Project Grant 21SFBPA002

THE FOSTER GRANDPARENT PROGRAM (FGP) WILL PROVIDE HIGH-QUALITY AND IMPACTFUL INTERGENERATIONAL SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES THROUGHOUT BERKS COUNTY. AS PART OF THIS PROGRAM, SENIOR CITIZENS AND COLLEGE STUDENTS WILL WORK TOGETHER TO HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON K-12 ACADEMIC SUCCESS AND SCHOOL READINESS OUTCOMES FOR HIGH-NEED CHILDREN IN AND AROUND READING, PA, ONE OF THE MOST ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED CITIES IN THE COUNTRY. AN ESTIMATED 60 FOSTER GRANDPARENT VOLUNTEERS WILL SERVE PRIMARILY AT ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS, AND HEAD START CENTERS ACROSS BERKS COUNTY, IN ADDITION TO SUPPORTING THE READING YOUTH INITIATIVE THROUGH ALVERNIA UNIVERSITY. FOR EACH OF THESE STATIONS, STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL OR EXCEPTIONAL NEEDS ARE REFERRED TO THE PROGRAM BY THEIR TEACHERS AND MATCHED WITH A FOSTER GRANDPARENT. THE FOSTER GRANDPARENT PROGRAM AT ALVERNIA UNIVERSITY WILL WORK IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE CNCS FOCUS AREA OF EDUCATION THROUGH PROGRAMMING WHICH TARGETS K-12 SUCCESS AND SCHOOL READINESS. FOSTER GRANDPARENT ACTIVITIES WILL INCLUDE HOMEWORK HELP, INCREASING LITERACY PROFICIENCY, TUTORING AND MENTORING. FOSTER GRANDPARENTS WILL PROVIDE VOLUNTEER SERVICE WITH CHILDREN DURING THE DAY IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, HEAD START EARLY EDUCATION CENTERS, AND AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF READING AND BERKS COUNTY. AT THE END OF THE PREVIOUS THREE-YEAR GRANT, MORE THAN 93,000 SERVICE HOURS WERE GENERATED TO AID IN THE IMPROVEMENT OF ACADEMIC SKILLS OF MORE THAN 820 CHILDREN THROUGHOUT BERKS COUNTY. THE CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE FEDERAL INVESTMENT OF $300,000 WILL BE SUPPLEMENTED BY THE $33,359 GRANTEE SHARE FROM ALVERNIA UNIVERSITY. DUE TO THE IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC MANY OF THE SCHOOLS IN BERKS COUNTY HAVE GONE FULLY VIRTUAL OR HAVE IMPLEMENTED A HYBRID SYSTEM. UNFORTUNATELY, FOR US THIS HAS CAUSED OUR NUMBER OF SERVICE HOURS TO DECREASE BECAUSE MANY OF OUR VOLUNTEERS DO NOT HAVE THE NECESSARY TECHNOLOGY TO PARTICIPATE IN VIRTUAL LEARNING. IN ORDER TO COMPENSATE FOR THE DECLINE, WE HAVE CREATED A PEN PAL PROGRAM THAT ALLOWS OUR VOLUNTEERS TO INTERACT WITH THE STUDENTS FROM THE SAFETY OF THEIR HOME. WE PLAN ON CONTINUING THIS ALTERNATIVE WAY OF INTERACTION UNTIL THE SCHOOLS REOPEN AND AGAIN ALLOW FOR IN-PERSON VOLUNTEERS TO SERVE IN THE SCHOOLS.