ExchangeEveryDay Past Issues

How about thinking intergenerationally?
I work in a shared site intergenerational facility. We have 150 children (3 mos- 5th grade) and 50 older adults who attend each day. Children and elders come together throughout the day to build relationships through activities like music, art and storytelling. Children learn from elders and elders share the joy of their youth. It is very exciting to be part of this program.
Intergenerational sites are cost effective because they allow you to share resources. We call the program the JEWEL program. Joining Elders With Early Learners. It is truly a treasure! For more information visit MKDCC.org or learn more from Generations United and Donna Butz the Director of that program.

I couldn’t agree more with what Susan Starrfield of Snohomish County Human Services in Everett, Washington said. Every generation has needs to be met by society and there is not one more important than another. Actually, older adults are key in contributing to the needs of the young. I don’t know what I would have done without the assistance of both my grandmother and father who provided awesome child care for my children while I attended to my job. They were dependable and wonderfully connected to meeting the needs of the children. We’re all in this together!

Sharon Wegler

Winnebago County, Illinois

I am thrilled to see that Exchange chose to share Susan's comments. It was a shocking and disrespectful position to take on an issue that has many other solutions. Thank you Susan for the reminders about so many invaluable contributions being made by the generation addressed in the article and also how both generations need to remain important and considered when working toward solutions for a healthy America.

A number of people have expressed concern about the excerpt from my book "Finding Our Way: The Future of American Early Care and Education", in which I flag the possibility that the elders making up the 'baby boom' generation may compete with young children for scarce public resources. Unfortunately Exchange Every Day did not include the full quote from my book. The piece they excerpted (without asking me) was followed by the following:

"Although the challenges posed by greater demand for early care and education and increased competition from elders for scarce public resources are great, the graying of America also represents a window of opportunity. Many of these seniors will have grandchildren, whose welfare will be of great concern to them. If addressed sensitively, these sentiments could be translated by early care and education advocates into a powerful voice for improvements in the ECE services available to young children."

I agree with all those who responded by saying that elders and children can both be supported with public resources, and that the oldest generation can be a wonderful resource to the youngest. However, this will require very intentional planning by all of us. In the absence of such intentionality I worry about the possible consequences of gnerational competition, especially given the fact that children don't vote.

I was grateful that others had commented on this; it was very exclusionist and I think the best society is one in which we all view others as having something to contribute, rather than being in competition with each other or resenting others.