An official State of Texas website.
Does your non-profit organization serve children with exceptional needs? Are you interested in benefiting from a proven intergenerational mentoring program? If so, serving as a volunteer station for Foster Grandparent Volunteers could make a difference in your organization!
- Each volunteer is carefully screened by way of personal interviews and background checks.
- The volunteers provide one-to-one relationships built on trust and unconditional support that can develop into a future of unlimited potential.
- Virtual volunteer service opportunities may be available in your area.
- Foster Grandparents spend anywhere between 15-40 hours per week providing additional directed support in areas of identified need such as social, educational and developmental growth.
What You Need to Know to Get Started
Note: Click on an item below to reveal the information.
What organizations can sponsor Foster Grandparents?
A volunteer station must be a public agency, secular or faith-based private non-profit organization, or proprietary health care organization that accepts the responsibility for assignment and supervision of Foster Grandparents. Each volunteer station must be licensed or otherwise certified, when required, by the appropriate state or local government. Private homes are not volunteer stations.
Current volunteer stations include:
- Public and private schools
- Before/after school programs
- Child care centers or educational preschools
- Head Start centers
- Developmental disability centers
- Juvenile correction programs
- Teen pregnancy programs
- Family or children's shelters
- Boys and Girls Clubs
What responsibilities will my organization have in partnering with the Foster Grandparent Program?
Your organization will be responsible for the following:
- Developing a schedule for volunteers.
- Ensuring onsite supervision.
- Developing volunteer assignment plans for children assigned to Foster Grandparents.
- Providing training specific to your program.
- Record keeping of volunteer time sheets and annual volunteer appraisals.
- Maintaining regular communication with Foster Grandparent Program staff.
Additional opportunities to support the volunteers may include:
- Volunteer recognition
- Providing breakfast and/or lunch to volunteers, where available.
What activities do Foster Grandparents engage in with the children?
Foster Grandparents volunteer between 15-40 hours per week and are role models, mentors and friends to children with exceptional needs.
Volunteer activities may include:
- Playing and reading with young children in child care or Head Start centers.
- Helping children with basic academic skills and providing one-on-one tutoring.
- Providing children unconditional support and helping develop social skills.
- Mentoring teenagers and young mothers in need of guidance and support.
- Caring for premature infants or children with disabilities.
- Mentoring children who have been abused or neglected.
- Mentoring children of veterans and deployed military.
Who do I contact to find out more?
Send an email to Foster.Grandparent@hhs.texas.gov or visit our Contact page to find someone in your area who can get you started.
Open to all eligible volunteers.