At a time
in life when many are beginning to ease into retirement and enjoying a little
more free time, Mr. and Mrs. B. found themselves unexpectedly starting all over
again—struggling to care for their adopted daughter’s two young sons. Their daughter’s bipolar disorder was
recognized very late, and though she stays involved in her sons’ lives, neither
she nor their father were able to be a full-time parent. So the boys went to live with their
grandparents. As in all families
with children, there’s always something happening that demands attention and
this family has had very serious needs. When their youngest grandson was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder,
Mr. and Mrs. B. had trouble finding a good doctor to care for him. Then Mrs. B. was diagnosed with
cancer. But there are no regrets:
“There’s no ‘us time,’” Mr. B says, “but I would do it again in a heartbeat.”
Their
family isn’t alone. Lots of us who
are grandparents are used to stepping in and caring for grandchildren from time
to time. I know my husband and I
have spent many evenings and weekends on “grandma and grandpa duty,” and loved
every wonderful but exhausting moment! But many grandparents and other family
members are going far beyond the occasional Saturday night or long
weekend. Since all children
deserve safe, permanent and loving families, when parents can’t care for their
children—they may have died, be incarcerated, or be struggling with substance
abuse or other health or mental health challenges—relatives like Mr. and Mrs.
B. often end up “parenting a second time around.” They step in to give their grandchildren or nieces or
nephews the love and stability they need and avoid the need for foster care
with strangers.
As
rampant unemployment and housing foreclosures ravage families across our
nation, an increasing number of children are living in households headed by
grandparents and other relatives, often three generations sharing scarce
resources due to the recession. Nearly 7.8 million children live in households headed by a grandparent
or other relative. More than 2.5
million grandparents report they are responsible for grandchildren living with
them—a third with no parent present. Black children are twice as likely as all children to live with their
grandparents or other relatives only.
These
grandparents and other relatives are providing vital care, stability, and
continuity to millions of America’s most vulnerable children. They are keeping children safe and
families together: children raised by relatives are more likely to be placed
with siblings and less likely to lose touch with their cultural traditions and
community connections. But this
enormous responsibility can have many effects on caregivers’ own lives and
financial stability. Many are
still working and many others live on fixed incomes. Twenty percent of grandparents raising grandchildren are
poor and many relative caregivers need financial help and other forms of
support. Often caregivers
unexpectedly thrust into this role may be hesitant to share their new
challenges with others, and if they do, often find it difficult to connect with
networks to find programs and assistance for which they are eligible.
That’s
why grandparents and other relative caregivers are gathering from across the
country on September 15th on the West Lawn of the U. S. Capitol to participate
in the Fourth National GrandRally for Grandparents and Other Relatives Raising
Children sponsored by AARP, Child Welfare League of America, Children's Defense
Fund, Generations United, GrandFamilies of America, and National Committee of
Grandparents for Children’s Rights. The GrandRally seeks to educate Congress about the importance of relative
caregivers, the challenges they face, and the contributions they make. With scarce resources and a tumultuous
economy, relatives’ critical role in keeping children safe and in stable homes
will be highlighted along with the important role Social Security plays in
helping caregivers assume care of related children.
The
Children’s Defense Fund often gets calls from grandparents and other relative
caregivers seeking sources of financial assistance. In recent months, many have called to tell us they’ve been
laid off and need financial help to continue caring for their
grandchildren. They are often
embarrassed by their circumstances and afraid to contact public agencies for
assistance, fearful their grandchildren will be taken away and placed in foster
care. Grandparent caregivers often
face barriers to participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
(SNAP/Food Stamps) or qualifying their grandchildren for the National School
Lunch Program. And while Social
Security provides needed support for grandparents, grandchildren aren’t always
eligible for benefits.
Over the
last decade youth unemployment has soared, adding extra stress for
grandfamilies already struggling to keep grandchildren in high school and now
worrying about them finding a job, if they do graduate. The percentage of youths ages 16-19
employed in 2010 was the lowest since the end of World War II. While specific data on youths with
relative caregivers are unavailable, the teen employment rate dropped to 27
percent in 2010 – only one in five teens in a low income family was
working. Even youths whose
grandparents helped them graduate from college are likely to be employed at
much lower salaries in jobs that do not use their college degrees. Nearly half of all Associate Degree
holders and one-third of Bachelor Degree holders were mal-employed in 2010.
Please
reach out to relative caregivers in your communities. Three past GrandRallies inspired caregivers to establish
support groups and create kinship navigator programs to connect children to
supports for which they are eligible. Relative caregivers organized state and local coalitions, held State
GrandRallies to educate local policymakers about children’s needs and conducted
statewide kinship care conferences. Some were invited to return to Washington, D.C. to share their stories
at Congressional briefings. They
can use your help.
Please
join us September 15th at 1:00 at the U.S. Capitol. For more information about the GrandRally, visit
www.grandrally.org. You can
register online at the GrandRally registration page. You can also find out more about children in your own state
being raised by grandparents and other relatives on the AARP Website.
Marian
Wright Edelman is a lifelong advocate for disadvantaged Americans and is the
President of the Children's Defense Fund (CDF). Under her leadership, CDF has
become the nation's strongest voice for children and families.
