!”

Parkview Elementary

§         Grandma was working with a student on her reading worksheet.  She had made some errors and asked Grandma to help her correct the paper.  Grandma worked with her and helped her understand the mistakes she had made and correct them.  Grandma helps this girl, little by little to grow in her reading skills, so that she can continue to be successful in school.

Roosevelt Elementary

• Grandma reports that they had a ‘Lockdown Drill’ while she was in class.  She was able to work with the teacher and the class to help maintain calm while they practiced what to do in a lockdown situation.

• Grandma was helping a fourth grade boy who has difficulty in school and was even further behind because of recent absences to catch up on his spelling.  Without her one-on-one attention he might not be able to finish the year with a good foundation to move on to the next year.

• Grandma helps a student in a work room pay attention to and complete his math assignment.  With gentle and frequent encouragement she helps him complete his assignment.  He learns math skills and focusing skills.

• Grandma was working on a reading assignment with a Fourth grade student who has fallen behind in class.  This student struggles with reading, and has recently been ill.  She is helping him to catch up with the rest of the class.  By helping him to catch up, she is establishing foundational reading principals at a critical time, and preventing this student from becoming discouraged at trying to make up an already daunting task.

• Grandma reported that she had worked with the teacher to help the children with planting.  Some of the plants were in milk cartons for their mothers for Mother’s Day, and others were planted in plastic tubs for science experiments.  Grandma helps the children discover their world through science.

• Grandma is working in the special education classroom helping a student who needs a little extra time to finish his spelling test.  She encouraged him to keep trying when he felt like giving up. 

• Grandma was sitting with some children who were watching a movie in the LD room.  There was a child who was having an extremely difficult time and was being counseled by a teacher, and Grandma was helping to distract the other children so they could have privacy.  Besides helping the class remain calm, it demonstrates the importance of minding their own business.

Virginia Head Start

• This year at Christmastime Grandma helped the children put their handprints on fabric squares.  Two other family members took the squares and made two quilts out of the squares.  The quilts were donated to the Salvation Army.  Grandma says the children were very excited about this project – they talked about how the blankets will ‘help somebody else who doesn’t have a blanket stay warm.’  Grandma teaches them about caring for and giving to others.

• Grandma helps the students learn to write and read their names with the first letter capital and the rest lowercase.  Many children come to school having been taught to write their names in all capital letters – this helps the children be better prepared for Kindergarten.

• I observed Grandma helping a girl on writing the letter of the week, “J”. She allowed her to attempt some on her own and it was very apparent this girl had fine-motor difficulties.   She did hand-over-hand work and encouraged her while helping to teach her muscles and mind how to make this letter.

• Grandma was sitting with the children at snack time, having polite conversation and helping the children to learn table manners, such as taking turns speaking, chewing with your mouth closed and asking politely.  Establishing these habits early in life can have profound, lifelong effects by simply making the children more pleasant to spend time with, making their social interactions more positive.

• Grandma was working at the craft table helping the children sort through a pile of foam letters to choose the ones from their name and stick them to a tongue depressor.  Apparently, they were low on the letter ‘r’, so Grandma helped a little girl modify an ‘n’.  She showed her how some letters can look similar, and helped her to accomplish a task creatively.

• Grandma was working with a girl at the craft table on some foam art projects.  The girl had some problems with picking up the small pieces, and Grandma was helping her and showing her how to use her finger and thumb to pick them up.

• Grandma was eating the noon meal with the children.  She helped them pass the food, and everyone had to wait to eat until everyone had been served.  She is helping them learn good manners, so that they can be pleasant people to eat with when they are older.

(Southern) St. Louis County, volunteer stations by community

Brookston

Fond Du Lac Head Start - Brookston Center

No impact story for this Head Start classroom is available at the time of this publication.

The children at this site have been served by the same Foster Grandparent for over 10 years.

Duluth

Boys and Girls Club:

• Some of the children do not have much respect for adults and authority figures.  They were bragging about their ability to play pool.  Grandma accepted the challenge and proceeded to beat some who felt they were very boastful about their abilities.  This helped the children develop respect and acceptance for Grandma when they found she had skills-even beyond theirs.

Duluth Head Start:  (This reflects three centers in Duluth)

• The children in the Duluth Head Start program have had several weeks off during January as a new program is being implemented.  As a result, new activities are being introduced.  One of these is a medical center.  The children are not familiar with some of the items in the center and Grandma introduces them to things such as stethoscopes so they will be comfortable and understand what is happening when they go to a doctor.

• Duluth Head Start has been reorganized with new curriculum.  Because of this, some things look different in the classrooms.  Activity centers change quite frequently and this month Grandma has been introducing 3-5 yr. old children to the home center.  With Grandma’s help, children are learning life skills such as “cooking, washing dishes, cleaning” etc. while they learn to interact appropriately, share and respect each other.

• Grandma is walking to the gym with the children.  To get the children lined up and to walk quietly is a task for Head Start children.  Grandma brings up the rear this day and helps the last two children arrive successfully at the gym.  This would seem to be a simple task, but it is not.  It is only with enough help is this skill accomplished.  Grandma helps the children learn to respect each other as she talks with them about being nice to each other and emphasizes kindness.  When children are not kind to each other Grandma is patient in explaining how they should think of the other children or how they would feel if someone were to treat them in an unkind manner.  Lunch is an important time for her to interact with the children as she reinforces respect for each other.

