Nancy Pelosi Takes Her Role
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A Gold Medal for Grandma
One of the many lessons we learned from the London Olympics: Never underestimate the power of a grandmother’s love and devotion.
That power was on display in the Olympic men’s 400-meter hurdles. It’s what made Felix Sanchez overcome years of injuries and claim the gold medal just a few weeks shy of his 35th birthday. As he ran the most important race of his life, he kept his grandmother’s memory close to his heart. Pinned beneath his bib was a photo of his beloved “Abuela,” Lilian Morcelo, the Dominican grandmother who raised him. After crossing the finish line, he knelt down, placed the photo on the ground and kissed it. "It was extra motivation," Sanchez told reporters. "It was a reminder of why I came here and what this year meant to me." The gold medal he won that night in London wasn’t his first, but it was his most memorable. Eight years earlier, at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, he’d struck gold, and he expected to do the same in Beijing in 2008. But it was not to be. On the first day of the qualifying heats, Sanchez learned the devastating news that his 72-year-old grandmother had died. "I got [the] news on the morning of the first round in Beijing that she had died," he explained. "That affected me. I cried the whole day. I ran, but I ran badly, and I made a promise that day that I would win a medal for her. It took me four years.” Those four years would be filled with hope and punctuated by injuries. But throughout it all, Sanchez kept thinking of that promise and all the sacrifices his grandmother had made for him. "She was everything," Sanchez said. "She was the center of our family and kept everyone together.” She was his inspiration. Along with pinning his grandmother’s photo to his bib in London, Sanchez had printed the word “Abuela” on his spikes. Abuela is Spanish for grandmother and a loving nod to the woman who raised a champion. Story Reprinted from Grand Successes: Stories of Lives Well-Raised, a publication of Generations United. For a complete copy of the publication or more information about Generations United’s work to build a world that values and engages all generations, please visit www.gu.org. Kids and the Computer: How Much is Too Much? It’s been 30 years since the county executive formed the Intergenerational Committee to advocate and plan for a system in which older adults and younger generations could enhance each other’s lives. That committee led to the formation of the Montgomery County Intergenerational Resource Center, a partnership that included the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services; Montgomery County Public Schools; and Interages, a nonprofit. This was the first time in Montgomery County history that a nonprofit, the public schools and county government joined together to make a difference in the community.
And what a difference such collaboration has made. Today, this highly diverse county of almost one million residents offers myriad ways for all generations to connect with each other. It also has formal agendas to help ensure all residents can live their entire lives in Montgomery County. Intergenerational opportunities abound. For example, the public schools work with several nonprofit organizations to bring older adults in to tutor and mentor students. In turn, the schools offer students service-learning opportunities where they can help out older residents. In addition, the county’s libraries, recreation department, arts and humanities council, community college and other county entities continually work to connect the generations in thoughtful ways. The county also has the region’s first intentionally built “shared site” for children and older adults with disabilities. A major element of the county’s intergenerational efforts is the JCA Heyman Interages Center. The name change came in 2011 when, after 26 successful years of operation, the original Interages was consolidated within the Jewish Council for the Aging. During its tenure, the organization has led the way in intergenerational programming and expertise for the county while improving the lives Resource Center, a partnership that included the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services; Montgomery County Public Schools; and Interages, a nonprofit. This was the first time in Montgomery County history that a nonprofit, the public schools and county government joined together to make a difference in the community. And what a difference such collaboration has made. Today, this highly diverse county of almost one million residents offers myriad ways for all generations to connect with each other. It also has formal agendas to help ensure all residents can live their entire lives in Montgomery County. Grandparents and Child CareAccording to the results of a nationwide survey of grandparents by the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA), more and more grandparents are serving as a key support for working parents when formal child care arrangements fall through by providing child care for grandchildren themselves. According to the survey, 40 percent of grandparents (with grandchildren under 13 that live less than an hour away) are currently providing child care for grandchildren. Aside from providing regular child care, grandparents are often involved in providing back up care (50 percent), sick care (31 percent), before and after care (27 percent) and summer care (38 percent currently). Additionally, the survey shows that more than one third of grandparents have changed their work schedules in order to provide care for their grandchildren.
Survey results show that grandparents provide child care for grandchildren for a number of different reasons. The top two reasons reported by grandparents for providing child care for their grandchildren were to help parents with their work schedule (40 percent) and to spend more time with their grandchildren (22 percent). The survey also shows that the majority of grandparents are caring for their grandchildren for fewer than 25 hours a week. "This poll shows that grandparents are a critical child care support for families," said Linda K. Smith, Executive Director of NACCRRA. "They are helping parents on a regular basis every week and pitching in when parents need them most for back-up care and when their grandchildren are sick." According to the survey, grandparents believe that affordable child care is a necessity. The majority of grandparents surveyed support improving the quality and affordability of child care to make affordable, high-quality child care a reality for all working parents. Almost 90 percent of grandparents strongly support requiring training for providers, including classes in child development, First Aid and CPR, child guidance and discipline, and in recognizing child abuse. Grandparents also overwhelmingly support requiring inspections of child care programs, setting basic standards of quality, and improving health and safety standards. Furthermore, almost two-thirds of grandparents (67 percent) are willing to pay $10 more in taxes each year to make child care more affordable for families. "The results of this survey reveal that grandparents recognize the tremendous need for affordable, high-quality child care in this country," said Smith. "Right now, there is a serious shortage of quality care. This survey makes it evident that grandparents want the same things for their grandchildren as parents want for their children: an affordable, safe and healthy environment to ensure peace of mind." There are approximately 300,000 regulated family child care homes and 117,000 regulated child care centers in the United States, but nearly half of children under age 6 who need child care have no access to licensed or regulated care due to the lack of supply. High-quality care is even scarcer. Research has shown that only about 10 percent of all child care in the United States is of high quality. And those that may find it are often unable to afford it, with average annual costs often exceeding mortgage and college tuition costs. Child care is a necessity for many working parents. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 11.3 million children under age 5 in the United States have working mothers. About 3.3 million of these children (30 percent) are in the care of their grandparents for some period of time every week. Also each week, about 4.7 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 are regularly in the care of their grandparents. NACCRRA's grandparent survey, designed to gain a better understanding of grandparents' involvement in the care of grandchildren and their perceptions and beliefs regarding child care, was conducted by Lake Research Partners in August 2008 with 500 grandparents with grandchildren under the age of 18. For questions answered by the entire sample, the margin of error is +/- 4.4 percent. |