WestCOP, the Elmsford-based nonprofit that works to help low-income and at-risk people in the Hudson Valley achieve greater self-sufficiency, is looking for senior citizens who would like to spend some time as grandparents. WestCOP”™s Foster Grandparent Program puts eligible seniors into classrooms where young people need extra tutoring. The seniors help children read and learn math and other academics, while assisting teachers with a variety of other classroom activities.
Foster grandparents must be at least 55 and, themselves, have a limited income (if single, the income cannot exceed $24,120). They are expected to devote between 15 and 40 hours a week to their service activities, for which they receive a tax-free hourly stipend. The participants also are provided paid time off, holidays, sick leave and mileage reimbursement.
When school was in session, there were more than 200 seniors serving hundreds of children in numerous Head Start centers, preschools and elementary schools through WestCOP”™s Foster Grandparent Program. The organization reports school principals, site directors, teachers and students who have foster grandparents love what they”™re doing and are asking for more.
To learn more about the Foster Grandparent Program, contact program director Liz Magier at 914-592-5600, ext. 114 or email LMagier@westcop.org.
