Giving Compass' Take:

• Intergenerational programs can help address the COVID deficit for younger students and engage older adults to leverage their skills and talents to help students learn. 

• While these programs could help respond to educational gaps, there are barriers to success. How can donors help organizations that support intergenerational programming address these hurdles?

• Read about equity in education during the COVID-19 pandemic. 


With just weeks before the fall semester begins, school districts are grappling with reopening decisions as Covid-19 cases rise across the country.

It’s obviously a tough choice. We know that little can replace the hours of in-person instruction children should receive each day, and researchers and educators are so worried about these growing deficits that the term “covid slide” has supplanted the “summer slide.”

But intergenerational programs can help fill that gap.

In an educational setting, these programs leverage the skills and talents of older adults to help students learn. But it’s not just the students who benefit – these programs give older adults a sense of purpose and connection to a younger generation. In a time when we’re asking older adults to stay home for their own good, they are at increased risk for social isolation, which is linked to poor health outcomes. These programs benefit old and young alike.

In the spring, nonprofits with intergenerational programs across the country pivoted admirably to remote sessions. For low-income students in particular, this supplemental instruction is a free, reliable, and personalized way to maintain educational momentum in the face of increasing odds.

Read the full article about intergenerational programs by Trent Stamp at EdSource.