Free University Courses for Seniors - OSU Program 60 and Grandparent Mentoring

© Patty Inglish, MS; 2010; 12 years experience in intergenerational education design and delivery. 

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The Recession of 2008 -2010 lent impetus to the re-forming of the extended family in America. Previously, almost everyone who was able to afford a place to live was living in their own house, apartment, or condo. In the 2000s, Ohio Welfare Reform began to require young single mothers receiving cash benefits to move back home with the grandparent(s) of the child in order to retain those and other benefits. However, the recession and national mortgage catastrophe - as well as national climate disasters like hurricanes and earthquakes - caused job losses, housing losses, and the gathering together of multiple people, sometimes multiple families, under one roof. Surely, parts of America looked as if they were in The Great Depression once more.

In light of these developments, some families today see the children start Kindergarten as the grandparents or great uncles and aunts begin new classes at The Ohio State University in Program 60. This Program 60 is a system in which senior citizens that are residents of Ohio and ages 60 or older may attend a selected menu of OSU classes at no tuition fee. These seniors do not need even to be high school graduates. The courses include foreign languages and a number of others that are useful to 21st Century living.

Parking passes, books, and incidentals still require payment if attending Program 60 and the older students receive no actual course credit, but they receive the education provided and do not need to take the exams, unless they wish to do so. If they desire the actually credit, they can pay the required fees and receive it. For some families it is a treat all around when the Kindergartner can accompany a Grandpa or Grandma or Great Aunt to a university class for a day. They can do homework together.

Such a relationship can build curiosity and encourage the child to enjoy school throughout K-12, even to promote the idea of pursuing college and specific careers. It shows the child that learning need never end and that each person has the opportunity to stay active until the very end of life.

I recall as an 8-year-old wondering briefly why a neighbor was attending business school at age 70, and then I thought, Why not? I like school - why should she not, if she's allowed to go? Somehow, I had believed that older people were not permitted to attend a school of any kind.

A sociological phenomenon in Ohio and elsewhere in the United States is the proliferation of the skipped generation grandfamily as a family unit among the diversity of definitions and forms of the American "family." In this sort of family, grandparents are raising grandchildren or grandnieces and -nephews. While this has occurred in previous generations, the phenonenon is recieving more media focus and government fuding assistants through programs designated for Grandparent Caregivers, Grand Parents and a number of other tags provided by the results of grant applications.

Public schools, recreation centers, community/adult learning centers, and public libraries are hosting these grandparent mentoring programs in order to help senior citizens provide education and entertainment for the children while promoting bonding opportuntities between senior and child; and even public health information and benefits. Additional food is offered in some programs, with referrals for food sources other resources. These programs also offer support to the grandparent to help prevent burnout and excessive stress. Respite care that provides a getaway for the children for a weekend is also sometimes available, lessening the load and providing a sort of mini-vacation for the senior.

Family literacy programs are attached ot many libraries, schools, and even healthcare clinics; and seniors in charge of children or youth often participate with their charges. Sometimes their own literacy improves and sometimes, they decide to volunteer in the program to help other grand-and -other families. I was fortunate to witness all of this in the family literacy program I installed at the center in which I worked and supervised for neary a dozen years. We also had an effective public health nurse on site who stayed alert to signals that these families needed help in any way. The overall program was one we wished could have continued indefinitely.

Ms. Patricia H. Holmes, Ohio State University Extension Agent for Preble County, has discussed the postive roles of grandparents in a family. The roles she believes grandparents can play include:

• Family Historian and Living Ancestor
• Nurturer
• Mentor
• Role Model
• Playmate
• Wizard - think "Gandolf"
• Hero - think "Stan Lee"

With so many roles possible, grandparents can encourage a number of learning adventures in their grandchildren.

From the US Census Bureau 2005-2007 American Community Survey.

• Many of children living in a grandfamilies are age 11 or younger.
• 42% of these children are ages 12 - 17, while 58% are 11 or under.
• 1/3 of the children live with incomes below the poverty level; double the child poverty rate in parent-child families. They can use some help of various kinds, including mentoring, education, and activities that involve both their grandparents and themselves.
• About 1/3 of these grandparents have not completed high school. Family literacy and school-based grandparent mentoring activities can help the entire family, without embarrassment.

These statistics do not bode well for grandparent caregivers to take advantage of programs such as OSU's Program 60, but family literacy programs and grandfamily mentoring programs in other facilities do often help.