• It is not always obvious what can be useful in helping children learn.  Grandma’s FGP nametag is a fascination for the 3-5 year old Head Start children.  It is well worn, but she does not want a new one because this one is familiar to the children.  They ask her the letters and learn them from it, recognize her name and copy the letters.  It is a great learning tool and it is amazing how well one of the children can write Grandma’s name.  Grandma has a tremendous relationship with the children and this is a small, unsuspected part of it.

• It is time for the water unit in Head Start.  Children enjoy playing in the water box and learning about washing and drying clothes in the “Laundromat”.  With the goal of teaching children life skills, Grandma is an important part of this center where children have fun interacting with her and with each other as well learning how to take care of their clothes.  Grandma teaches children how to do this and keeps a watchful eye on the activity.  There are a couple of children who were not familiar with this activity, but Grandma is able to spend time to familiarize the children with this life skill.

• Each day in this Head Start classroom of 3-5 year olds there is a question of the day.  This is meant to be a question that starts discussion with the children.  Grandma discusses this with the children during lunch.  By design, the question is meant to provide an opportunity for children to express their feelings about specific subjects.  In so doing, Grandma comes to understand the children so she can provide support for them and children come to trust her and learn to communicate skills with each other and with an older adult in a positive setting.  This, in part, is what has lead to the bond that has developed between Grandma and these special needs children.

• It is time to brush teeth.  One of the Head Start requirements is that each child brushes their teeth each day and learns how to do this.  Grandma was in charge this day and with her guidance, all brushed their teeth.  She also encouraged the children to wash around their mouths because they had just finished eating.  These important life skills have many implications for later and involve small muscles and coordination as well as teaching good hygiene.  Head Start curriculum requires that specific words are used throughout the day and Grandma as been praised by observers for doing this.  She takes advantage of every opportunity to count things as she interacts with the children in a variety of activities including her arts/craft center.  The children are very responsive to this interactive type of teaching which is fun and successful for reaching expected outcomes.

• The children in this Head Start class are learning to recognize coins and paper money.  They find money that is buried in the sand table.  Grandma is at the table and helps them learn about the money they find.  All children are able to recognize the money.  Grandma has also been helping the older children become acquainted with the school building where they will attend kindergarten next year.  She helps them feel comfortable as she explain many areas of the building and also as they eat in the cafeteria together.  This is a huge transition for the children and Grandma helps make it easier.

• In Head Start classes, children learn basic life skills as well as some academics.  Today during lunch, Grandma is eating with the children and talking to them about table manners.  One of the children was allowed to eat their dessert, a cup of ice cream, on Grandma’s lap.  Grandma instructed her about using her spoon, not licking the ice cream out of the cup and not tearing the cup apart.  This is a basic life skill and it is important for the child to be appropriate as she gets older.

• Grandma was reading to the students who don’t take naps and must be quiet so they don’t disturb the other children.  Today she read Picky Miss Pickle.  By the end of the book, Miss Pickle decided she would try something new, dancing, and Grandma reinforced with the children that it is good to try new things and encouraged the children to try something new when the opportunity comes along.

• Grandma is helping the children with their language skills.  They have learned to speak much more clearly, they pay attention when others are speaking and are showing more respect for others.  Grandma has helped foster these skills by reinforcing them and praising the children when they speak well, can explain things and pay attention.

• Grandmas can be a very comforting presence.  When it is naptime at the Head Start, Grandma rubs the children’s back and often rocks them so they relax and rest.  Today a little girl came to Grandma asking to sit on her lap during this quiet time.  Grandma was happy to be a haven in the all-day setting where children are very tired by the end of the day.

• Social skills and respect for teachers and other children are important aspects to be learned in Head Start.  One of the children came to Grandma and said that another child called her a name.  Grandma talked calmly to the child and suggested the child go to the child who called her a name and tell them how that made her feel.  Grandma realized that this might have been caused by a mispronunciation of the child’s nickname and perhaps this was not an act of bullying as might have been suggested.  Grandma’s presence prevented the situation from escalating and helped children express their feelings.

• Literacy is the focus of the Head Start summer program for those children going into kindergarten next year who are a bit behind expected achievement levels.  Grandma has helped the children learn how to spell their names as she worked with the children to decorate the letters of their names.  She reinforces words and letters which are posted throughout the room as she interacts with the children.  The teacher is very skilled and not only has excellent outcomes with the children, but she empowers the staff and the Foster Grandparent so they will function in the most effective ways with the children.  The results are evident as children recognize words, letters and their names with Grandma.

• The summer program was designed for children going into kindergarten and who were below expected levels of achievement for entrance.  Because of the literacy focus, Grandma has been working to reinforce letters and words as she points them out as they are posted in the rooms and she speaks to the children.  Each morning the children sign in when they arrive.  Grandma is in charge of this activity and now most of the children are able to write their names so they are quite readable.  She continues to work more specifically with two children who have the most difficulty.

§          Grandma is helping children learn about being in a classroom setting with many young children in the Head Start class.  One of the things she does is help with teeth brushing.  The children are learning the procedure and are proud to show Grandma their “gleaming” teeth when finished.  The process includes returning the toothbrush to the proper location.

§          During naptime, Grandma rocks children when the room is dark and quiet music is playing.  As a child rests on her lap, the trust relationship has developed and Grandma is a safe haven in the busy day.

§          Grandma is new to Head Start this year.  The children are already forming a friendship with her as they greet her when they see her in the hall.  She is helping them learn basic skills as taking off jackets and hanging them up, feeling comfortable in their room and following the procedures at the start of the day.  These basic skills are important so more advanced learning can take place.

