“Grandfriends” Transcends Generations
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After seven years as a lead teacher at JCC Chicago ‘Z’ Frank Apachi Early Childhood, I stumbled upon a life altering national intergenerational fellowship opportunity envisioned by Ideal18 and funded through a generous grant by the Covenant Foundation. They were seeking classroom educators and administrators in Jewish early childhood who were intent on becoming activists and leaders in combating ageism and connecting generations for the mutual benefit of all.
The concept of “connecting generations” simply sounded right to me. After all, aren’t we better together? As our Sheva lens Tzelem Elohim teaches, each person’s spark is part of a larger flame; together we can brighten each other’s lives and the world in which we live. Research shows that everyone engaged in intergenerational programming benefits from their involvement. Older adults report an overall improved quality of life, including better health, increased social interaction and connection to the community. Children demonstrate higher levels of interactive play, improved empathy and increased acceptance of others. There’s so much we can gain and learn from one another across all ages and stages of the lifecycle.
After being accepted into a cohort of thirteen educators/administrators from around the country, each fellow and host institution agreed to create and sustain an intergenerational program in year three of the fellowship. The result of this was the “Grandfriends Program” which was launched in November 2022 at ‘Z’ Frank Apachi Early Childhood. The program began with a Grandfriend in one three-year-old and one four-year-old classroom who volunteered every Wednesday morning–providing consistency and an opportunity to establish meaningful relationships.
Before welcoming the Grandfriends into our school, teachers discussed the mitzvah of hachnasat orchim (welcoming guests) to our students. We talked about how we welcome guests by asking questions, making them feel special, smiling and making eye contact. Our families were thrilled that their children had the opportunity to form this special connection, especially since some children don’t have grandparents while others have grandparents that live out of town.
Our Grandfriends were overjoyed to be welcomed in such a warm way by the students and in return responded to them with their complete attention and open hearts. One of our Grandfriends proclaimed that Wednesday was the best day of his week as he got to spend it with his preschool friends that are “so kind and affectionate.” Grandpa Gregg said, “I love learning with the children, seeing how inquisitive and observant they are and I’ve learned how to speak to children by getting down to their level and engaging them in conversation.” He also noted how he enjoyed spotting students in the neighborhood with many even running over and jumping into his arms.
Recently, Grandma Jen, the Grandfriend in my classroom, went on a vacation to the Galapagos Islands. She wanted to share her experience with the class, so she sent pictures of turtles, iguanas and blue footed booby birds that she encountered in their natural habitat. The children loved receiving mail from Grandma Jen and the pictures sparked interest for the children and led us to research fun facts related to these animals. Students and teachers alike look forward to learning alongside our Grandfriends, making memories and establishing deep connections.
This school year, we’ve tripled our number of Grandfriends and have one in every classroom in the school plus a growing waitlist. And now plans are in the works to expand this pilot program into our other JCC Chicago early childhood centers over time!
The Grandfriend Program is one way of reimagining what is possible, and it is my hope to continue to explore new ways to create a Jewish community that does away with age segregation and moves closer towards intergenerational learning. Let’s move from L’dor V’dor (generation to generation) toward generations WITH generations–simply because we’re better together!
Written by Julie Mednick-Simmons, Lead Teacher, JCC Chicago Early Childhood at ‘Z’ Frank Apachi, 2022 JCC Chicago Spirit of Sheva Winner
Read related article about our program in Jewish Chicago.
For information on Ideal18NFP, visit ideal18.org or for training reach out to Diana Ganger or Sharon Goldman.