WHEATLAND – After being nominated for “The Difference Maker” award by teachers Melissa Lucas, Jessica Shepard, and Kimberly Goertz, the Youth Alternatives Advisory Council chose Carol Jean Day was selected as the 2024 Volunteer of the Year for her work in the Foster Grandparent program.
The nominating teachers lauded Day (a.k.a. “Grandma Carol”) for taking the time to encourage and support the students in their learning, being diligent in sometimes tedious tasks, with great success in helping struggling students catch up and excel. “This would not be possible without the persistence and caring help of Grandma Carol. …Her positive and supportive feedback engages these students. Her praise makes them smile with pride as their confidence in themselves grows. Grandma Carol always lets the kids know that she is at school for them. She tells them how important school is and what fun it is to learn new things,” they said.
Day has been Grandma Carol to elementary students in Wheatland for 15 years. She is a mentor and helper in classes from Kindergarten through second grade, and works four hours a day during the schoolyear and even during summer school. According to program director Allyson Montgomery, she also faithfully goes to Cheyenne every month for training.
“She is a true blessing for our program,” Montgomery said.

“I love my munchkins,” Day said with a smile. She explained she doesn’t always remember their names, but she has an agreement with them all, she can always call them her “munchkins” and they can always call her “Gramma,” even years down the line.
For Day, her position as a foster grandparent is not a job, but an essential part of her life. She says she was “lost” after losing her husband of 32 years. A few years after his passing, she saw the advertisement for foster grandparents to assist children in the classroom, and after completing the background checks and signing the non-disclosure agreements, Day not only found a meaning and purpose for her life, but a way to share the vast array of love in her heart with all her “grandkids.” She takes the time to give individual attention to each of her students, helping them read or do mathematics, and simply encouraging them and making sure they all know someone cares – really cares – about them as individuals.
Her joy is infectious, and her assistance in the classroom has been invaluable over the years. Day has seen tears in parents’ eyes as they share joy after her dedication to helping students has led to significant progress in reading abilities and a love of learning.
Day knows what it is like not to be able to read very well – what it is like when the words are just too big to read or understand. She had that problem when she was young, but had to do the hard work of figuring it out on her own, as there was not as much help with such tasks back “in those days.” Her understanding of what it is like to struggle to read – and her experience of seeing the world open up with books – influences her patience and connection with the students.
“I’m not bashful – if I get something wrong, I admit it to the children, and demonstrate how you just do it again, until you get it right. Even though some of my kids say ‘but, Grandma, you’re too old!’ I just tell them you’re never too old to learn,” Day said.
“It is a lot of fun. I like to see the smiles and how their faces light up when they [reach those milestones] of learning,” Day said.
Lucas, Shephard and Goertz concluded in their nomination letter, “…Carol Jean Day supports the students she works with in a respectful, encouraging, and constructive way. She has helped hundreds of students become proficient in numerous areas of study. Grandma Carol is always positive and doesn’t complain about her job. She presents herself well when out in the community. She speaks highly about the school, the students, and the teachers. We cannot say enough positive words where Grandma Carol is concerned. She is an asset to our school and [Wyoming Youth Alternatives Foster Grandparent] program.”

Look for more details in upcoming issues of the Record-Times.