§          Grandma is at the Play Doh center cutting out shapes with a child.  This encompasses many developmental tasks including eye/hand coordination and small muscle development and provides an opportunity for social, intergenerational discussions.  This is a learning setting, because with an “oven” on the table to bake the food that is created, they discuss an oven, use of it, safety issues, etc. a fun, positive way to learn. 

§           The children have been to the playground which is about a ½ block away.  Grandma is the caboose when they walk back.  Grandma notes that she is well liked as the caboose and the children talk with her as they have learned to stay in line and walk appropriately so that their safety is not as great an issue as in the past.  One of the children needs her special attention to remain with the group and return to the school safely.

§           Head Start children in this particular class continue to learn basic skills of organization and appropriate behavior so tasks can be accomplished.  Grandma is a kind and caring presence often holding and rocking children so they are calm and feel safe.  One of the children is being evaluated for his ability to focus and learn. She has developed a relationship with the child as he comes to her for a hug and puts his head on her shoulder.  For this active child, this is a welcome respite on the days it happens.

§           There has been concern about one of the children in this class not being able to talk, but after evaluation, it is known that she can speak.  This is reinforced by the fact that she talks to Grandma and only Grandma.  It is very positive that she is comfortable with Grandma and has this one person to talk to.  It is obvious that Grandma is important to her because she often comes to Grandma for hugs.

Laura MacArthur:

• Grandma volunteers in kindergarten and second grade.  In kindergarten, the children are working on spelling and letter sounds.  There are four children who need extra help that Grandma provides. At the beginning of the year, the staff felt it was “hopeless” that the children would be able to accomplish this but Grandma’s 1:1 time with each child has been instrumental in helping the children learn letter sounds and increase spelling ability.    In second grade Grandma reads part of a story and then asks the children questions to see if they comprehend what they read and if they remember it.  This approach is proving to be successful with several children who previously were not able to retell the story.

• Grandma is listening to a first grade child read today.  The book is about the southwest and has pictures of cacti.  Because Grandma often travels to this part of the country, she is able to provide first-hand information about various kinds of cactus that are pictured in the story.  This provides an opportunity for the FG to share life experiences with the child.

• Volunteering in 2 kindergarten rooms fits Grandma well.  The children are learning the letter “L” and in one of the room she helps children make ladybugs.  There is always an artistic application of the letter which is Grandma’s responsibility and this is very successful in helping the children remember the letters. Using a skill which Grandma learned during a FGP training, she is helping children estimate the size of parts of Curious George using a piece of paper.  She is able to do this well because of her training.  She is also helping children learn to write their names as she helps them trace them and write their full names.  Grandma’s patience and helpfulness pays off especially for a boy who needs extra help and is showing success.

• In the other class, where the children read to her, all but 1 of the children knows all their letters.  She has helped them achieve their goals by working with them 1:1 or in small groups.

• Third grade children are writing sentences using their spelling words.  Grandma works with children 1:1 helping them complete sentences using capital letters, punctuation.  They also use the dictionary to look up words so they will be used correctly.

• Today Grandma helps a child with her spelling words which contain the letter combination “ae.”  In addition to learning to spell the words, first grade students must learn how to write the words.  A first grade girl has difficulty with this task and Grandma very patiently helps her learn to write an “a” by talking with the girl about a “circle and a tail.” The girl must then write the words in sentences.  This is a very difficult task, but Grandma’s patience and understanding helped the girl achieve some success.

• This week the kindergarten children are learning the letter “O”. She will help the children with a craft to reinforce recognizing this letter and writing it.  Grandma also volunteers in a second grade class where she is helping children learn about money; recognizing coins and their value.  This is very difficult for some of the students but some are slowly beginning to understand as Grandma helps them.

• Grandma listens to children read stories.  The requirement is that they read each of them aloud three times.  As Grandma listens, most of the children do well by the third time.

• Grandma is helping a child copying sentences where he needs to get the letters in order, place letters to make the words where there will be enough room on the line and include punctuation.  When the child completes the task, Grandma tells him how proud she is of him.  When observing, it was not evident how difficult this is for the first grade boy, but Grandma told me this is a boy who has difficulty learning and this is a great accomplishment.  The rapport, support and respect between the two are an additional, positive outcome that means so much to both.

§         At the beginning of the school year, there is much to be learned by kindergarten children.  It is expected they will know how to print their names.  Grandma, as well as several grandparents working with kindergarten children, are helping the children accomplish this task, although progress is slow.  The children print their names to the best of their abilities, grandma prints it correctly below where the children have made their attempt and then the children try to copy what she has written.  Because Grandma is present to help the children 1:1, they are learning this basic skill which involves several learning aspects including small muscle control and eye-hand coordination.  It’s more difficult than it looks for a 5 year old child.

§          Kindergarten children are learning to write their names.  Many children have an idea how to do this.  Grandma has worked with a child who was unable to accomplish this at all.  After spending 1:1 time with Grandma for two days, she is able to succeed with writing her name.

§         This grandma is an avid reader and encourages children to read using various techniques.  She suggests that they read anything, phone books, newspapers or magazines, etc.  After stressing this for the past month, two of the children told Grandma they read books over the weekend.  These were children who Grandma didn’t think would ever read without being told to do this, so she feels as if she has seen success for her efforts and may have started non-readers on the track of reading.

