Matthew Kaplan, Ph.D.

Penn State Intergenerational Program

The Penn State Intergenerational Program (PSIP) is a large collection of Penn State University programs, activities, and other resource materials for educators, human and community service professionals, and families interested in facilitating intergenerational understanding and cooperation.

Responsibilities

• Provide statewide leadership for program initiatives related to intergenerational engagement and aging, in conjunction with extension agents and other public groups.
• Develop and support nonformal education programs that strengthen intergenerational relationships and competencies in children, youth/4-H'ers, and families across the life span. 
• Promote initiatives that yield healthy aging outcomes, improved family care of aging and disabled persons, positive family dynamics, and improved intergenerational relationships in civic settings.

Research and/or Extension Areas

The focus of my research and extension/outreach activities is on intergenerational strategies for supporting children, youth, older adults, families, and communities. My intergenerational work fits into four broad thematic areas:

1. Intergenerational strategies designed for specific settings and target groups (includes early childhood care/education centers, adult care facilities, and retirement communities).
2. Intergenerational strategies to promote community planning and civic engagement (includes focus on natural as well as the built environment).
3. Strategies for improving intergenerational communication within families (includes work with families that own and operate small farms, families with grandparents and other relatives raising children, and families experiencing conflict around issues related to food selection and eating practices).
4. Principles and processes for developing effective intergenerational programs, practices, and policies (emphasis on common themes that apply across settings and national and cultural contexts).

In each of these areas, results from research projects inform the Extension agenda. New approaches for bringing the generations together are developed, piloted, and, if found to be effective, disseminated to Extension educators and other professionals.