Intergenerational Program Database

The Willow Glen Community Center is a welcoming, positive place providing a wide variety of quality services and programs for people of all ages and abilities aimed at building community through fun. We offer a number of programs and events such as, but not limited to; San José Recreation Preschool, leisure, health and wellness classes, youth summer camps, and R.O.C.K After School program. In addition, we offer a weekday lunch program and classes for older adults over the age of 60 and those who are disabled. We also host a number of special events throughout the year such as Neighbor Nights, and cultural and holiday celebrations. Keyword: Shared Site

Keyword: Shared Site

OASIS Tutoring is an in-school, curriculum-based literacy program that pairs older adult volunteer tutors with children in grades K-3 who have been identified as academically at risk because they are reading below grade level. New tutors complete 12 hours of training in the OASIS approach to literacy. Children are selected by their teachers and are paired with OASIS tutors. The tutor training and OASIS session plans are designed to align with state learning standards. Tutors work one-on-one with students, making a commitment to work with a child at least once a week for a full school year. The tutor reads quality literature with the child, writes the child’s thoughts in an OASIS journal, the student reads his/her journal entries, and they practices skill-building activities such as letter or word recognition and vocabulary exploration. OASIS tutors offer the one-on-one support that classroom teachers would like to provide to individual students – but they don’t have time for during the school day. In this literacy-based mentoring program, one-on-one OASIS tutoring sessions with a caring older adult also build confidence and self-esteem, forming the foundation for a better attitude toward reading and language arts and improved academic performance.

Our program shares a building with a Head Start program that serves around 78 children. Throughout the year they come over and do projects with our seniors. We also have middle school and high school children to do service hours for their graduation requirements and they work directly with the seniors that attend our Adult Day Program. We have school-age children that work for us on a summer youth program to help their low-income families. Our program is the center of many generations and we are proud to say that our seniors of our rural community and also our youth benefit from coming together and learning lessons to take with them as they become important citizens of our country.

Active older adults (age 50+) are teamed with youth (typically elementary-school age) for a half-day of fun educational and physical activities. The mission of the Games is to increase mutual understanding and respect between generations and to promote healthy, active, life-long behaviors. Intergenerational Games events occur in several locations throughout the county.

Low-income seniors mentoring children in schools, focusing on those with special or exceptional needs.

In the Five & Fit program, which is based on a model from Temple University, older adults (age 55+) guide young pre-schoolers (ages 2 - 5) and their families toward improved nutrition and enhanced physical activity. Activities include gardening, tasting fruits and vegetables, and fun nutritional education. The mission of the program is to prevent childhood obesity and to promote healthy, active, life-long behaviors. The program is a collaboration between Aging & Independence Services (the County of San Diego's Area Agency on Aging) and the Cuyamaca College Child Development Center.

Oasis Intergenerational Tutoring is a volunteer program that pairs older adults with children in grades K-4 to work one-on-one each week throughout the school year as their tutors, mentors and friends. Oasis tutors use a six-step approach to literacy designed by educators that emphasizes improved reading, speaking, listening and writing. The purpose of each session is not to work on homework or assigned classwork, but to build confidence & basic reading skills and encourage the development of a supportive friendship. Third party studies have shown that the Oasis tutoring program translates to stronger classroom performance and less truancy. Most participating children will end the school year reading at grade level.

Do you want kids in your community to eat better and exercise more? Consider volunteering for OASIS CATCH Healthy Habits, an after-school program that connects adults age 50+ with kids in grades K-5 to learn about good eating habits and play active games. The program combats obesity by engaging adults age 50+ as mentors to teach healthy lifelong habits to kids in grades K-5. It’s a fun way to be healthy yourself while you help kids learn good eating and physical activity habits for a lifetime. No experience needed, just your enthusiasm and interest in helping kids. Training and materials are provided.