§          When kindergarten children do not know how to write their names, Grandma holds their hand to help them learn the shape of the letters.  Using hand over hand, she is seeing progress.  To learn to recognize words, Grandma plays Fish with them.  The children match two cards that have the same word on them.  This is fun and helps them learn letters and words as they learn to process information.

Life House: 

• Grandma has developed a wonderful relationship with the children of teen moms who come to Life House. As the children grow, Grandma provides them with new learning opportunities.  She talks to them, shows them new things and is a positive influence in their sometimes chaotic world.  She is also someone parents can talk to and trust as she has known some of the youth since they were 13 years old.  

• Grandma has a great passion for the teen moms who are in the teen parenting program.  One of the moms came to Grandma and told her she was going home.  Grandma asked why and the girl said she was tired of the other teens and their talk and was going home to study.  Grandma encouraged her to do her studies and was an understanding listener for the girl’s dilemma.  Grandma spends most of her time with the children of the teen moms and she often hears inappropriate from 2-3 year olds.  She approaches the situation by not reacting, but offering a better choice of words.

• Grandma provides a caring, intergenerational experience for teen moms and their children at this Teen Drop-In Center.  There are 3 new babies, with 2 more soon to be born, this month.  Grandma is comforting to the babies and supportive of their moms.  She helps them learn how to feed, comfort and relate to their babies.  She is realistic about the responsibility of having children and talks to the moms about what it is like to have children and all that is involved, sharing parenting skills always in a caring, non-judgmental way.  She is a constant person who the teens can count on, bringing stability to their often unstructured lives.

• Some of the children who come to Life House with their teen parents are very demanding.  They may be the only child in an unstructured house and it is important for Grandma, along with staff, to provide structure, treat all children equally and kindly.  This positive atmosphere results in children wanting to come to the childcare area. They are not uncomfortable leaving their parents who may be attending class or doing other activities.  Grandma has a wonderful rapport with the toddlers, to age 3, and is instrumental in setting the dynamics of the children’s room.

• Grandma spends time with the children at Life House and also with their teen parents.  Inappropriate language is a concern as the young children are exposed to it in a variety of settings.  Grandma is instrumental in helping the children use appropriate language and is comfortable in redirecting children with suitable words.  This role models appropriate interaction for the children and also for their parents.

• Grandma has developed a good rapport with the teens that come to the Life House.  Much of her interaction is with the teen moms and dads, but on a recent day, Grandma forgot her handicapped parking sticker.  As luck would have it, the police came to ticket her and the teens from Life House ran out and told the police not to ticket that car because it belonged to Grandma. Although this was a great show of support, the ticket was issued.  She appreciated the support she had from the teens at Life House.

Lincoln Park: 

• Grandpa has been testing students reading fluency and then working with them to help them increase this.  He has also been working with students on math.  Currently, they are learning about money and Grandpa is really surprised how many students have very little knowledge of amounts, coins, units, etc.  One boy is very bright but does not focus and is often in trouble.  He struggled with money, but Grandpa has been working 1:1 and the boy is making great progress.

• Grandma helps children learn skills that will be important by starting with basics.  She helps children learn how to put things in their bags to go home and also how to put on boots, shoes, zip jackets and button buttons.  In Minnesota with all the clothes that are required, these are difficult tasks for kindergarten children.

• This week is “R” week in this kindergarten class.  Grandma has a table with activities that reinforce the letter such as learning about raccoons.  Three children have greater difficulty and Grandma works with them to reinforce in a small group or 1:1what the class is doing.  It is slow, but with Grandma’s help, they show improvement.

• During the meeting with Grandma and her teacher, both told me of time Grandma spends with children who are behind the others in the kindergarten class.  One girl in particular has benefited from her time with Grandma.  At the beginning of the year, she had no score, 0, on the Clay test.  This is a test that requires children to recognize letters, their sounds and then be able to identify a word that starts with the sound.  The girl now has a score of 30 which is well below the expected level, but tremendous improvement for the child.  This is a class that has a number of children working below grade level and with individual education plans.  The teacher states that Grandma’s help is invaluable and is making the difference of showing some progress for these children.  The teacher and Grandma have excellent communication which is making the task much easier and more effective.  In fact, the teacher said she watched Grandma work with children last year and requested her for her room this year.

• At the end of the year, the kindergarten children are learning lowercase letters and Grandma is working on this with the children.  Some of the children can verbalize numbers but do not understand what they mean.  Grandma helps them grasp the meaning and relationship with items by having them count things such as bears. As she works with them, she has found an Etch-a-Sketch helps them visualize in a fun way the relationship.  Grandma worked with a new child in the room.  The teacher felt she was behind the other children, but in Grandma’s 1:1 experience with the child, she found that the girl is not behind and has great potential.  This might now have been realized without Grandma being able to spend individual time with her.

• Grandma has just returned from several months of being away from the site because of health reasons.  The children were so very happy to see her return.  It is obvious how important she is to the children because of the interaction.  The children walk past her and give her a hug or just stand and look at her admiringly.  They make up things they want to tell her just to interact with their friend.  Her first day back, she helped the children plant flowers for their mothers.  This was a positive way to interact, help the children accomplish the task and become reacquainted.

• Grandma has been an important part of the back to school scene.  She has welcomed the children, helped them find their names and places for their coats and backpacks and introduced them to the world of kindergarten.  This can be a scary change and it is very nice to have a grandma to help.  She has had children on her lap and hanging on her legs.  She has been an important part of the classroom and it is obvious the children find her safe and caring and this helps children transition to kindergarten.

