Grandmotherly Love Graces Chicago Heights School Kids

When I was a little girl, one of my favorite things to do was curl up in my grandma’s lap. It felt so safe and warm, I wanted to stay there forever.

Students at in Chicago Heights get to experience having several grandmas for four days in a school week, thanks to a program aimed at helping children who come from lower-income families or are physically or mentally challenged.

“I do this because I’m interested in helping children,” says foster grandparent Hazel Sterling. “I try to teach them not to make mistakes that I made when I was younger. Some of them do anyways."

UCAN has been running the Foster Grandparents Program since 1988 in suburban Cook County, utilizing 126 volunteer "foster grandparents" in assisting 620 children in the county, according to UCAN director of development Rebecca Faulk.

While visiting Lincoln School, I heard the name "grandma" called several times. 

“Grandma, can you tie my shoe, please."

"Grandma, look at my boo-boo."

"Grandma, listen to me read."

Jacqueline Lee, 81, said she thrives on love from the children and vice versa.

“A lot of kids come and hug me," said Lee. "They want to know when I’m coming back. I’ll be back tomorrow I tell them. I just love these kids."

Marjorie Perkins, who is a foster grandma at Lincoln School, smiled as she pointed to a first-grade class.

“I don’t care where you are, if the children see you outside of school they still call you grandma," said Perkins. "They love to call someone grandma. They know they are getting love.” 

As the first graders spotted Grandma Perkins, each one of them waved and stopped for a hug.

”I’m going to do this until I can’t do it anymore," said Perkins, after the students finished hugging her. "If I’m not here, I think about these children."

Perkins said it's all about seeing ear-to-ear smiles on the kids' faces.

"I enjoy when they get to go on trips, to see them so happy getting on the bus, going to a farm," she added. "They don’t get to see many things outside this neighborhood.”

Roberta Hardimon, who has been a UCAN foster grandma for nine years, said the role of the grandmothers is more than just a tender touch. They also act as tutors to the children at Lincoln.

“I like the students doing math and spelling, my favorites," Hardimon said. "I like seeing the children improve on their words and their math. I help them with reading and spelling, one on one. We work on the iPad together, it helps me too."

As much as the students benefit from the giving nature of these grandmas, the teachers feel the same love.

“Our former Kindergarten teacher, who was an excellent teacher . . . well, she got sick," Lee remembered. "She cherished her students. She bought them socks, gloves, whatever they needed. She put her heart and soul into her Kindergarten kids. The kids and I made a book for her for Christmas. We had all these wonderful kids sign this book. The teacher was overwhelmed. I was going to stop doing this, this year, but I’m so used to working.  As long as I can move, I will be here."

UCAN director Faulk said insisted there is tangible proof of the importance of these grandmas.  

“Documented evidence shows that the involvement of foster grandparents in the classroom leads to greater educational gains in early childhood and elementary-age students," Faulk explained, remembering an example of the programs potency. "In one classroom, there was a child who was non-verbal. After a year’s close support and attention from one of UCAN’s foster grandparents – in addition to that of the student’s teacher – this child began to speak.”

UCAN Chicago is looking for more foster grandparent volunteers. For information, visit www.ucanchicago.org, or send an email to info@ucanchicago.org.