State College nonprofit to launch program to help ‘grandfamilies’ gain computer skills
For grandparents, raising grandchildren can come with added stress, but the Mid-State Literacy Council is attempting to ease the burden placed on “grandfamilies” by teaching computer literacy skills in a first-time program.
MSLC Executive Director Amy Wilson saw a gap that needed to be filled after seeing a rise in the number of Centre County grandfamilies — grandparents raising the children of their drug addicted offspring. With help from funds awarded by the Downtown State College Rotary Club, MSLC was able to purchase equipment to use in the program, which is set to launch next month.
“Everything has gone online — access to health care and almost all access to school information,” Wilson said. “Realizing how many people didn’t have computer skills or digital literacy skills, I wondered what was happening with the children.”
Collaborating with day care programs, local senior centers, support groups, area school districts and Centre County’s Office of Aging, Wilson said the council was able to gauge interest in the program, and with $10,000 in funding, the MSLC turned the idea into a reality.
“It’s so powerful to have those skill sets, and children use them in school constantly,” Wilson said. “Grandfamilies deal with all kinds of paperwork and forms, vaccinations, finances. There’s so many things that they have to deal with, and without computer skills, it becomes very difficult. We’re very excited to take someone who has never used a computer and teach them the skills in order for them to use them competently and effectively.”
The program is divided into courses that will be taught at different locations — Bellefonte Senior Resource Center, Centre Hall Senior Center (Centre Hall Fire Hall), Holt Memorial Library and Centre Region Active Adult Center — for four weeks. Lessons range from basic tips, computer skills and smartphone apps, navigating school-specific systems and apps and best practices for helping kids succeed in school.
“Our concern for our grandparents is they are not able to access or have concerns with their grandchildren’s school’s portal,” said Karen Loerch, MSLC literacy coordinator. “Access is very important for all aspects of school notifications, news, food service, school closings, assignments, grades.”
Lessons will be taught using Chromebooks that most local districts use as early as third grade, Loerch said. Outside of the scheduled program, the MSLC will offer one-on-one tutoring for specific concerns.
In Pennsylvania, 238,598 or 8.8% of minors live in homes where their primary caregivers are grandparents or another relative. More than 88,700 grandparents are householders who are responsible for their grandchildren, 20% of them are living in poverty, reports Grandfamilies.org. Knowing that grandfamilies are faced with financial struggles and legal battles, Wilson said she hopes the program will ease the amount of stress placed on grandparents while helping children succeed in school.
“As we get to know people who are really doing this amazing task of raising their grandchildren, we want to make sure to fill in any gaps that they may have,” Wilson said.
Howard resident Amy Mitchell, a grandmother who is raising her grandson and founded Grandfamilies Support Group, said the program will address an issue often discussed by group attendees.
“My grandson is still in preschool, so I have not had to face those struggles yet ... but I do have friends and people at the meetings who have indicated that at times, they try to get on the system and for whatever reason, they can’t,” Mitchell said. “Sometimes, they try to get on and other times they’re locked out, and it just becomes frustrating.”
Grandfamilies Support Group began in 2018 as a way to help grandparents gather and share information among families coping with the stress of having to raise another child. Meeting twice a month at St. John’s Church of Christ in Bellefonte, Mitchell said attendance numbers vary but thinks the computer literacy program will only enhance the resources available to grandfamilies throughout Centre County.
“There’s a need to help grandparents,” Mitchell said. “We are older, and things change. Things have changed since we raised our children, so keeping us up to date will help our grandchildren succeed.”
For more information or to register for the program, contact Karen Loerch at MSLC by calling 238-1809.
This story was originally published January 12, 2020 at 7:28 AM.
