Child Development Center Intergenerational Program Restarts at Caritas Christi
On a bright morning during fall break, adults at Seton Adult Day Center had some special visitors: children and their families from Seton Hill’s Child Development Center.
The senior citizens and the children danced with scarves, played a balloon game and made art together at the Monahan Center at Caritas Christi, the Motherhouse of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill.
This was the first in a planned series of meetings to bring the generations together. Maria Stone, director of Seton Hill’s Child Development Center on campus, met with Kim McKinney, director of the Seton Adult Day Center, in the spring of 2024. The two have worked together to set up a schedule where CDC families can bring their children to the Monahan Center on specific days when the center will be closed. Through this program, the 12 adults with mild to moderate dementia will have the opportunity to interact with the preschool children.
“Intergenerational programming is important for both age groups, those ‘growing up’ and those ‘growing old,’” Stone said. “Senior adults are the fastest growing portion of the U.S. population, but despite this, there may be little opportunities for children and youth to engage in meaningful exchanges with senior adults.”
The Child Development Center had been looking for an opportunity to reintroduce an intergenerational program that started with St. Anne Home before COVID. The program only lasted for part of the school year before the pandemic interrupted their plans.
The program was inspired by a documentary called "The Growing Season" about a preschool in a nursing home in Seattle where the children regularly interact with the residents.
According to the National Council on Aging, intergenerational programs help diminish ageism, strengthen communities, and lead to improved services for children, youth and older adults. Older adults who are regularly around children perform better on memory tests than their similar peers. For children and youth, regularly engaging with older adults has indicated improved reading scores, communication skills, and problem-solving abilities.
“As the two generations blended into a day of fun, you could feel the energy, happiness and joy within the room,” McKinney said. “What a pure delight for seniors!”
Until their next visit, the art that the children and seniors made will hang in both the Monahan Center and at the CDC.
The senior citizens and the children danced with scarves, played a balloon game and made art together at the Monahan Center at Caritas Christi, the Motherhouse of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill.
This was the first in a planned series of meetings to bring the generations together. Maria Stone, director of Seton Hill’s Child Development Center on campus, met with Kim McKinney, director of the Seton Adult Day Center, in the spring of 2024. The two have worked together to set up a schedule where CDC families can bring their children to the Monahan Center on specific days when the center will be closed. Through this program, the 12 adults with mild to moderate dementia will have the opportunity to interact with the preschool children.
“Intergenerational programming is important for both age groups, those ‘growing up’ and those ‘growing old,’” Stone said. “Senior adults are the fastest growing portion of the U.S. population, but despite this, there may be little opportunities for children and youth to engage in meaningful exchanges with senior adults.”
The Child Development Center had been looking for an opportunity to reintroduce an intergenerational program that started with St. Anne Home before COVID. The program only lasted for part of the school year before the pandemic interrupted their plans.
The program was inspired by a documentary called "The Growing Season" about a preschool in a nursing home in Seattle where the children regularly interact with the residents.
According to the National Council on Aging, intergenerational programs help diminish ageism, strengthen communities, and lead to improved services for children, youth and older adults. Older adults who are regularly around children perform better on memory tests than their similar peers. For children and youth, regularly engaging with older adults has indicated improved reading scores, communication skills, and problem-solving abilities.
“As the two generations blended into a day of fun, you could feel the energy, happiness and joy within the room,” McKinney said. “What a pure delight for seniors!”
Until their next visit, the art that the children and seniors made will hang in both the Monahan Center and at the CDC.