By Margaret Briller
If you’re lucky enough to help with after-school care for your grandkids, you’re in an enviable position to make a difference in their world.
Whether it’s every day or once a week, get ready for an intergenerational adventure with an academic twist. After-school time is prime homework time. And guess what? You’re on deck, grandma and grandpa.
Building Ties
Anita Ruf-Young is director of the Office of Civic Engagement at Cleveland State University, which focuses on developing partnerships with local, regional and national public, nonprofit organizations. She’s also a mom of two, who relied on her parents for after-school care from preschool until her children entered middle school.
“The benefits of my parents watching my kids all those years still show today in the special relationship my kids share with them, the empathy my children have, and the traditions and hobbies they cherish,” says Ruf-Young. “It was a gift much bigger than just watching my kids after school.”
It may have been years since you’ve opened a school book, but there are plenty of resources for backup, if you need it. Ruf-Young suggests getting a contact list from mom or dad for your grandkid’s school and a few phone numbers of classmates’ parents for questions on schoolwork. Check backpacks to make sure grandkids have what they need for homework (or you may need to drive back to school before it closes). Create a workspace that’s free from distractions.
Ruf-Young says to check with local libraries for after-school programming, help with homework, reading time, computers for student use and library assistance. For the past 24 years, her office has partnered with Cleveland Public Library to offer free after-school tutoring and homework help for kids in grades K-12 at select branches.
Through two programs, Viking Corps and America Reads, she recruits and hires Cleveland State students who are background-checked and ready to assist students with homework assignments. Tutors read with the students, play educational games and serve as role models. In addition to library branches, program tutors also are available at schools throughout Greater Cleveland. The Boys and Girls Clubs and the YMCA of Greater Cleveland also offer homework help after school.
Not Just Homework
When it was time for a break or after homework was done, Ruf-Young’s parents would relax with the grandkids. “They would have playtime, take a walk, read, start a hobby or just talk. This lets them be a grandparent, not just a caregiver.”
She also suggests that grandparents spend one weekday doing something special after the homework is done, such as a board game, cards, making a special snack or coloring. For example, grandparents can share their passion for smoothies or baking different kinds of cookies.
Kids learn by doing, so grandparents should start with teaching simple tasks, such as tying shoes for youngsters, and then progress to more involved chores for older kids, like cooking simple foods or housework. Ruf-Young believes it’s a reciprocal relationship to help Nanna with daily chores while teaching kids responsibility.
“The bottom line is keeping a balance of responsibility and encouraging fun,” Ruf-Young says. “The gap that grandparents fill is immeasurable in after-school care. Working as a team with parents keeps grandparents thinking younger with benefits going both ways.”
