COAD seeks volunteers for foster grandparent program

The Corporation for Ohio Appalachian Development, or COAD, administers the Foster Grandparent program, which is constantly seeking volunteers to help children with educational needs in the area. Volunteering to be a Foster Grandparent is simple, and a stipend is provided along with reimbursement to cover travel expenses.

Kirk Guisti is program manager and said the need for finding Foster Grandparents is steady. “We’ve been recruiting volunteers and adding them since 1972 when we first started the program,” he said. “People age out of it because you have to be at least 55 years old to be a volunteer. Most of them are in their 70s, 80s or older. Then there are times when we’re expanding into new schools or existing schools. So there are a number of reasons why we’re always looking for new people to add to the roster of volunteers. Add to that the COVID pandemic, which brought about a real downswing. We’re still rebounding from all of that.”

In addition to the 55 and older requirement, to be eligible, one must be at or below 200% of the federal poverty index, or roughly $32,000 in annual income. One must be willing to commit to at least 20 volunteer hours each week, Guisti said. “You would be at an educational facility helping children who have educational needs. The ideal candidate is somebody who just loves children.”

Volunteering is a simple process that begins with background checks to help keep everyone safe. “Once that’s complete, we begin training,” Guisti said. “Which is very basic, covering the rules of the program, which takes place over four meetings covering about 20 hours. Then they get placed into a site and begin working with students based on input from their teachers. They earn a stipend while they’re working with us and we reimburse their mileage cost. They can also earn paid time off.”

Foster grandparents help students in differing ways, depending on circumstances, Guisti said. “For Head Start kids, they’re 3 to 5 years old and are learning basic skills like buttoning buttons, tying shoes, learning their colors, letters and numbers and basic social skills as many of them haven’t been around other kids very much.”

Kindergarten through 12 students get whatever assistance is needed, with guidance from their teacher. “Whatever the teacher deems necessary,” said Guisti. “Maybe they need help with reading or writing, or possibly math, or with other kinds of social or emotional or gross motor skills. It varies completely because that’s all left up to the teacher. Volunteers are supervised by the teaching staff in the classroom. What students need would be based on their history and records, things that are confidential information. That’s why volunteers are guided by teaching staff once training and orientation are complete.”

Students are never left alone with volunteers, Guisti said. Volunteers need have no former teaching experience or hold any certifications.

Foster grandparents can elect to go beyond the minimum 20 hours, up to 40.

To get started as a Foster Grandparent, simply call Guisti’s office at 330-987-7232 from anywhere in the area. To learn more about the Foster Grandparent Program before volunteering, plenty of information can be found at coadinc.org. The program is funded by The Corporation for Ohio Appalachian Development and began independently in 1965 before coming under the COAD umbrella in 1972. The program covers all of the southeastern Ohio Appalachian region.