Foster Grandparent Program

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Overview

The Foster Grandparent Program engages older Americans in service to youth/students within schools and educational settings. Foster Grandparents are under the supervision of teachers/other school professionals such as principals. Seniors 55 years or older perform one-on-one service with young people. Income-eligible senior volunteers in the Foster Grandparent program receive a modest stipend to help offset the costs of volunteering. Some examples of volunteer activities include the following:

  • Helping preschool children prepare for elementary school
  • Tutoring elementary, middle, or high school students in schools for academic success (i.e. help with reading, writing, math, etc.)
  • Reading a story to a second-grade class
  • Helping a kindergarten student practice penmanship and writing their name
  • Providing emotional support to children
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Facts

  • In 2020, Foster Grandparents in New Mexico served more than 1,160 young people (Source: tinyurl.com/nmstatsamericorps)
  • 67 percent of 4th graders are reading below grade-level expectation (Source: tinyurl.com/67percentstat)
  • Every year, over 1.2 million students drop out of high school in the United States alone. That’s a student every 26 seconds – or 7,000 a day (Source: tinyurl.com/26secondsstat)

Be part of the change to improve these statistics!

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Application

  1. Application: FGP/SCP (PDF)

More Files

  1. Foster Grandparent Flier (PDF)
  2. Return on Investment (PDF)
  3. Secondary Insurance Brochure (PDF)
50 YEARS
In 1973 the Domestic Volunteer Service Act authorized the creation of the Foster Grandparent Program (FGP) and the Senior Companion Program (SCP.) 50 years later these programs continue to prosper and thrive.