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Schools / EducatorsBring the GrandPals Program to your school.Educators
GrandPals brings curriculum to life through authentic, intergenerational learning. If you’re an educator looking to inspire your students and build meaningful connections between generations, we’re here to help.
Whether you're ready to implement a program or just exploring the idea, there are a few ways to get started:
Learn What's Involved
The GrandPals program connects a class of students with older adult volunteers for eight 60–90 minute in-class storytelling sessions.
Each week, students and GrandPals reflect on life themes like home, family, work, learning, and travel. Students work in small groups to listen, document, and ultimately publish a story from their GrandPal's life.
As a teacher, your responsibilities include:
- Hosting the sessions in your classroom
- Coordinating with the program lead on logistics and themes
- Supporting students with prompts, story-building, and reflections
- Facilitating the final story-writing and presentation process
Most educators find the program aligns easily with the curriculum in:
- Oral communication
- Writing and reading
- Visual arts
- Social studies and character education
Bring GrandPals to Your School
If your school doesn’t yet offer GrandPals, let’s change that.
You can either:
- Partner with a local community organization or service club to coordinate the program
- Or, in some cases, run the program directly through the school (with a designated lead contact)
We can help you:
- Understand what’s required
- Recruit GrandPals and a coordinator
- Secure funding or sponsorship if needed
- Gain access to free resources to implement the program*
*Resources developed from 2022-2025 through a partnership between the Centre for Studies in Aging and Health (CSAH) & The Waltons Trust.
Our Community Partners
Express Interest
Let us know you’re interested, and we’ll connect you with the closest organization running GrandPals in your area. If there isn’t one yet, we’ll keep your name on file and let you know if a local program begins — or help you bring one to your school by identifying potential champions, coordinators, or funders.