GrandPal Program in Princeton, New Jersey Livability in Action

A Grand Program Creates Grand Pals

A partnership between a school system and a senior center benefits older people and very young pupils

Photo courtesy Princeton Senior Resource Center Princeton's GrandPals program fosters positive intergenerational relationships. A partnership of and the , the connects local kindergarteners and first- and second-graders with grandparent-esque volunteers (ranging in age from their late 40s to mid 90s) who commit to visiting the school once a week to read and talk to the children. The program grew out of a reading experiment at one school in 1997. With the stated goals "to foster positive intergenerational relationships and to create a lifelong love of reading and learning in our young children," GrandPals now pairs about 110 volunteers with more than 250 children at four schools. The bonds between the student and grown-up GrandPals (the term is used to describe both the kids and the adults) are formed quickly. "As I entered the first-grade class, my two darling GrandPals, Andre and Jon, came running over to me. One hugged my legs so tightly it was hard to walk, while the other piped up, 'This is my favorite part of my favorite day!'" In 30- to 40-minute sessions at each school’s library, GrandPals usually meet with the same children for the entire school year. However, says GrandPals director Olivian Boon: "We often get new students in the middle of the year, most of whom do not speak English. We try to match them with someone who speaks their language, who can ease them into the stories. We've been able to provide GrandPals who speak Greek, Mandarin, French, German and Spanish, among other languages." Teachers find that the intergenerational program helps young children focus and encourages shy youngsters to become more social. The GrandPal get-togethers also provide the small students with some quiet time during their busy school day. Because the teachers work with many of the same GrandPals from year to year, they know which GrandPal they can assign to the reserved child, to the overly active youngster, to the student who needs special encouragement and to the child who simply needs a good, friendly listener. Princeton is a member of the This article is adapted from the "Work, Volunteerism and Opportunity" chapter of the AARP book . Download or order your free copy. Page published February 2018

You May Also Like

Subscribe to the award-winning Learn which communities are in the

AARP org Livable

Enter a topic, name, place, etc. See past issues:

Our Free Publications

See the complete list at

Follow Us

Facebook: Twitter:

Contact Us

Email AARP Livable Communities at .

Ask about the AARP Livability Index by completing this .

AARP Members: For questions about your benefits, AARP The Magazine or the AARP Bulletin, visit the page or call 1-888-OUR-AARP (1-888-687-2277). Cancel You are leaving AARP.org and going to the website of our trusted provider. The provider’s terms, conditions and policies apply. Please return to AARP.org to learn more about other benefits. Your email address is now confirmed. You'll start receiving the latest news, benefits, events, and programs related to AARP's mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age. You can also by updating your account at anytime. You will be asked to register or log in. Cancel Offer Details Disclosures

Close In the next 24 hours, you will receive an email to confirm your subscription to receive emails related to AARP volunteering. Once you confirm that subscription, you will regularly receive communications related to AARP volunteering. In the meantime, please feel free to search for ways to make a difference in your community at Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again.