I’m always looking for ways to facilitate closeness with my dad and my kids: Thankfully, he’s really involved and lives nearby. He comes to their basketball and soccer games; takes Peter, my second grader, for ice cream and recently brought Andy, my eighth grader, to Harvard Square (to Newbury Comics, of course).
But it’s taxing to coordinate without built-in infrastructure. Life gets busy. Texts and calls are easier than meetups. Schedules change. I can barely keep track of my own Google calendar, let alone everyone else’s.
The new PJ Library Grandparent Initiative makes it easier for grandparents and grandchildren to bond. Launched by JCC Greater Boston, the initiative works on two levels: It hosts multi-generational family events and also runs focus groups to understand what grandparents want and need from the Jewish community.
Funding comes from a $3,500 engagement grant awarded to the JCC by PJ Library, the flagship program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. PJ Library is known for distributing age-appropriate, Jewish-themed books to more than 7,000 kids in over 100 towns throughout Greater Boston each month.
The program is a natural extension of what’s already unfolding at the JCC, says PJ Library manager and family connector Alyssa Kaitz.
“Every day at the JCC, we see grandparents picking up from preschool. We see grandparents at the pool. We see grandparents in the play space on the weekend, and we wanted to learn how we can better support modern Jewish families. We want to know what grandparents want, what they need and what gaps we can fill,” Kaitz says.
The Grandparent Initiative rollout began literally, with a challah bake held on Grandparents’ Day, Sept. 8, with 25 families. There are more holiday events to come.
Next, Kaitz is eager to engage grandparents in focus groups to understand how to support their role in Jewish family life, from holiday celebrations to kid-friendly outings. Hearing from grandparents themselves will address an important need, she says; until now, programming was often siloed for older adults or young families.
“We know that, sometimes, there can be bumps in the road in terms of a grandparent’s role in the family. Meanwhile, we have tons of programs for older adults, but they’re not necessarily designed for grandparents and grandkids doing things together,” she says.
The focus group feedback will inform a spring lineup of multi-generational, intentional programming designed to foster the grandchild-grandparent relationship.
“We always say that we’re here to serve babies to bubbes,” Kaitz says. “Now, we’re looking at how we can include grandparents in this space in a way that we haven’t before.”
An important note: Families don’t need to belong to the JCC or PJ Library to join the focus groups, which will be held on Zoom: It’s convenient! For more information or to join a grandparent “group huddle,” email PJLibrary@jccgb.org.
