Resilient, Virtual, & Ready
Sitting in Thelma’s Kitchen with her tablet computer, Judith, a Foster Grandparent volunteer, looks up and says “Can I talk to my family with this?”
“Yes! Zoom is how I’ve been staying in touch with my family,” Foster Grandparent Program Coordinator Robin Harman smiles and reassures her.
Judith is one of 15 Foster Grandparents taking part in a, first of it’s kind, digital literacy training being held at Reconciliation Services (RS) as part of a new partnership between the Kansas City Foster Grandparent Program and the Kansas City Public Library TechAccess program.
Before COVID-19 forced strict limitations on schools and early education facilities, 68 Foster Grandparents served as role models, mentors, and friends to children with exceptional needs in classrooms at 27 sites across the Kansas City metro. They plan to do every thing they can to keep supporting the young people they work with, even if it is virtual.
>>> YOU CAN HELP BUILD MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS IN KC: GIVE $25/MONTH TO SUPPORT RS.
Almost half of the Foster Grandparents had never used Zoom before, and just over 60% reported that they didn't have reliable internet access at home. But our Foster Grandparents love the work they do with area kids and they were not about to let this stop them from learning a new way to continue volunteering. They came together, donned their masks and even some face shields, and settled in to learn from Wendy and Megan with the KC Public Library TechAccess team. They focussed on the essential skills they need in order to continue serving students, like logging onto the computer, connecting to Wi-fi, and how to log in and use Zoom.
“While this pandemic is forcing all of us to adapt in ways we never even considered before, it’s also opened our eyes to new ways of doing things,” said Foster Grandparent Program Manager, Kimberly Stafford. “Our Foster Grandparents love working with the children they serve and have been ready to get back to their schools as soon as possible. Through these training sessions, we’re able to get them to a place where they can stay safe and stay in touch with their classrooms.”
She said the skills these older adults are learning will make them even greater assets to their communities. “Our volunteers are always very resilient and we have to put everyone’s safety first. We’re really excited to work with the Kansas City Public Library to help bring back some sense of normalcy to our volunteers and the students.”
Kansas City Public Library is also looking at ways to help increase access to affordable and reliable internet access for our Foster Grandparents who need it. Foster Grandparents play an important role in the lives of more than 200 kids across the metro, offering help with reading, a listening ear, encouragement, modeling positive social interactions and coping skills, and so much more. Maintaining a connection with a caring older adult, even virtually, is a huge benefit to students that are also dealing with poverty, food insecurity, increased violence in their neighborhoods, housing instability, and the uncertainty brought on by this global pandemic, which has completely destabilized their learning environment.
The Foster Grandparents team at RS is considering new ways to use digital resources to keep Foster Grandparents connected to their mentees. One idea is to have digital “pen pals”, where students write a letter to their Foster Grandparent and then they get a recorded response back from their Foster Grandparent. Plans are also in the works for Foster Grandparents video story time. The team continues to brainstorm new ways to help kids develop their reading and writing skills, while also benefiting from the positive social interactions they look forward to having with their Foster Grandparent.
One thing is for sure, these Foster Grandparents are ready to learn new skills and adapt to the challenges brought on by this pandemic and they can’t wait to keep volunteering with “their kids.”
Click here to learn more about the Foster Grandparents Program!
If your organization would like to learn more about partnering with the KC Public Library TechAccess team to bring a training to your volunteers or constituents, you can reach them at techaccess@kclibrary.org