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Linking Young and Old
Three local organizations are collaborating on plans for an intergenerational child-care facility
on Fort Wayne's southeast side
Jennifer L. Boen, news-sentinel.com
November 10, 2004
Envision preschoolers going to a day-care center where they are greeted by smiles and hugs from resident grandmas and grandpas.
In the town square, generations paint and color together. In the infant area, a crying baby's tears are wiped away by an elderly woman's soft, wrinkled hand. A wide-eyed 4-year-old, who has no grandfather of his own, watches as a white-haired man with a cane helps him build a birdhouse. A little girl gets a cooking lesson from a woman who comes in her wheelchair each day from an apartment.
These images are the dreams of three groups collaborating on Allen County's first intergenerational child-care program. The proposed Children's Village would be built on the northwest side of Lutheran Home, 6701 S. Anthony Blvd. About 500 seniors live in the nursing home and the adjacent Concord Village independent-living apartment complex.
To cost an estimated $2.3 million, the 12,500-square-foot center is the project of Lutheran Social Services and Lutheran Homes Inc. Groundbreaking is scheduled for next summer, with anticipated opening in August 2006. Early Childhood Alliance is providing expertise on the design of the facility, staff and volunteer training, and the early-childhood- education curriculum. The center will be operated under the auspices of Lutheran Social Services, with Lutheran Home as landlord.
According to studies by Early Childhood Alliance, the southeast side of Fort Wayne is in need of licensed day-care centers offering infant and toddler care. In the Lutheran Home 46816 Zip code, there is only one licensed facility offering infant care and only 12 family child-care homes, said Pam Leffers, director of programs for the alliance. Of the 1,509 children receiving federal vouchers for child care in the southeast quadrant of Fort Wayne, only 291 were cared for in licensed centers.
While some child-care centers use older adult volunteers and paid staff, the focus of Children's Village is to encourage shared activities and space.
"There is intentionality in this. The teaching staff has to know that everything they do is meaningful for both age groups," Leffers said.
Several years ago, some members of Lutheran Home's staff visited Montefiore Home in Cleveland, a child-care and long-term-care facility in one.
"When we saw what these children did for the residents, even those with Alzheimer's, we came back with a dream that this . program will not only brighten the children's lives but will enhance the seniors' lives," said Gloria Baumgartner, marketing director for Lutheran Homes.
Interaction
Children's Village encourages hands-on interaction for those who desire such involvement, but the building design also enables residents to observe children through large windows on the classrooms, from the covered porch overlooking one of two fenced playgrounds, and through windows looking into the baby rooms. The training curriculum for seniors who volunteer will be an important component of the program, Leffers said.
"I also envision the seniors getting involved with the parents," said Kathleen Nern, chief program officer for Lutheran Social Services.
"So many of us don't live close to parents. I may involve some sort of formal or informal mentorship between the parents and the seniors."
Nern hopes other services for parents and families will be offered at Children's Village, such as the ECHO program - Education Creates Hope and Opportunity - teen parenting classes, case management and counseling services.
"The faith component will be important also," Nern said. "The kids could be involved in chapel services with seniors and elders. I could see some of the elders making things for the center - making puppets or multicultural costumes."
Children interacting regularly with elderly who use wheelchairs, walkers and canes makes the aging process normal for youngsters, Leffers said. When children are not exposed to the elderly in a natural way, "They can have a real negative image of the elderly," she said. "They see them as ill."
Elsewhere
Project organizers visited other intergenerational programs, including Early Adventures Child Care in Lutheran Home's sister facility, Shepherd of the Hills in Kendallville, and the Robin's Nest in Fishers.
At Early Adventures, "One woman goes there every day at 11 a.m.," Baumgartner said. "She feeds the babies in high chairs, rocks babies who need extra attention. It's given her real joy." At Robin's Nest, she watched an elderly man write stories for the children. "He made up stories about the children with their names in the stories."
Concord Village resident Vivian Purvis, 85, does not have grandchildren in the area.
"There are so many of us who do not have family here. We have no chance to see our grandchildren or to see them very often," she said. On days when Purvis volunteers at Lutheran Hospital, she delights in seeing the entourage of children from Lutheran's Child Development Center visiting the hospital.
"When they bring these little ones in, I just love it. I can see me interacting with these (Children's Village) children. I think it will be a great opportunity for us at Concord Village."
Purvis visited Early Adventures within Shepherd of the Hills in Kendallville. "It was just great to see how these children nestled up to the older ones. It does as much for the older people as it does for the children," she said. "It will be a wonderful thing here."
There also is need for summer activities for older children in the area, said Stan Veit, executive director of Lutheran Social Services. The goal is to offer camps and summer programs for school-age children at the new facility, which includes built-in plans for future expansion.
LSS is in the process of applying for grants to help with construction costs, Veit said.
"This is a win-win situation for everybody," he said. "We hope to make this the best possible state-of-the-art child-care facility."
Submitted illustrations
At Children's Village, residents of Lutheran Home and Concord Village will have the opportunity to care for children and share activities with them.
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