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Tax credits to help fund Boone intergenerational care facility

JEFFERSON CITY - A $250,000 state tax credit will help Boone Hospital be the site for Missouri's first inter-generational day care facility for both the very young and the very old.

According to Jan Grossmann, Executive Director for the Boone Hospital Foundation, the facility will be based on a California model called One Generation. The center will provide daycare for 104 children and 60 seniors. Eight times a day, the children and seniors will participate in planned activities.

"They can be any kind of activity that a grandparent would do with a child," said Grossmann. "Anything from singing and dancing to backing cookies to gardening." She added, "it's a very positive experience for both the children and the seniors."

Research conducted by Richard Hessler, Professor Emeritus of Sociology at MU, points to the benefits of intergenerational care for children and seniors.

"For seniors, it often prevents full-time nursing care, boosts self-esteem and encourages active lifestyles," said Grossmann. "For the children, it encourages empathy and positive attitudes toward people who are different from themselves."

The Boone Hospital Foundation inter-generational daycare facility is projected to cost $6 million . In one month of fundraising, the foundation has raised nearly $1 million.

It is scheduled to be completed in August 2008.

The Boone Hospital tax credits were awarded through the Neighborhood Assistance Program administered by the state's Economic Development Department. Not-for-profits are awarded the credit if they are involved in projects that aid in community economic development.

The program seeks to "encourage communities to contribute to local projects," said Economic Development Department spokesperson Gregg Ochoa. The tax credit allows individuals who donate to Neighborhood Assistance Program projects to deduce 50% of their donation from their state taxes. 

According to Grossmann, the facility will supply an estimated 48 new jobs for care workers, as well as jobs for construction workers while the facility is built.

"We will also be working with the MU Office of Service Learning and William Woods University to develop internship opportunities for students," said Grossmann. She added that Moberly Area Community College, Stephens College and Columbia College will be adding courses in intergenerational studies to their degree programs. These programs will be among the first of their kind in the nation, according to Grossmann.

Though Boone Hospital Foundation had to apply to receive the tax credit, finding out they actually got it came as a surprise.

"We didn't know we received it until we heard we were going to be interviewed for newspapers," said Grossmann. She chuckled, "hopefully [the Economic Development Department] will let us know we got it soon."