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Foster Grandparents Assisting in the Development of Children

Foster Grandparents Assisting in the Development of Children. Presented by Sherry Black, Director Chattanooga Human Services Foster Grandparent Program. History of the Foster Grandparent Program.

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Foster Grandparents Assisting in the Development of Children

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  1. Foster Grandparents Assisting in the Development of Children Presented by Sherry Black, Director Chattanooga Human Services Foster Grandparent Program

  2. History of the Foster Grandparent Program • President Johnson established in 1965 as a “war on poverty” project to assist older Americans on fixed incomes • Today, administered under the Corporation for National and Community Service that provides federal grants for national service programs • It is the oldest and largest program in the National Senior Service Corps, authorized by Title II of the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973.

  3. What is the Purpose of the Foster Grandparent Program? Mission – 1.) Provide opportunities for older persons to give 1,044 hours annually to non-profits in their local communities addressing critical needs in the areas of education, human needs, public safety and health. 2.) Provide one-on-one assistance to special and exceptional needs children helping them to improve in their specific needed areas of development.

  4. National Facts • There are 350 programs--in every state, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands • 29,000 Foster Grandparent volunteers give over 24 million hours annually • More than 225,000 children benefit from one-on-one assistance

  5. State and Local Facts • Nine Foster Grandparent Programs in the state of Tennessee engage 696 seniors in significant service to others in 28 counties • Locally, we are federally funded for 95 Foster Grandparents serving 3 counties, Hamilton, Bradley, and McMinn. They will serve a minimum of 99,180 hours providing assistance to their assigned special and exceptional needs children.

  6. FGP: The Volunteers • Foster Grandparents must be 60 years of age and older living on incomes less than 135% of the poverty income guideline, pass a physical exam and background check. • FGP provides volunteers the opportunity to use the talents, skills, and wisdom they have accumulated over a lifetime. Seniors in general are not valued or respected in today’s society. Low-income seniors are particularly devalued because: Economic status Not traditionally those who participate in community activities.

  7. Volunteer Benefits • FGP provides volunteers a modest non-taxable stipend of $2.65 which enable volunteers to serve at little or no cost to themselves • Also receive an annual physical, daily meal, transportation reimbursement, paid personal leave, holidays, and vacation • Provided 40 hours pre-service and 4 hours monthly training thereafter • Support throughout their tenure as Foster Grandparents. Through their service, our grandparents say they feel and stay healthier, that they feel needed and productive. Most importantly, they leave the next generation a legacy of skills, perspective and knowledge that has been learned the hard way— through experience.

  8. FGP: The Children • Through our volunteers, we also provide person-to-person service to infants, children and youth under the age of 21 who have special or exceptional needs. • Foster Grandparents are assigned 2 or more identified children. Goal--improve their developmental levels (CCP handout). With the dynamics in family life today, many children with disabilities and special needs lack a consistent, stable older adult role model in their lives. Often times, the Foster Grandparent is the only one in a child’s life who accepts the child unconditionally, offers positive encouragement and praises their successes.

  9. The Children Continued • FGP focuses its resources where they will have the most impact: early intervention services and literacy activities. • The majority work intensively with very young children to address their problems at as early an age as possible, before they enter school. • Thirty-one Foster Grandparents are addressing literacy in Head Starts, forty are assigned to pre-elementary day cares, fifteen help in physical disabilities programs and remaining deal with elementary and public safety issues.

  10. How Foster Grandparents Can Help Special Needs Children • Mentor teen parents, model parental skills • Offer emotional and physical support • Assist children with developmental, speech, or physical disabilities. Their specific needed areas may include self-help, fine & gross motor, cognitive, social, language, and emotional • Reinforce literacy skills in classrooms • Help guide and serve as mentors/coaches to youth and more

  11. What Difference Does It Make? Impact results for fiscal year 2002-03: *118 older Americans supplemented staff at 30 non-profits in Chattanooga, Cleveland and Athens. * 590 assigned children received daily one-on-one assistance, others in classroom also benefited. * 95% of Foster Grandparents achieved their goals with their assigned children. Majority improved in two or more areas. * 59% of the grandparents evaluated received a 98-100 “Excellent” rating on 23 evaluated areas. * Out of a possible 5, volunteers overall level of satisfaction with FGP was 4.67. * Foster Grandparents gave a minimum of 101,839 hours of service to the community saving non-profits and tax-payers $1,731,264.36, based on the Independent Sector service hour rate.

  12. FGP: Cost Effective Service • FGP serves our community in a high quality, efficient and cost-effective manner, saving local communities money by helping older Americans stay independent and healthy by providing services to non-profits. • The annual federal cost for providing one Foster Grandparent is $3,583. Local contributions cover an additional $925—cost $4.32 an hour, it doesn’t get better than this.

  13. FGP: The Volunteer Station • Locally, 30 Memorandums of Understanding are negotiated with public and private non-profit agencies and proprietary health care facilities including public schools, secular and faith based child care centers, hospitals, emergency shelters, and youth homes. Sites are added based on: community needs and support of 3 or more volunteers. Requirements: • Supervision of Foster Grandparents. • Identify professional assessed children to be assigned and foster grandparent volunteers duties and goals. • Complete federally required FGP documents as requested. • In-Kind support such as meals, transportation, recognition. • Assure adequate health/safety provisions are provided. • Assist with training covering job and policies. • Discrimination Prohibited. Program will be operated in compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 504 – Handicap Accessibility. (MOU handout)

  14. Requesting the services of the Foster Grandparent Program • Contact the Chattanooga FGP at 423-757-5509 or e-mail black_sherry@mail.chattanooga.gov • Explain your compelling community need and how many Foster Grandparents you would like to serve at your site. • Identify children’s needs and activities to be performed by the Foster Grandparents • Establish desired accomplishments (what will be done) and impacts (what will change). (PFI handout) • To find out more, check out web site: www.cns.gov

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