• Grandma is a new Foster Grandma this year, but as a former teacher, she quickly adapts to the fourth grade classroom.  When walking with the students, the girl next to her tripped and Grandma helped her up asking if she was hurt. The girl continued to hold Grandma’s hand until she knew she was OK.   Being assured she was alright, Grandma and several of the girls continued down the hall and the girls were heard to say, “Grandma!”, and all engaged in a conversation sharing things with Grandma.  After only two weeks of school, it appears a good relationship has developed.

§          Sometimes individual attention is necessary.  Grandma helps a fourth grade girl read for comprehension.  As the girl reads the story, Grandma occasionally provides explanations and discussion opportunities for events in the story.  Grandma is extremely competent in in providing this activity and it gives the child the understanding she needs to complete questions about the story and also write a synopsis of it.  This child needs individual attention to understand and focus upon the material at hand. It appears that she has been successful.

§          Grandma is working on a puzzle with a child to help him learn the alphabet.  Both upper and lower case letters must be matched.  Because Grandma is available to help, she knows he is able to complete the task and it also gives the opportunity for the child to ask Grandma if putting various letters together form a word as he is anxious to learn to read.

§          One of the children is not able to identify words.  When talking about these words and children need to identify them when they are written, Grandma holds the child’s hand and helps him circle the appropriate word.  This child also needs help learning to write his name and can’t color.  All of these tasks are improving, but this is happening because Grandma spends addition time with him individually.  This is also a child who does not talk much at all, but he will whisper to Grandma.  He feels safe and accepted with her.

Lowell:

• During her first month as a Foster Grandparent, Grandma is amazed at what the children are able to accomplish when she works with them 1:1.  One of the girls in the class is not a native English speaker.  On a particular day, Grandma observed the girl had completed her assignment much before the other students.  Grandma asked to see her work and found that nothing was correct.  Because the child did not understand directions and words, with Grandma’s help and explanation she was able to complete the work with everything correct.  Without an observant Foster Grandparent available to help, the child would not have been able to understand and learn from the assignment.

• This morning Grandma feels she has been rewarded for her efforts.  She was asked to read with a child who has difficulties with in the literacy area.  Grandma read two paragraphs and the child read two.  They discussed the story and words that the child did not understand.  The child was successful using this method and accomplished the task because of the interaction with Grandma.  She will be able to use this method in the future to help the child.  As a new grandma this year, Marge is seeing positive relationships develop and is realizing positive academic accomplishments.

Nettleton: 

• Grandpa works with 5^th grade students in the math lab 3 days/week.  Many of the students have attention difficulties and with Grandpa’s help they focus better and accomplish tasks.  Grandpa is concerned with the student’s lack of ability to spell.  He has found that if he takes them aside away from the group, he is able to work with them and spelling abilities increase. 

• Grandpa does a lot of mentoring.  Many of the children find learning difficult, especially math where Grandpa tutors each day, but Grandpa is finding that 1:1 time with the children makes a big difference and they are able to return to their tasks and gain some understanding.  Realizing that many of the children in the classes where he volunteers may not have adults at home who are able to spend time with the children, he has learned that the children crave attention and his interaction with them is an important piece of raising their self-worth.

• Grandpa believes he is more accepted than he was at the beginning of the year.  He has great care and concern for the children at this school.  Most of the children have great needs and may come from homes where there are not adults who have time to communicate with the children.  He redirects the children and they respect him for doing so.  The fifth graders know he cares about them because he provides the structure they need to thrive.

• Grandpa is especially tuned to the needs of the children and listens carefully so he is able to relate to them.  He has realized one of the children functions best when he is given responsibility.  Today Grandpa brought granola bars for the children and put this 5^th grade boy in charge of handing them out.  Although several of the children came and asked Grandpa about the treat, Grandpa told the boy he could pass them out when he felt the time was best.  This activity will provide an opportunity for the child to be in a leadership role, gain respect from the other children and increase his self-esteem.  This is a positive opportunity Grandpa provided for the boy.

• Grandma is a new Foster Grandma.  One of the first days she was present, she noticed a boy crying and asked why he was doing this.  He said he missed his Dad.  Grandma asked where his Dad was, the reply, “He’s in prison because he killed a man.”  Holding back tears herself, Grandma realized the importance of a Foster Grandparent as a positive, constant mentor in this child’s life and probably many others also.  Her response to the child-a hug!

Piedmont: 

• After reading with a 2^nd grade child, Grandma has developed a relationship with the child and he is more comfortable coming to her for help.  This has taken a while to develop, so it is good new this has happened and the child’s reading is improving.

• Grandma has also been helping children with reading comprehension by reading short stories to them and helping them complete questions about the stories.  Grandma is helpful in teaching them how to look for the information they need to accomplish the assignment.  She helps children focus and assist them to learn how to comprehend what they are reading.

• Grandma works with first graders where she is a bit surprised to learn that children have difficulty with numbers as much as they do.  The children have particular difficulty with teens and Grandma works with them attempting to explain these numbers.  She uses manipulatives such as tiles and the children put them in order while saying the numbers.  This 1:1 leads to greater achievement than remaining in the larger class where the teacher is not able to help all of the children.

• Grandma has been working with a 2^nd grade boy whose mother does not have time to listen to him read.  She has developed a positive relationship with the boy and he now looks forward to reading with her.  His reading is very good and he has an intergenerational experience which he does not have in other settings.  Because of Grandma, he is able to read the required number of books to an adult.

