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I like this idea, and a friend and I are doing this as retired people. We are the volunteer volunteer coordinators of community volunteers at one of our local schools. We began the program last fall to help teachers who have more students in the classroom. The teachers appreciate the help, and the volunteers enjoy reading with children, doing math... and just in general supporting the children's learning.Bros

Thank you, Dr. Summers, for posing this question and highlighting the transformational power of partnering older adults with children in need. I am happy to report that this idea is already in practice at Jumpstart, a national early education organization engaging caring adults in service with preschool children in low-income neighborhoods. Our Boston Community Corps program currently recruits, trains, and supports 90 volunteers, primarily adults age 55 and over, to deliver an intense research-based curriculum to children at risk of school failure. Our volunteers, called Corps members, commit to 200 hours of service over the course of a school-year, receive 30+ hours of training in child development, and provide the individualized attention children need to prepare for future school success. Our evaluation results, for both children and volunteers, are a true testament to the “impact” Summers describes. As a former Teach for America Corps member myself, I agree that national service programs need not be limited to the young and that older generations bring an unparalleled level of experience, patience, and heart to their work with young students. Together with sister organizations like Experience Corps and Senior Corps, Jumpstart is committed to growing our Community Corps model and engaging thousands more older Americans in this important work. For more information on Jumpstart or ways to get involved, please visit our website at www.jstart.org.

I completely agree with this idea. As a Senior Citizen who is still working with no immediate plans for retirement, I would love to take advantage of a program that would help me increase my education and give back to the community.

Hello
Child friend ,An old man is a store of experiences . The child likes to listen stories . An old man can tell a lot of stories to children . So the old man is an
oppertunity to a child .

Good to know people are thinking about the value of elders. And of course, people often find lots to do as they get older, much of which is done on a volunteer basis. I have had an older retired friend come in to read to the kids in my class once a week. It was a valuable experience all the way around - he enjoyed the opportunity to work with the young children and they loved having a grandpa type to engage with as well! We make our own destiny.