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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Alachua County's foster grandparents program may lose funding

<p id="docs-internal-guid-864c3634-7fff-0936-b473-3c3f1464f417" dir="ltr"><span>Foster grandparents across Alachua County mentor young students at elementary schools, day cares and after-school programs.</span></p>

Foster grandparents across Alachua County mentor young students at elementary schools, day cares and after-school programs.

Tisha McGlon spends 21 hours each week as a foster grandparent to first graders at Lake Forest Elementary School. Students have been in Grandma Tisha’s life for ten years.

The 76-year-old foster grandparent loves watching her “babies” grow up, especially the troublemakers. McGlon makes sure everyone has a jacket in the cold and a goody bag for every holiday.

“Sometimes they don’t have a grandparent at home, and they have us to lean on,” McGlon said.

McGlon is one of about 75 foster grandparents in the Alachua County Foster Grandparent Program, where people 55 and older mentor students with special needs and those who need additional support.

The program is in jeopardy of losing federal funding if the Alachua County Commission does not approve the two new background check systems and accept $2,500 in additional revenue Tuesday, said Candie Nixon, a county community support services assistant director.

If approved, the county must rescreen all foster grandparents by March 31 to maintain funding, she said. They are rarely rescreened.

The change was caused by other community programs that were found out-of-compliance to the previous background check standard set by the Corporation for National and Community Service, which oversees the program, she said.

Though in compliance with previous standards, Alachua County must rescreen its grandparents, even those with previous clear screenings, Nixon said.

New background checks cost about $80 per grandparent, Nixon said.

The program received $374,620 in federal funding in 2018, according to data from the federal agency. Nixon said the county annually matches 10 percent of that funding and has sponsored the program since 1973.

Foster grandparents mentor for at least five hours each week at elementary schools, after-school programs and childcare centers, Nixon said. They are paid $2.65 per hour and are given supplemental medical and automobile insurance, transportation reimbursement, a daily meal and other benefits.

The program aims to have 100 grandparents, so the program continuously enrolls people to accommodate as many students as possible, she said.

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Gussie Lee, the program chair, said foster grandparents play an important role every day. Lee has spent over 40 years in the program and said grandparents teach students independence and self-confidence.

“Even with the changes, it hasn’t thrown them off their role,” Lee said. “It keeps them young. It keeps them active.”

Foster grandparents across Alachua County mentor young students at elementary schools, day cares and after-school programs.

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