Something transformative is coming to The Meadows Early Learning Center in mid-January, we have developed a partnership with Lincoln Meadows Senior Living Center!

This collaboration was put together by the owner of The Meadows Early Learning Center, Katie McDonald, and Carrie Schneider, The Director of Fun at The Lincoln Meadows Senior Living Center. Once a month, seniors will come to the Meadows Early Learning Center to interact with children from infant to preschool. Creating this inter-generational relationship is critical not only for the children but also for the seniors, giving them a connection and a purpose to look forward to. 

"Numerous studies have linked social interactions with decreased loneliness, delayed mental decline, lower blood pressure, and reduced risk of disease and death in elders. Socializing across generations has also been shown to increase the amount of smiling and conversation among older adults." (Jansen, 2016)

Bringing the elderly community into a childcare center and preschool such as The Meadows also helps children to have early contact with older people, thus enforcing from an early age that elderly community members are still contributing, compassionate, and productive members of our society. Due to the varying health conditions that many older adults face, being in their presence can also help children to understand and value differing abilities as well as understand and respect limitations of others.

 Jansen, T. (2016). When Preschool Is in a Nursing Home. The Atlantic. Retrieved 28 December 2016, from http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/01/the-preschool-inside-a-nursing-home/424827/