• I observed Grandma listening to the children and helping them individually as they sound out the last group of Dolch words they are required to know this school year.  Many of these words do not make sense phonetically and are difficult for first graders to comprehend, but with Grandmas help, 6 children now know all the words. Grandma is also listening to students read books individually that have many words that contain the letter they are studying.  Children must first tell Grandma the key words listed in the back of the book.  This 1:1 attention assures that the children know what they are expected to know by the end of the school, increases their reading fluency and provides an intergenerational experience for both Grandma and the children.

• At the close of the school year, Grandma and the teacher both express how much progress has been made in a first grade class that had challenging students.  Both note that the children are now able to sit still and focus so they can learn what is expected.  Grandma has worked 1:1 with the children and by doing so, she has been a part of helping them do this and outcomes are better than anticipated

§         Grandma is listening to children read and discussing the stories with the children.  She shares additional information about things that are in the pictures which the children may not know, but from life experience, Grandma is able to share.  By doing this, she expands their horizons.

§         Grandma can often be found helping children 1:1 in the hallway.  Her caring attitude and interest in the children helps them achieve success not only when she is helping them, but when they return to the classroom.  She has respect for the children and always introduces the children to me, her Area Supervisor, when I visit.  A child transferred into Piedmont and she is not able to count and recognize numbers.  Starting with number one, Grandma is helping her by using manipulatives so she is able not only to verbally count, but also recognize the numbers.  She is making progress because Grandma is able to work individually with her and provide the support she needs to start finding success.

§          Grandma works with the children to help them learn their Dolsch words.  She continues to go through them until they can do them without difficulty.  With a larger classroom, it is grandma’s 1:1 help that helps the children learn the words.  She works with a couple of children on fluency.  They may have learned the dolsch words, but to put them with other words and read material fluently takes additional support.  As Grandma continues to work with the children, they are showing improvement.

Raleigh-Edison: 

• Grandma reads with a child who lacks consistency in their work and has behavior issues.  This child can be very manipulative, but Grandma has found the child will relate better to her because she is not the authority figure of staff.  She uses games to help the child learn and by doing so, the child is more relaxed and has good outcomes.

• One of the children in this first grade class benefits from 1:1 attention.  Grandma helps her focus so she can do her math to the best of her ability.  Because the girl has difficulty focusing, they are playing a matching game to help improve this need in a fun, positive way.  The girl is having a good time and there is positive interaction between her and Grandma.

• Grandma helps two girls who have learning disabilities.  One of the children is working on writing.  She knows the letters and sounds and is working on putting them together in sentences.  She can copy words and can verbalize sounds and words, but it is difficult for her to transition them to paper.  When Grandma helps her, she is learning to accomplish this.

• In this second grade class, Grandma often helps the children with math.  Today, the children played a pizza game where they learned fractions by dividing the pieces and then figuring out what pieces it would take to make it whole again.  This hands-on learning experience is a positive method for the active children in this class to learn and it is important to have Grandma to ask the right questions and help children know how fractions make up a whole.  With Grandma’s help, the class accomplished this goal today.

• Grandma has been working with a child who could not name the letters or do his work.  Because of Grandma’s help, he is now third in the class in fluency.

• Second grade students learned a new way to do multiplication and even Grandma was fascinated.  She worked on this with a boy who functions much better 1:1 where he is not easily distracted and today he was able to multiply using the new method.

• When visiting during the second week of school, Grandma shared about a child who is having a very difficult time separating from her mother spending quite a bit of time crying.  Grandma has been trying to support her and at Grandma’s suggestion, they wrote a letter to her mother providing the opportunity for the child to share her feelings.  This provided a wonderful generational opportunity for both in addition to an older adult mentoring a child to provide caring support.  It helped the child feel she was connected with her mother during the school day.

• I visited Grandma on Halloween when children were playing pumpkin bowling.  There was great respect for each other in the classroom including for Grandma.  She was an important part of the children learning how to roll the pumpkin, waiting their turn and the dynamics of the game.  She was instrumental in praising the children for their efforts as the activity is more difficult than it appears.  This was a relationship building activity, among other things, that is beneficial when she tutors the children.  They respect her help, especially three children with whom she tutors reading.  These children are showing improvement in reading skills and focus as she helps them individually. 

§         Grandma comes to the school earlier on mornings when the students have reading first thing.  There are four students who benefit from her special attention as they have difficulty focusing.  Because Grandma is with them, they complete their work and do so correctly.  During social studies she helps the students read the information and then write a summary.  This involves comprehension skills, language ability and spelling.  They are much more successful when Grandma is present.

Stowe Elementary:

• The Grandma in this school setting work with a different classroom and teacher each hour.  In the fourth grade classroom, she worked for several weeks with one boy who was struggling to finish his assignments.  After working with him on a very difficult concept the boy had a breakthrough in learning.  When her received his homework back with a star, her was so overjoyed that he hugged is paper and then he hugged is Foster Grandparent.  Grandma was very pleased her could help this young man succeed.

YWCA Daycare, Spirit Valley:

• There have been several personnel changes at this Daycare, but Grandma has been the consistent person for the babies.  Her love for them and the relationship that she has is evident as a little one tries to climb up her leg to be held.  The room supervisor notes that when Grandma leaves the room, the children cry for her.

