Older Workers in Afterschool Programs

By Richard P. Adler, Civic Ventures
Copyright: March 2003

With a grant from the Charles Stuart Mott Foundation, over the past year Civic Ventures has been studying the role of older volunteers in after-school programs. We have found that this group has many characteristics that make them ideal candidates for working with young children in after-school settings, both as paid workers and as volunteers.

Over the next several years, California’s prime working age population will shrink as a portion of the overall state population, while the percentage of older Californians will increase steadily. Moreover, survey data indicate that a significant portion of the population nearing retirement is interested in continuing to work after they reach the conventional age of retirement. We believe that the type of work offered by after-school programs – including part-time hours and the opportunity to work with children in their own communities – will be quite attractive to many older adults. Tapping into this resource can provide a powerful “win-win” both for California’s older adults and for the children served by after-school programs.

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