An Observational Study in Developing an Intergenerational Shared Site Program

Abstract

This article provides strategic insights into developing and evaluating an intergenerational shared site program at The Community Programs Center (CPC) in Port Jefferson, NY. Conducted under a grant from the Administration on Aging, attention is given to the meth odological challenges in conducting intergenerational evaluation research. The Project Evaluator found that the use of videotaping created a host of difficulties for both the staff and participants. Emphasis is given to chronicling the critical importance of developing a multi-pronged approach to gathering data, and the consequences of utilizing graduate students as evaluators. The evaluation component involved comparing two groups of child/elder participants within a day-care setting during an eight-month period of time. Each session was videotaped and later analyzed for changes in certain participant attributes. Based on the observations gathered, it was found that curriculum development, staff commitment, and programmatic flexibility were critical components in creating an intergenerational-shared site program. Also, the teaching orientation of the intergenerational facilitator was found to play a role in fostering communication among the participants. Important recommendations are provided for both intergenerational practitioners and research evaluators who want to replicate the CPC model. Although positive change was observed in select participants, future evaluation efforts must track change and activity outcomes over a greater period of time.