The library at Bayview, a 10-story building and senior living community at the base of Queen Anne Hill, was quiet on a Tuesday morning. One Bayview resident sat near the window, reading a newspaper. Several others spoke in lowered voices.
Then a voice broke the silence: “Here they come!”
A group of children — ranging from 2 1/2 to 5 years — filed in, murmuring excitedly. Some strutted in confidently, while others shyly stayed close to their teachers. When the group settled onto the carpet, community resident Marlene Peters opened a picture book and began to read aloud.
Bayview, a nonprofit “life plan community,” provides independent living apartments, assisted living, and memory care to more than 225 residents aged 62 and older. It is also home to the Intergenerational Children’s Center (ICC) which provides care for up to 44 children — from infants to pre-Kindergarteners — and offers daily connection between its kids and resident seniors. Storytimes and music classes are scheduled activities, but the unplanned exchanges between the two groups are equally valuable.
“There are brief interactions when some of the kids might have a question [for a resident] when we’re walking through the hallways,” said Kesan Tyrone Holt, assistant director of ICC, giving the example of a child asking about a resident’s walker. “They’re so honest, and they’re just taking in everything.”
Moments like these teach empathy and compassion naturally. During the children’s time at Bayview, “they have learned that walkers and wheelchairs and wrinkles aren’t scary at all,” said Nancy Weinbeck, CEO of Bayview. “Unfortunately, we live in an ageist society. But if the kids are raised where there’s love and magic [around aging] instead of fear, that changes everything for them.”
Research published in the June 2021 journal “Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics” has shown that youth also develop a greater sense of purpose and self-esteem, and an increased interest and empathy toward older people, when they have more meaningful intergenerational engagement. Conversely, research published in the September 2025 journal International Psychogeriatrics confirmed seniors often display improved cognitive function, physical health, and overall quality of life.
For some ICC students, the impact is so deep that they return to Bayview to work as adults. Weinbeck mentioned that some employees in the dining staff were once kids in the ICC, and the love fostered then for the residents and older generation shaped who they are today.
Elsewhere in the Seattle area, preschoolers who attend Pike Place Market Child Care & Preschool visit a senior center nearby during their walks for unstructured time with residents. At West Seattle’s Intergenerational Learning Center (ILC) at Providence Mount St. Vincent, elderly residents and ILC students — ranging from babies to age 6 — come together for singing, performing plays, and doing service projects. At the end of each day, they all gather to shake hands, give hugs, and blow kisses before the children leave.
At ICC, children recognize that Bayview residents are the ones who read books at storytime, beat drums during music class, smile and wave while children are at the playground, and are handy with glue and paper when making crafts. Peters, who leads storytime, also nurtures a small garden — planting carrots and flower bulbs — and involves the children when tending to the plot. Over the last three years, the gardeners have grown carrots that the children can take home.
“I like that they’re curious and interested in all the things that are around them,” Peters said. “They’re such bright shining stars. And they’re so honest and generally answer just like they feel — there isn’t any pretense.”
One two-year ICC resident, who didn’t want her name used, mentioned that her grandchildren are not young kids anymore, and she missed time with them during COVID. Seeing children now helps. Cranson said experiencing the children’s joy at the ICC and getting to know them is life-giving. For Carol Olwell, who has only been at Bayview for a few months, the ICC was an important factor when choosing where to live.
After retirement, people who identified strongly with their career often look for personal meaning beyond those identities. Lacking a sense of purpose can lead to depression and social isolation.
“It’s important to continue that sense of ‘you’re really important and you bring value,” Weinbeck said, noting that former educator Peters’ expertise helps everyone. “It doesn’t matter if you’re 80 or you’re 30; to know that you’re having such a positive impact on another human being — that’s what we’re all here on this planet for.”
