When Martha Hetes comes through the door at the West End School Head Start program, 18 preschoolers greet her with hugs, kisses and hellos.

Hetes volunteers with the Foster Grandparent program, which recruits and trains senior citizens to spend 20 hours per week with children at nonprofit institutions like schools, hospitals or day care centers.

The national program is funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service and sponsored locally by the American Red Cross.

Hetes is in her second year of volunteering at the Head Start program at the West End School on New Castle Road.

Eight volunteers currently serve in Butler County.

"It's a satisfying, rewarding job," Hetes said last week in the classroom. "I'm there to play, help them crayon or if they just need a hug."

Volunteers must be 55 years of age or older and meet income requirements. Foster grandparents receive a tax-free stipend to defray the cost of serving and travel reimbursement.

The program helps to close the generation gap and provides positive role models for the children, said Christine Meurer, Butler County field director for the program.

"They become very attached to the grandparents," Meurer said. "When the grandparents aren't in the classroom for any length of time, they become very concerned and the teachers do, too."

Foster grandparents receive 20 to 25 hours of training before they're placed at a location. Training covers policies and procedures and includes shadowing another foster grandparent.

They also receive lists of appropriate and inappropriate behaviors, Meurer said, and must refrain from serving as custodians, babysitters or disciplinarians.

"They're an accessory to the classroom," she said. "They are not supposed to be substituting staff at all. They are there to be of assistance."

Volunteers play a supplemental role in the classroom and perform activities such as helping with schoolwork, reading out loud, playing games and providing emotional support.

One of Hetes' duties is helping the children at lunchtime, where she sits at her own place setting marked "Grandma."

"Mrs. Grandma, I need help," said Dustin, 4, prompting Hetes to pour him a cup of milk. Next, Hetes urged Madison, 4, to try a bite of everything on her plate.

"Almost, Grandma, almost," Madison responded, picking up a grape and a carrot stick.

After the meal, the children cleaned up their place settings and then looked at picture books.

Hetes said she always tries to make the children feel loved and special, whether she is reading to them or just chatting about their days.

"She always likes to play with me," said Gwendalin, 4. "She is always nice."

Steffani, 4, added, "Grandma likes to play house, and my favorite game is playing blocks with her."

Betty Freshcorn of Butler also volunteers at the West End location and has been a foster grandparent for about six years.

"Every day is different and the time goes fast, believe me," she said. "You're never really still: sitting with the kids, playing blocks, painting — and there's always cleanup."

In an ordinary day, Freshcorn helps the children practice writing, play educational computer games and mind their manners.

"You just talk to them like you would to your own child," she said. "You encourage them to do things and they say, 'I can do it, Grandma!'"

Mae Bowser, 88, is the eldest foster grandparent in Butler County and volunteers at Mt. Chestnut Head Start in Franklin Township.

Volunteering fills her time with a productive activity, she said.

"It gets me up in the morning, and it keeps me on my toes," she said. "They keep you going, and they keep you young."

Bowser has been a volunteer for about four years and said she loves seeing children make progress emotionally, socially and intellectually.

"You can see them growing and learning more and more," she said. "As they get a little older, they get a little more mature."

Demand is great for volunteers, said Meurer, who needs 10 to 15 more foster grandparents.

Teachers and supervisors appreciate having more adults to aid them in classroom activities, said Toni Wilson, site manager for Butler County Children's Center Head Start and Pre-K programs.

"All the grandparents are very dedicated," she said. "They are so caring and will go out of their way to do anything that will help a child in the classroom."

The program benefits the grandparents as much as the children, Wilson said.

"I think the grandparents get the same thing the children get," Wilson said. "There's a mutual respect and love there."

Meurer would like to see more volunteers in general, but would especially enjoy seeing more foster grandfathers as the majority of foster grandparents are women.

"I think it would be good for the boys to have a man around as a role model," she said.

Foster grandparents can fill a void that is all too common in children's lives, Wilson said.

"Nowadays, with people not living that close to their own mother and father, it gives children an understanding of what a grandparent is," Wilson said. "It gives them another person in their life who loves them."

For information or to volunteer, call Meurer at 412-263-3167.