Grandmothers get pampered by their grandkids during special day in McCandless

The youngsters at the Vincentian Child Discovery Center off McKnight Road on the campus of the Vincentian Sisters of Charity invited their grandmothers to school with them on July 23 to celebrate Gorgeous Grandma Day.

The children provided mask-making supplies, makeup stations, jewelry making, glamour shots, cookie decorating and games to play with their grandmas.

Linda Scanlon of Ross was there getting her makeup done with her 4-year-old granddaughter, Grace Levine, also of Ross.

“We’re having so much fun today. I’m going to look the prettiest I’ve ever looked,” said Scanlon as Grace smudged children’s makeup all over her face.

Five-year-old Petra Krajina of McCandless was lucky enough to have both of her grandmothers there. Ivanka Krajina of Baldwin and Lori Bertha of McCandless came to enjoy the day with their young one.

“This is just really nice,” said Bertha as she allowed Petra to cover her face with a mask.

According to nationaldaycalendar.com, Gorgeous Grandma Day was started in 1984 by Alice Solomon to honor older women, whether they are grandmothers or not, and their accomplishments and abilities.

At Vincentian, the day marked the first time the center hosted a spa day specifically for the grandmas. However, the school maintains a strong focus on intergenerational programming.

Intergenerational programming fosters activities and initiatives that bring individuals from different age groups together to offer support and learning. The goal is to bridge the gap between older and younger generations.

“There’s a wealth of academic knowledge that supports intergenerational learning, and it shows that it benefits all parties, not just one or the other,” said J. Jude Hazard, executive director communications at Vincentian.

What started out as a simple idea floated by “Miss Dawn,” Vincentian’s school business office manager Dawn Simpronio, turned out to be one of the more successful events at the school. Thirty-five out of 36 grandmothers were able to attend the event.

“This was a huge success. When Miss Dawn mentioned it, we started discussing how it would work and then our teacher, Mrs. Martinez, got everything set up,” said Jill Paragi, senior director of child care services.

Maria Martinez, a teacher at the school for almost two years, said she loves this age group.

“They are so fun at this age, and I love to see how they learn and grow so much in just a short time,” Martinez said.

Martinez has a strong connection with her own family, and she said it’s important for her to teach the children about how special it is.

“Grandmothers are like a second mother. They are so important to these kids. They deserve this spa day,” Martinez said.

The leadership team at Vincentian promotes faith-based values at the school.

“It really goes back to it takes a village to raise a child. Bringing diversity and supporting collaborative learning is what we believe in here,” Paragi said.

Grandmas aren’t the only part to the intergenerational learning at Vincentian. With Vincentian having on-site independent living and personal care facilities, they can include those residents in programming, too.

“We really try to engage the residents and the children as well, which is a unique opportunity that we have here,” Paragi said.