Catholic Human Services, Inc.

The Foster Grandparent Program of Northwest Michigan Has Been Sponsored by Catholic Human Services (CHS) for Over 20 Years and in That Time the Program Has Grown to Representation in All Ten Counties. the Mission Statement of CHS Is to Enhance the Lives of Those We Serve by Providing Hope-filled Social, Emotional and Spiritual Support to All People. CHS Provides Services to All Faiths, All Incomes and All Families. CHS Provides the Following Services to the 21 Counties of Northern Michigan; Alcohol & Drug Counseling, Family Counseling, Prevention Services, Pregnancy Counseling & Open Adoption, Employee Assistance Program, Senior Companion & Foster Grandparent Programs, Nursing Home Services and Community Services. the Foster Grandparent & Senior Companion Program's Mission Is to Enrich the Lives of the Older Adult Volunteers as Well as Those of the Clients and Children With Special Needs. the Program Is Designed to Tap the Talents, Skills, Knowledge and Traditions of the Volunteers, Enable Them to Provide Service to Others, and to Enhance Their Later Years by Bringing a Sense of Vitality and Renewal to Their Lives. We Strive to Provide a Valuable Service to the Community by Pairing Our FG Volunteers With Identified Children With Special Needs in a Variety of Settings, as Well as Serving Our Low Income Volunteer With the Resources and Training Needed to Ensure Their Quality of Life. We Are Funded for 6 Vsys Through CNCS and Maintain Their Placement and Service Hours. We Request CNCS Funding of $33,141 to Provide FG Services for 6 Vsys. We Receive $171,241 Funding From the State Office for the FGP. the FGP Will Address the Service Catergory of Education for Pre-elementary Day Care Children With 6 FG Volunteers in Day Care/head Start Settings in Grand Traverse & Wexford Counties. the FG Volunteers Will Work With the Children on Increasing Their Social Skills & Interaction Preparing the Children for School Readiness. We Will Record Data Using a Pre/post Test That the Teachers Will Complete on the Children. the FG Volunteers Will Also Work With the Children to Increase Their Ability to Follow Directions and Accomplish Tasks, as Well as Increasing Social Skills Through Manners, Behavior and Focus Level. These Will Be Measured With Teacher Observation Forms & Logs That the Teachers Will Complete on the Children. Identified Children Will Increase Their Ability to Follow Directions and or Accomplished Tasks, According to Observations of Day Care Staff. Identified Children Will Improve Their Social Skills Through Manners, Behavior and Focus Level, by the End of Each Fiscal Year. According to the Kids Count in Michigan Book Published in 2013, 87% of Children Under Age 6 Have Both Parents Working and 80% of Children Under Age 6 in Grand Traverse County Have Both Parents Working & 78% in Wexford County. Due to the High Number of Parents Being in the Workforce, There Is a Need for Safe, Supervised Child Care Focusing on Social Skill Development, Provided by Positive Adult Role Models. Foster Grandparents Can Act as Positive Role Models and Add Diversity to Day Care Settings by Providing an Intergenerational Aspect to Programs. Several of the Children That the FGS Are Working With Have Special and Exceptional Needs as Reported by the Teacher/supervisor/director and Are Residing in Low Income Households. the Day Care Provides Services and Care to Children Ages 0-5 and Head Start Is 4-5 Years Old. an Estimated 33 FG Volunteers Will Serve. Some of Their Activities Will Include Mentoring Students to Perform at Grade Level, Role Model Social Skills, Serve as a Positive Role Model, Take Part in Mentoring a Student to Move to the Next Grade Level, by Increasing Reading, Math & Other Skills, in Which the Volunteers Will Work With the Children With Flash Cards, Assigned Reading Books by Reading & Being Read to. the Progress Will Be Measured & Reported From Data Collection on These Activities Through Pre & Post Tests Completed by the Assigned Teacher