[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 34 (Wednesday, March 13, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E329]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E329]]



             COMMUNITY ACTION OF GREATER INDIANAPOLIS, INC.

                                 ______


                        HON. ANDREW JACOBS, JR.

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 12, 1996

  Mr. ANDREWS. Mr. Speaker, we always hunger for good news. The 
following should be a very fine meal in this respect.

             Community Action of Greater Indianapolis, Inc.

     To: Thomas L. Haskett, State Program Director
     From: Nanci Morris, Foster Grandparent Program Coordinator, 
         Community Action of Greater Indianapolis
     Re: Impact, Meeting Community Needs
       To address community needs, three priority areas have been 
     targeted for Community Action's Foster Grandparent Program 
     services: (1) special needs children in public schools, (2) 
     children in homeless shelters, and (3) neglected and abused 
     children in temporary homes and shelters.


              1. special needs children in public schools

       Dramatic increases have occurred in the number of mildly-
     to-severely disabled children enrolled in 19 elementary 
     schools of the Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) that have 
     been designated for mainstreaming these children. Budget 
     cutbacks have not allowed for all classrooms with special 
     needs children to have teacher's aides. Severely disabled 
     children are assigned 8 to a classroom with 1 teacher and 1 
     aide, and moderately-to-mildly disabled are assigned 10-14 
     per classroom with 1 teacher and sometimes 1 aide. Thus, 8 
     schools with classrooms having no aides or not enough aides 
     to adequately address the children's special needs have been 
     selected as priorities for this Foster Grandparent Program's 
     placements by the IPS Programs for Young Children, Special 
     Education Department.


                    2. children in homeless shelters

       The increase in children throughout the nation living 
     without a permanent address has made serving homeless 
     children a priority for all Foster Grandparent Programs as 
     presented at the recent Foster Grandparent Conference in 
     Washington, D.C. A survey conducted last fall indicated that 
     there were at least 824 homeless children under age 15 in 
     Indianapolis. Thus, serving homeless children has been 
     identified as a community need for Community Action's Foster 
     Grandparent Program. Program volunteers are placed at 6 of 
     Indianapolis' seven homeless shelters serving families with 
     children.


    3. neglected and abused children in temporary homes and shelters

       Reported child abuse in Indianapolis has risen 150 percent 
     during the past 2 years. A decrease in the number of 
     neglected, abused, sexually abused, abandoned, fetal alcohol 
     syndrome, emotionally disturbed/disabled, and ``crack'' 
     children is not anticipated for the foreseeable future. 
     Funding for homes and shelters to serve these children have 
     not increased accordingly. Thus, 7 shelters for abused 
     children have been selected for Community Action Foster 
     Grandparent services.


                       impact on community needs

       At the end of the 1994-95 school year, children assigned to 
     Foster Grandparents were tested and assigned to summer school 
     for additional assistance as needed. To our knowledge, only 
     three students assigned to Foster Grandparents were not 
     promoted. The rest were able to keep up with their classmates 
     after receiving the intervention of one-on-one Foster 
     Grandparent instruction during the school year and summer 
     school.
       In addition to there being too few available, homeless 
     shelters for families with children in Indianapolis are 
     understaffed. There is a need for Foster Grandparent 
     intervention during the parents' busiest hours (mornings) as 
     they seek jobs and attend to other business. The one-on-one 
     attention provided by the Grandparents eases the trauma and 
     provides a sense of stability through loving and meaningful 
     interaction for these children. Foster Grandparents help fit 
     the children in suitable clothing in addition to helping 
     provide for other physical needs. The parents enjoy guidance 
     and support from the volunteers as well. Additionally, the 
     shelter employees benefit in the traditional ways from the 
     Grandparents' assistance. Consequently, the whole atmosphere 
     of a shelter improves when a Foster Grandparent is around.
       The staffs of homes and shelters for neglected and abused 
     children alone can not adequately provide the level of 
     attention needed there, particularly by the babies and small 
     children. The maturity, stability, and love Foster 
     Grandparents provide help the children respond in ways that 
     would likely not be possible otherwise.


                        impact on the volunteer

       Many Community Action Foster Grandparent volunteers have 
     worked with special needs children in the IPS system for 
     years and continue to maintain regular contact with many of 
     their former students. Having witnessed the progress these 
     children have made, the Grandparents benefit from the 
     abounding satisfaction they feel from having been a part of 
     each child's paths to success. The Grandparents are 
     encouraged and allowed by IPS to be creative, and the 
     teachers gladly seek advice and new ideas from the 
     Grandparents. A good example of this creativity at work was 
     when children living in a homeless shelter were often teased 
     by their school classmates. ``Grandma'' started a grooming 
     session whereby the special needs children met her before 
     school. She would check them over for tidiness, give them a 
     pep talk, and then give them a liberal spray of after shave 
     lotion or perfume as a reminder that she was with them all 
     day. This soon caught on, and other children who weren't 
     homeless sought out Grandma for some reassurance and a sweet 
     smell. Thus, the Grandparents are rewarded in the best 
     possible way for being creative. Additionally, each of the 
     Grandparents is taught how to operate school office equipment 
     such as the duplicator, copiers, and calculators. The 
     children often assist the Grandparent in copying and 
     preparing papers for the next day's work, honing skills and 
     providing satisfaction for both. One school even offers 
     computer literacy classes to the Grandparents.
       Many of the Grandparents live near the shelters they serve. 
     They know first-hand about the situations faced by the 
     families as they starting over. Being able to offer the 
     single parent support, guidance, and encouragement to ``hold 
     your head up'' in the face of diversity and loneliness, 
     inspires the Grandparent and develops a sense of independence 
     and self-worth for both parties.
       Of course ultimate personal satisfaction comes when the 
     family is ready to leave the shelter and thanks the 
     Grandparent wholeheartedly for the time, advice, and loving 
     attention given to the children at their time of need.
       Reward likewise abounds for the Foster Grandparents who 
     serve neglected and abused children. The sense of self-worth 
     derived from these programs is priceless for the 
     Grandparents.


                         IMPACT ON THIS AGENCY:

       Foster Grandparents are highly valued by the school system, 
     and thus a positive image of Community Action is presented to 
     the agencies served as well as to the community at large. The 
     Foster Grandparent Program enables Community Action to have 
     significant contact with youth before they become teens and 
     reject adult guidance. Grandparents are also able to refer 
     children and their parents and alert agency personnel to the 
     array of other Community Action programs available to meet 
     diverse needs.
       One example is Community Action's certified housing 
     counseling program that includes a strong homeless assistance 
     component. Foster Grandparents remind shelter workers to call 
     upon this Community Action program for additional, on-going 
     assistance to families as needed.
       Community Action, the volunteer stations, and most 
     importantly the people they serve benefit from cooperative 
     relationships built through the Foster Grandparent Program.

                          ____________________