To provide assistance to teachers attempting to implement a thematic, discovery-oriented preschool curriculum under funding conditions preventing a desirable teacher-pupil ratio, a practicum was designed to recruit and train retired senior citizens and involve them as volunteer aides in the preschool program of a church school located in the…

Because no program existed in the Pottstown, Pennsylvania area which allowed children and senior citizens to interact in mutually beneficial ways, a practicum was designed to implement an intergenerational program in an elementary school attended by 540 students in grades K through 5. The intervention consisted of monthly meetings with volunteers,…

In a day care center which enrolled children between 14 months and 5 years of age, a child caregiver implemented a practicum study in order to allow children and older adults the opportunity to interact with one another for their mutual benefit. Goals were to: (1) increase children's positive attitudes toward older people; (2) seek positive…

A practicum project addressed the problem of separation of generations. An intergenerational program was designed to provide elders at a long-term care facility and children at the on-site daycare center with opportunities to interact with one another for the social and emotional betterment of both groups. Participants in the program included 17…

The purpose of this practicum was to offer intergenerational programming as an alternative solution to the problem of high job turnover, low staff retention, and lack of qualified personnel to fill vacancies in preschool programs. One county was chosen as the focus for the program and three seminars were designed to introduce the concept to…

A practicum addressed the emergent literacy needs of preschoolers at a daycare center. Goals were to increase: (1) the amount of time parents read aloud to their children to 15 minutes a day; (2) the number of library books at the daycare center from 40 to 200; and (3) the number of volunteers at the center from none to 4 who would read aloud to…

Due to changes in society, young children and senior citizens have little opportunity for interaction. This practicum report formulated a plan for intergenerational interaction opportunities between 3- and 4-year-olds and senior citizens at a Jewish community center where separate programs for preschool children and senior citizens typified the…

This practicum was designed to involve senior citizen volunteers in the schools on a regular basis. Implemented in a suburban public school setting, the project involved: (1) the dissemination of information about senior citizen involvement to school district staff; (2) the development of a partnership between a regional senior volunteer program…

An intergenerational literacy program was developed for 40 teenage parents and their children enrolled in an alternative education center. The program was designed to empower teenage parents to develop the emerging literacy of their children while reducing their own literacy deficiencies. The Once upon a Time-Together program acquainted teenage…