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The anticipation at Channing House was palpable as the seniors awaited the van. The vehicle was already 20 minutes late.

Soon, however, it pulled up to the curb and the side doors opened. Nearly a dozen children hopped out, wiry and jumping with nervous energy. As they poured into the lobby, they sought out the familiar faces of their much-older mentors.

Twice each week, 20 children from East Palo Alto meet with Channing House seniors, ages 70 to 94, for one-on-one time, reading, studying and learning about each other.

The seniors and children have built a strong intergenerational bond, with lessons for both groups beyond the three Rs, they said.

"This is a blessing to come here. I've seen it invigorating grades. Some of the children were failing," said Rev. Andre L. Harris, pastor of East Palo Alto's Born Again Christian Center.

The program began in June. Seniors at Channing House were looking for a project after tutoring students at a nearby Palo Alto school ended.

Harris' students were being tutored by Stanford University students during the school year and found themselves without summer teachers.

It was a perfect fit, according to Peggy Stevenson, a public-interest attorney with family connections at Channing House. She met Harris when both worked with another program, the East Palo Alto Youth Court, she said.

The children, who are in kindergarten through high school, bring schoolwork each week and receive tutoring.

The program is growing, with a current need for 40 children to have mentors, Harris said.

As more seniors learn about the project, interest appears to be on the rise, some of the seniors said.

"We hope there is enough flame to light a bigger fire," said Carl Landman, one of the tutors.

Stevenson recently led the group to the 11th floor to work at tables in pairs for the 45-minute session.

Maryann Coulson, a retired social worker, read to Aaliyah Harris, 5, a kindergartner at James Flood Elementary School, and helped with homework.

Aaliyah removed her homework assignment from a backpack and took charge. She had already completed the homework assignment, writing letters and numbers, and proudly read the homework to Coulson, running her finger across the lined paper and stopping at each letter.

"She could run the whole show. If this is the future generation, I think it's great," Coulson said.

In a nearby room, Muriel Herhold, 83, a former social-studies teacher at Jordan and Jane Lathrop Stanford middle schools, helped LeJon Harris, 17, a junior at Menlo-Atherton High School, organize his notebook. Herhold brought dividers for LeJon, who has a habit of writing assignments in no particular order throughout the pages.

"She helps me to learn things they don't teach in school," Harris said, discussing an assignment on the Abolitionist Movement. Herhold introduces elements of African-American achievements, history and thinking that don't find their way into standard curricula, she said.

Harris said he participates more in class as a result of their partnership.

"She opens my mind; she opens things for more understanding," he said.

Two little boys greeted Eunice Haas with kisses and hugs. To LaJames Blue, 8, and LaBron Anderson, 6, Haas has become a grandmother figure.

"I've seen a big change in the boys. Regardless of how much academic learning they get, they are benefiting from the attention," she said.

The boys have calmed down as she's worked with them. They used to come in as raw bundles of energy, she said.

"We got them focused. On many levels, they are getting better. They have settled in," said Haas, a former teacher's aide at Walter Hays Elementary School.

Doris Landman, coordinator of Channing House's senior recruiting, said the mentors bring continuity that has helped the children focus. Being in the grandparent role reaches kids on a level that parents cannot.

"There's something about being two generations apart. We're past the age of representing the authorities," she said.

During snack time, the children dash off for cookies, fresh fruit, juice and sometimes pizza. For many, the world-class view of the San Francisco Bay area from the 11th floor is the first time they have seen East Palo Alto from the outside, Stevenson said.

The program has helped reduce the children's sense of isolation and helped them gain confidence, she added.

For many seniors, who can also feel isolated living only among other seniors, the children have brought in new life and changed some long-held misconceptions, some said.

Landman, a former Ravenswood City School District board member, said the interaction between Caucasian tutors and the children, who are black, has broken down some stereotypes.

"People highly educated people here some of them said, 'Oh, they're bright,'" she said, referring to the city's image only as a crime capital.

Some teachers have had to adjust what they expect to achieve as tutors, she added.

"I tell them, 'Don't lower your expectations but change them.' Recognize that they are learning all of the time," she said.

Carl Landman spent the afternoon session huddled in close conference with Idris Alexander, 11, on a math assignment.

"He is a grateful, great learner. I can see him progress very well. It makes me more enthusiastic to work with someone I can see growing like that in such a short time. An intelligent kid like him, I see a lot of potential in him. He's going to go places. It is something promising for the future," he said.

Haas said one of her students, LaJames, has asked if he could come to live at Channing House. She reflected on his metamorphosis.

"I always say people come to Channing House and reinvent themselves," she said.