Last January Eagle River resident Michelle Foreman read a book called "The Element," which talks about finding and pursuing one's passion in life.

The book describes a partnership between a retirement home and a kindergarten classroom: The classroom is in the foyer of the retirement home.

Foreman's attention was hooked.

Within a couple of months she boarded a plane to Oklahoma to visit the retirement home described in the book, as well as another facility with a similar situation, across the border in Kansas.

"What happens is the senior residence becomes a place where life is happening. It changes the atmosphere of where they live," Foreman said. "There's things those kids can do for the seniors that no one else can do."

Foreman returned from the trip with a vision for starting a kindergarten at the Chugiak-Eagle River Senior Center, where she worked for several years before her current position as the executive director of the Heart to Heart Pregnancy Resource Center. Foreman is also a current senior center board member.

Foreman presented a proposal to the senior center's board of directors and met with Anchorage School District Superintendent Carol Comeau.

Comeau describes the concept as in an exploratory stage. School district staff needs to review the senior center facility for code compliance and meetings need to be set up with senior center residents, school personnel and the community.

"I think if it could happen, it would be a wonderful example of a true inter-generational partnership," Comeau said.

School board member and area resident Crystal Kennedy echoed Comeau.

"The concept of having the young and the old together makes a lot of sense," she said. "This will be another way of showing how connected we really are."

Beyond addressing people's concerns and working out details, like the process for selecting students, the question of funding remains a major crux.

Organizers hope to secure grants, donations and possibly a legislative appropriation. Once it's up and running, the school district would provide teachers, classroom materials and a curriculum, and the senior center would provide a location.

If the kindergarten opens, it wouldn't be the first time the senior center has housed students. About 15 years ago, when Chugiak Elementary School was overcrowded and Mirror Lake Middle School had yet to be built, sixth graders studied for a year in rooms at the center, said Ted Carlson, vice president of the senior center's board of directors.

Carlson surveyed the residents before the sixth graders moved in. About 60 percent were in favor of the idea, and 40 percent were opposed, Carlson said. But by the end of the year "there was nobody opposed to it, that's how well it fit," Carlson said.

This go around, there's again some seniors with apprehensions, Carlson said.

"Seniors can be involved in it at any level they want to be. They can go down and read to the kids, or they can stay away from it," he said.

Carlson said he has no concerns about a kindergarten fitting into the senior center environment.

"There's got to be a lot of discipline as far as the kids go," he said. "There's no running up and down the halls but I think the teachers can take care of that."

Foreman is calling all programs that bridge school children and seniors MEPA, which stands for Melding Education, Proving Agedness. She's working with the facilities in Oklahoma and Kansas to document the philosophies and practices behind their programs. To that end, she recently produced a DVD on the subject.

"It needs to go nationwide," Foreman said. "Alaska is a state that leads."

The benefits of a program that joins the generations are numerous, Foreman said. Students exit the program with a higher reading level than their peers, and they learn "to not be afraid of that season in life."

Also, students have a chance to tap into the wisdom of those who have experienced decades of good and bad times.

For the seniors, interacting with the youngsters provides a renewed sense of purpose, Foreman said.

"Medicine can only do certain things. This does more than medicine," Foreman said.

Foreman described a woman who had stroke, after which she lost mobility to do simple actions like turning pages of a book. At first the woman was reluctant to go back to working with the kindergartens, but after lots of reassurance from her young friends, she returned to her role as a reading buddy.

"They pulled that woman back into engaging," Foreman said.

Foreman also shared a story about a man in hospice who seemed lifted up by the childrens' presence.

"Falling in love with the kindergartners changed the last years of his life," she said.

The value of the program extends to parents and teachers, as well, Foreman said.

"It's win-win," Foreman said.

MEPA is aiming to open a kindergarten classroom in the local senior center by the fall of next year, Foreman said, adding that it's important to do it right the first time, which could lead to a delay.

Foreman believes this community provides an ideal setting for a kindergarten-senior program.

"The reason we have the opportunity is that we're a community with heart," Foreman said. "We have the opportunity to lead the state in embracing this."