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Opposites attract
Preschool and elderly care are
By Burl Burlingame
combined in an innovative program
at Seagull Schools in Kapolei
Star-BulletinIF it takes a village to raise a child, that village should be composed of many generations. The story of mankind is one of elders taking care of the very young while those in-between work for food and shelter. The story of America is one of that essential family dynamic being splintered.
Our modern times features kids ghettoed in school, adults ghettoed in jobs and retirees and older folks ghettoed in communities. Kids often don't interact with anyone other than their peers, teachers and parents before they go to work themselves. Grandparents don't interact with young people unless they're immediate family. Social cohesion, the sense of human roots spanning generations and communities, is fractured. Children have little innate sense of the flow of life, and wind up living in the present with little thought for the past or future.
Partly by design and partly by happy discovery, an Oahu child-care center has begun to rebuild those bridges between generations, reinventing the wheel of society.At Seagull Schools, a Windward-based daycare chain with branch centers around Oahu, administrators have discovered that mixing seniors and kids results in a surprisingly strong emotional bond across the years, signaling an overlooked need in society.
It began as a business decision. "In 1992, we began having board meetings for long-range planning," said Seagull founder and executive director Chuck Larson. "One thing that came up was that the demographics of the population was changing. One thing that would be different in years to come would be a need for adult daycare, a place for older folks with infirmities to go during the day."
While planning a new Seagull campus at Kapolei -- "using everything we've learned so far in daycare" -- adjacent land was set aside for adult daycare. The layout even resembles a small village, complete with a central plaza and meeting rooms, and was largely underwritten by the Weinberg Foundation. As the site neared completion, Larson began researching ways of managing both child and adult daycare systems, and quickly learned a new buzzword.
"Intergenerational," said Larson. "Intergenerational. Intergenerational. Long word; began hearing it everywhere." He debriefed Dyke Turner, head of the Providence Mount St. Vincent Center in Seattle, who had added a child-daycare center to an already existing senior center, and asked him about the most significant thing he'd witnessed so far.
Turner was blunt -- deep emotions resulted when seniors held infants and interacted with children. Larson was shocked. He couldn't imagine anyone other than professional staff being with the kids.Reflecting on his own reaction, Larson wondered if the relative isolation of the youngest and oldest parts of society from each other was short-circuiting a basic emotional need. "It's a vital part of the life cycle," said Larson.
He then discovered Hawaii Intergenerational Network, a volunteer organization that promoted cross-generational events. HIN's project director is Matt Kaplan, a professor at Hawaii Pacific University and a specialist in this new field. Kaplan became instrumental in designing programs for Seagull, such as weekly visits from Seagull's Kailua campus to nearby Windward Seniors Day Care Center, and regular visits from seniors to Seagull's Early Education Center near City Hall, the largest daycare facility in the state.
At Kapolei, however, 25 seniors and 220 kids mix it up daily, mostly in a morning promenade when the seniors stroll, roll and use walkers to tour the kids' classroom areas.
The experiment continues. "We knew it would benefit the seniors," said Larson. "What was surprising was the effect it has on the kids. They're much better behaved, even those who used to do inappropriate things. They treat the seniors with respect. Hanging out with the kupuna stemmed it."
The children use the all-purpose Hawaiian honorific kupuna when talking to the seniors. Veteran teacher Rozlyn Meyer said both groups particularly look forward to Thursday mornings, when they collaborate on crafts and art activities. "These are the most civilized, caring and nurturing kids I've ever seen, and I have to think it's because of the presence of the kupuna," said Meyer. "Some of these kids don't have grandparents available, and it's like they adopt the older folks."
Tina Samson, who supervises the adult-care, said it works in the other direction as well. "They all enjoy being with the kids, even those who don't have grandchildren themselves."
Kaila Mitchell, 4, can't really articulate her emotional connection to kupuna Joe Filler, a taciturn fellow who uses a wheelchair. It is apparent when they play together that each needs the other, and that their time together is precious.
Kaila's own grandparents are split between the mainland and Japan, said father Ed Mitchell, a Navy chief petty officer who is so impressed by the program that he does volunteer labor at the school.
"It was interesting to see Kaila's social skills change after she started attending school," said Mitchell. "She's not scared by older folks, and she interacts with adults more easily. She will actually have conversations with grown-ups. And wheelchairs and walkers don't faze her."
"When they first came in, I said, 'Who wants to play with Kupuna Joe?' " said Meyer. "And Kaila immediately said, 'I do!' The relationship started right there."
"She talks about Kupuna Joe all the time," said Mitchell. "He won a stuffed animal in a bingo contest, and gave it to her, and now it's her sleeping toy."
Mitchell himself grew up in a military family where children were seen but not heard, and says his neighborhood is mostly professional and retired folks "who aren't very friendly to kids. The vibe (Kaila) gets from them is that she's a nuisance. But she sees these people as individuals now, and it doesn't bother her as much."
Kaila has also become more interested in her real grandparents and is "putting in quite a bit of phone time," said Mitchell. "I think being able to talk to Kupuna Joe made it easier for her to talk to her own grandparents."
As we're leaving, Larson points out empty lots near the Kapolei campus. "See that? That's gonna be another senior facility. And right over there, a nursing home," he beams. "There's gonna be old people all over the place. Great!"
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