Funded via the national Community Experience Partnership, an initiative of The Atlantic Philanthropies
This cross-generational program supports efforts by early childhood care and education organizations to engage baby boomer age volunteers in activities that are known to contribute to children’s school readiness. OCF is in the middle of a three-year implementation phase that builds on a pilot period and will expand the reach of the project across the state.
Project Sites
Two sites began implementing Boomer-focused volunteer programs in 2008, and will receive funding through the spring of 2012. These organizations – Adelante Mujeres in Forest Grove and the Family Nurturing Center in Medford – are solidifying their programs and forming partnerships with other organizations in their communities to promote Boomer volunteerism in early childhood settings and to share lessons learned and training opportunities.
Five additional early childhood organizations will receive up to two years of funding (2011-2013) to develop and launch extensive Boomer volunteer programs focusing on direct service with children. The goal is to demonstrate that Boomer volunteerism makes a difference in children’s lives and improves children’s readiness for school, while also learning about how to attract Boomers to these volunteer opportunities. The project sites will use Boomer-age volunteers in activities that involve direct, sustained interaction with children in ways that positively impact child development. The sites also provide a variety of volunteer options.
For more information about all of the project sites, please click here.
One of the five new projects is co-funded by the PGE Foundation in partnership with OCF.
The final phase of Boomers and Babies began with the creation of a statewide Learning Community of early childhood education organizations. The Learning Community met over the course of a year to develop and hone volunteer management skills of staff, specifically focusing on recruiting and retaining Boomer-age volunteers. Sixteen early care and learning organizations serving at-risk children birth to age 5 throughout Oregon were selected to participate. Each organization received a $5,000 grant and assessed its readiness and capacity to successfully recruit, integrate and use Boomer-age volunteers in their organizations. The Learning Community will continue to share resources in the future.
Public Awareness
Going forward, OCF will work with partner organizations and the early childhood community to disseminate information about best practices in Baby Boomer volunteerism in early childhood organizations. In addition, the Foundation will explore ways to work with volunteer centers, United Ways and other organizations to encourage Baby Boomers to seek volunteer opportunities with early childhood care and learning organizations.
Volunteerism Resources
The Volunteer Management Audit is the primary assessment tool used in the Learning Community. The Audit is available for purchase from Energize, Inc., a training and publishing firm specializing in volunteerism.
Additional resources on engaging older adults as volunteers are available to download below:
OCF received funding from The Atlantic Philanthropies to participate in this multi-phase initiative. In addition, local partners included Juan Young Trust, United Way of the Columbia-Willamette, the PGE Foundation and Knowledge Universe.
For more information about the "Boomers & Babies" project, contact Abby Bush, Early Childhood Administrative Officer, at 503.227.6846 or via email.