When senior citizens and toddlers share space, everyone wins. Since 2020, pre-schoolers from the Montessori Children’s House of Bay City and seniors at New Hope Bay Assisted Living and Memory Care Community have regular visits.
The partnership is a win for everyone involved benefits both sides. The program is an example of the type of high-quality child-care programs the community needs, says Rich Van Tol, who coordinates early childhood education programs through the Bay-Arenac ISD.
“Kids light up our lives,” says Rumi Shahzad, Founder and Managing Director of New Hope Bay Assisted Living and Memory Care Community. “There’s a lot of learning the seniors have from their lifelong journey that they can share.”
The kids are just as excited to walk from their side of the 668 N. Pine Road campus to where the seniors live, says Pamela Skutt, Director of the Montessori Children’s House of Bay City..
When toddlers and seniors spend time together, everyone wins
