Minnesota's Foster Grandparent Program Adopts MCP Model

Retired Senior Volunteer Programs (RSVP) and Foster Grandparent Programs (FGP) nationwide have embraced the mentoring children of prisoners (MCP) movement and are eagerly looking to partner with existing initiatives. In St. Cloud, MN however, where such a MCP program formerly did not exist, one FGP has taken on the challenge of starting its own.

Armed with the tools from a specialized Amachi Training Institute conducted in April 2005 for Senior Corps directors, Jackie Johnson, program director for the FGP run by Catholic Charities of the Diocese of St. Cloud, returned to Minnesota ready to begin a MCP program. During the summer of that same year, Johnson developed a work plan and used it to apply for a Programs of National Significance (PNS) grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). In addition, she requested an AmeriCorps*VISTA volunteer and received a three-year grant allowing them to hire Allison Bakken, who joined the program in November 2005 for one year. Since that time she has been successfully forming the relationships needed to get the program started. However, Bakken says it was Johnson’s strong leadership that made it possible.

“I can't help but stress that Jackie Johnson started this vision with a clear-cut work plan, and as a VISTA I'm simply carrying it out,” says Bakken. “But, only with Jackie's guidance, support and undying commitment to her work and the Foster Grandparent Program.”

One of the key components to starting the program was developing a strong relationship with a correctional facility. Johnson met with the warden of the Minnesota Correctional Facility-St. Cloud prior to receiving the PNS grant, and the warden agreed to work with FGP if they received the grant. “It helped a lot that the warden was already excited and a believer in the program,” adds Bakken. But even with this pre-planning, “it took a few meetings for them to understand who [the FGP] is and what they do and how the program could help their offenders,” says Bakken. “Building the relationships with the correctional facilities is not just a one-meeting thing. You have to make the right connections. That was a frustration too, but it all worked out.”

Bakken initially met with prison officials in early November 2005. Then she participated in a planning meeting in February 2006 and a few months later presented to case mangers in April. Finally, on May 17, 2006, the prison incorporated an introduction to the FGP into its orientation. Prisoners will view a FGP video during orientation and also receive literature on the program in their cellblocks. Any offender who wishes to connect a child with a Foster Grandparent contacts his or her case manger, who is the liaison with the FGP.

The program services a 16-county area in which the child of the incarcerated parent must reside. Foster Grandparents spend an average of one to five hours a week mentoring a child throughout school hours or around the time of after-school programs. They complete their remaining service hour requirement volunteering in other classrooms at their site.

Summer 2006