• Grandma is a special friend to babies and toddlers at the Daycare.  Grandma is in the toddler room at nap time to help quiet the children and put them to sleep.  Several of these children know Grandma because they have recently moved to this room from the baby room.  Grandma has a very special relationship with a child who has a rare syndrome.  He relates well to her and comes to her for her attention and love asking her to pick him up as he raises his arms to her.  Although the child has a care attendant with him, he will most often come to Grandma.  On this day, he was examining a toy with a ball that rolled in it.  He was so proud to show this to Grandma as the two examined it together.  For the child to roll the ball back and forth is an accomplishment and it is a joy to see Grandma and the child accomplish beyond expectations.

• It is easy to tell when you enter the room where Grandma is because the children are clustered around her.  Toddlers have been playing hide and seek and they love to find Grandma.  One of the children is particularly difficult at this age often throwing temper tantrums.  Grandma is most often the person who can calm him and help him feel less frustrated.  Today she is rocking him to sleep for his afternoon nap and he is very calm and peaceful and the child is able to function within expected guidelines.

• All the babies love Grandma.  There is a new baby in the room and Grandma has already developed a relationship with the child and she is able to rock her, give her a bottle and she goes to sleep.  In a brief time, she and the month old baby have established a relationship

• Grandma continues to be a favorite adult in the baby room.  There is a new 8 week old baby who is very comfortable in Grandma’s arms as he drinks his bottle and grasps her finger as he finishes his bottle.  Following a few moments of being fussy, he looks around and is happy in her arms.

• It is frustrating for babies to learn to crawl and turn over.  Grandma has a way with babies and was observed encouraging the baby to go after a toy that was placed in front of him.  It was a struggle, he almost made it, but Grandma turned him on his back after trying so hard and he became very frustrated.  She knew his limitations and that he does not like to be on his stomach.

• The site now has 5 month old twins and Grandma, being a twin herself, shares she is able to relate to them because of her relationship with her twin sister.  This is a positive experience for her as she thinks about and relates her experiences growing up as a twin.

• The baby room is now full to capacity and Grandma is very busy with 8 children younger than 15 months.  There are several children who Grandma has been helping learning to stand and then encouraging them to try to take a step.  She sits on the floor and provides incentives such as toys and vocal encouragement so they will attempt to take a step. They are standing well and walking around things, so it is just a matter of time and encouragement before they begin taking steps.

§         Grandma is holding a 3 month old baby who is very content in her arms.  The child is trying to turn over and lift itself and Grandma provides opportunities to do so.  She shows him pictures on the wall and the baby is very interested in looking at each.  He is curious and his eyes focus well.  He appears to be stimulated by Grandma and developing beyond what is expected for this age child.

Hermantown

Hermantown Head Start:

• Grandma eats with the Head Start children.  On this day during snack time, she was visiting with the children and gently reminding them to carefully pour their milk, eat politely and throw away their paper plates and napkins when they were done.  This was a very pleasant experience for all it appeared as all they children were very appropriate and well mannered.  They respect and enjoy having Grandma at their table.

• Grandma is at the clay table. She gives the children a lump of clay and helps them envision what they want to create.  She develops a positive relationship with the children as they talk together while making the shapes-today animals.  Although children have a good time doing this, they are also developing small muscles, eye-hand coordination and social skills as they talk together about the project.  She also helps the children learn to write their names by showing them the shapes of the letters.  The Head Start children are mastering this skill. They have all learned to put on snow pants as Grandma has helped them learn how to zip and button.

• Grandma continues to help children learn to write their names.  She prints them for the children and the children copy them.  Several of the children have accomplished this task this month.  The children are learning the days of the week.  They have a calendar which they look at each morning and then during lunch or other times when Grandma interacts with the children, she talks with them about the day it is.  The children are able to carry on a conversation about the days of the week with her as they learn the sequence of days.

• Grandma goes to the playground with the children.  It is difficult for children to learn to get on a swing and pump, but is a skill that children are expected to learn in Head Start. Grandma is important in helping the children learn this activity that involves coordination, small and large muscles and confidence.  Most of the older children have accomplished this activity.

Proctor

Bayview Elementary School

• Grandma’s table has a selection of books for the children to read with her as they progress through the series of reading books.  They have a practice notebook they do with Grandma if they need extra help.  Additionally at her table, Grandma has 3-dimentional cubes, pyramids, cylinders, rectangles, prisms and spheres to help the children learn and recognize these shapes.  Most of the children know the easier ones, but the more challenging ones she continues to work on with them.  This 1:1 opportunity provides the children with hands-on learning which is very effective and children are progressing with the task.

• There are three children who arrive before school starts to receive individual help from Grandma.  She works with them on first grade words and reading.  She sees some progress, but also says success may depend upon the children’s mood that day.  One of the children has difficulty with tests, but when Grandma asks him the test questions individually and explains what the questions mean, he understands and is able to answer.  Children must learn four sheets of words this year.  Some of them are only on the first sheet, but Grandma works 1:1 with the children who are having difficulty and they are showing progress.  This individual help would not be available without a Foster Grandma. 

• Kindergarten children are learning about denominations of money.  Grandma is teaching them about pennies, nickels, quarters, etc. and how many of each makes up the next amount. Children are given bags of money which they count and make put together to make the amount Grandma asks them for.  This is a challenging task, but with Grandma’s help, they are learning.

• Grandma worked with kindergarten children as they made clocks to help them learn to tell time.  Today, they cut out the pieces of the clock. Under Grandma’s watchful eye and support, it involved cutting separate legs (they are to look like Mickey Mouse.) that they had to paste on paper plates and then color Mickey. The children had to be careful not to cut off the ears or teeth.  Grandma will now help with teaching the children to tell time using the clocks she helped them make.

• It is important that first graders are able to write their names by the end of the year.  Grandma is working with those few children who are still having difficulty.  She also listens to children read books that are at their grade level.  Because Grandma is able to take the time to listen to children read them, possibly as many as three times, the children learn to read each book.  She goes over the words of the day several times until they can say and write them.  Grandma has worked on shapes with the children this year and now all the children can name all of the shapes she shows them.

• The first grade children are learning to count money.  Grandma gives them a pile of coins they have to count them.  Only two children were having difficulty with the amounts they should be able to count so she has spent more time with these children.  One of the children is now about to accomplish this skill and she remains patient with the other child trying to find a way to help him overcome his frustration and master the task.  Grandma will keep trying because she is able to spend the 1:1 time with the child and the teacher does not have this luxury.

• Already early in the year, the teacher has realized that children do not recognize letters.  Grandma has cards with letters on them and the children pick them up and put them in order from a mixed-up pile.  This is Grandma’s assigned task to help bring the children up to expected grade level.  It is fun and she sees the children learning.

§          Grandma often works 1:1 at her table with children who need individual attention.  At the beginning of the year, she is helping students understand instructions because when the teacher gives directions to the entire class, some students do not comprehend how they are to complete the task.  She also works individually on writing numbers.  Many of the children are having difficulty and write numbers backwards.  Grandma is able to help them get them turned around going the right direction.  Sometimes encouragement is needed just to help children focus and they are able to complete the task.

§         Grandma spends time with a child who doesn’t know his letters, but 1:1 time is helping.  Another child does not know how to color and when he tries, it is important that he receive reassurance from Grandma.  This child often needs a hug and Grandma is able to provide not only the academic help he needs, but also helps him understand that she cares about him and helps build his self-esteem.

St. Rose Elementary School

• This Grandma has been working with a child for two years and he is showing progress.  She has been concerned about a child who did not do his homework.  After investigating this situation, it was found the boy has no time for homework at home.  Consequently, Grandma is now working with the boy and spending time to help him accomplish what he does not have time to do at home.  This is also helping his self-esteem as someone will take time with him.

• Grandma has seen improvement as she works with a girl who is in a 4/5 grade class, but is reading at third grade level with the 1:1 interaction she provides.  Grandma will teach a life skill and proper etiquette by sending a thank you note to a child who gave her chocolate for Valentine’s Day. 

• Grandma loves being a Foster Grandma.  She spends time with two second grade children who have difficulty focusing and getting their work done.  When Grandma works with them 1:1, they are much better able to accomplish the assigned tasks.  If they do not concentrate, the plan is they return to class without a completed assignment.  Grandma helps the children understand that focus and accomplishment are important and are life skills to accomplish success in many areas of life.

• Grandma has been working with a girl who has had difficulty with reading and spelling.  After receiving help from Grandma, the girl gets 100% on her spelling and she is taking time to sound out words so she is reading much better and understanding the material. 

• Grandma spends time each day with a fifth grade girl who is not able to keep up with the class academically.  Working on spelling, she goes over the words every day so that now at the end of the school year she is now getting no more than one word wrong each week.  Grandma also works with the girl on reading.  She has shown significant progress because she is now reading chapter books which are more interesting for the girl even if they are not at the expected grade level.

• A kindergarten child needs help with learning letters and identifying her name.  Grandma has some success with quite a few letters at the beginning of the year as they go over them together.

• One of the children in third grade is quite defiant.  He doesn’t want to study so Grandma has to help him focus and complete his work.  The child is seeing a reading specialist and Grandma has been asked to read to the child and then ask questions to see how much the child comprehends.  In the 1:1 setting with Grandma, he does very well. 

Saginaw

Caribou Lake Elementary

• Grandma is a new Foster Grandma and is getting to know the children and developing relationships with them in this K-2^nd grade school.  She is working with a small group in one of the rooms listening to them read at a faster pace for fluency.  It is important that this happen and the children comprehend what they read.  Grandma is noticing improvement in the short time she has been listening to them.

• Grandma is spending time with a first grade boy who has a very short attention span. After they read a book, she cuts the book apart and the boy then puts it back together and reads it to Grandma.  He then has a book to take home to read to his family.  She is helping children with math/reading.  This child also needs help to focus when trying to read a number and find the correlating number (seven=7).  He is showing improvement in the month that Grandma has spent time with him.

• In a second grade class, Grandma is helping three children each day who having difficulty in math.  The teacher has the materials ready for Grandma so she is able to work effectively with the children.  They have obtained the expected outcomes for this grade level because of the consistent, targeted time Grandma spends with them.

• Grandma regularly helps a first grade child who, when Grandma started volunteering early this year, knew no sounds.  Now after spending time 1:1 with him, he knows all long and short letter sounds.  She also spends time with a girl who initially wanted nothing to do with Grandma, was argumentative and always wanted to be in control.  She is now working better with Grandma as they read together and is more receptive to accomplishing the task for which Grandma compliments her.

§          In the hall with a first grade student, Grandma is helping her with math.  The child has attention issues and although she appears to know how to count, addition is difficult.  To help her remain actively involved, Grandma has the child draw circles to represent the numbers she is to add together.  Through active learning, the child counts to find the correct sum.  Grandma is perceptive in realizing that because of focus issues, the child must use active methods.

§          Grandma see the need for three first and second grade children to spend 1:1 time with her because they fall behind in the classroom because they are not able to focus.  The teachers send the children into the hall with Grandma and two of the three children are able to complete the work that is assigned..