Nichelle Mitchem

Kinship Care: Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

 

Many of today’s grandparents have become full-time caregivers for their grandchildren. United States Census 2000 indicates that 4.5 million of our nation’s poorest children reside in grandparent-headed households and that number is escalating rapidly. Data indicates that approximately one-third of these children have no parent present in the home. The number of children in grandparent-headed households has increased 30 percent since 1990.

Research data indicates that in New York, there are 297,239 children living in grandparent-headed households which constitutes 6.3% of all the children in that state. Twenty-eight percent of these grandparents live in households without the children’s parents present. The literature on this phenomenon suggests that there are probably many more children in informal care arrangements residing with their grandparents than the data can capture.

AARP indicates that the majority of grandparents rearing grandchildren are between ages 55 and 64. Approximately 20 to 25 percent are 65 or older. While grandparent-headed families cross all socio-economic levels, these grandparents are more likely to live in poverty than are other grandparents. AARP materials also state that there are eight times more children in grandparent-headed homes than in the foster care system.

Although the phenomenon of grandparents raising grandchildren is neither novel nor new, this emerging social issue is garnering a great deal of national attention due to its impact on the welfare of an ever increasing number of our nation’s children. The rise in the number of grandparent headed households is due to serious family problems. The reasons for the increase in grandparent headed households include but are not limited to: AIDS, abandonment, child abuse and neglect, substance abuse, teenage pregnancy, death, divorce, incarceration, and the parent’s lack of employment.

Caring for their grandchildren can have life altering consequences for the grandparents. Many grandparents have not planned to raise a second family or may be retired and living on a fixed income. Having sufficient income or resources to provide housing, food, clothing, medicine, and school supplies for their grandchildren may be of critical concern. Research indicates that children raised by their grandparents are more likely than children in traditional foster care to live in poverty, to have special health and educational needs, and to lack access to health care.

While grandparents have played a significant role in the lives of their grandchildren for generations, the increasing numbers of grandparents with responsibility for their grandchildren and the rise in social factors necessitating this arrangement have created millions of vulnerable families with unique needs. For further information on the topic of grandparents raising grandchildren or to get help, please call or visit the website of: AARP’s Grandparent Information Center: 202-434-2296; and Generation’s United: 202-289-3979.

Sources: Children’s Defense Fund website, AARP’s Grandparent Information Center website, US Census Bureau, and Generations United website.

Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

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Appreciate and Celebrate Grandparents on National Grandparents Day

For more than thirty-five years, we have formally celebrated the role of grandparents in the lives of their grandchildren as a nation.

In 1978, the United States Congress passed legislation proclaiming the first Sunday after Labor Day as National Grandparents Day. President Jimmy Carter signed the proclamation. This year, National Grandparents Day will fall on Sunday, September 7th. Now more than ever before, we should celebrate grandparents and the expanding role they are playing in the lives of their grandchildren.

National Grandparent’s Day was founded to champion the cause of lonely elderly persons residing in nursing homes and to persuade their grandchildren to tap into the wisdom and heritage their grandparents could provide. It has grown to be a special day for all to celebrate the roles grandparents play in the family unit. Don’t forget to honor your grandparents on National Grandparents Day, Sunday, September 7th.

On Sunday, September 7th, remember to appreciate and celebrate your grandparents on National Grandparents Day.

Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

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“Who is Caring for an Ever Increasing Number of Our Nation’s Poorest Children?”

In the United States, child abuse and/or neglect are growing public health issues. The few cases of abuse and/or neglect which appear in the press are only a small part of this pressing public health issue. Many assert that a notable portion of the child abuse cases are not reported to police or social service agencies. What we do know about the prevalence of child abuse is as follows:
• 1,740 children died in the United States in 2008 from abuse and neglect.1
• 772,000 children were found to be victims of maltreatment by child protective services in 2008.1

In response to concerns regarding abandonment, abuse, and or neglect of their grandchildren, a growing number of grandparents have become full-time caregivers for their grandchildren. The 2000 United States Census indicates that 4.5 million of our nation’s poorest children reside in grandparent-headed households and that number is escalating rapidly. Data indicates that approximately one-third of these children have no parent present in the home. The number of children in grandparent-headed households has increased 30 percent since 1990.

Research data indicates that in New York, there are 297,239 children living in grandparent-headed households which constitutes 6.3% of all the children in that state. Twenty-eight (28) percent of these grandparents live in households without the children’s parents present. The literature on this phenomenon suggests that there are probably many more children in informal care arrangements residing with their grandparents than the data can capture.

AARP indicates that the majority of grandparents rearing grandchildren are between ages 55 and 64. Approximately 20 to 25 percent are 65 or older. While grandparent-headed families cross all socio-economic levels, these grandparents are more likely to live in poverty than are other grandparents. AARP materials also state that there are eight times more children in grandparent-headed homes than in the foster care system.

Although the phenomenon of grandparents raising grandchildren is neither novel nor new, this emerging social issue is garnering a great deal of national attention due to its impact on the welfare of an ever increasing number of our nation’s children. The rise in the number of grandparent headed households is due to serious family problems. The reasons for the increase in grandparent headed households include but are not limited to: abandonment, child abuse and neglect, substance abuse, teenage pregnancy, death, divorce, incarceration, AIDS, and the parent’s lack of employment.

Caring for their grandchildren can have life altering consequences for the grandparents. Many grandparents have not planned to raise a second family or may be retired and living on a fixed income. Having sufficient income or resources to provide housing, food, clothing, medicine, and school supplies for their grandchildren may be of critical concern. Research indicates that children raised by their grandparents are more likely than children in traditional foster care to live in poverty, to have special health and educational needs, and to lack access to health care.

While grandparents have played a significant role in the lives of their grandchildren for generations, the increasing numbers of grandparents with responsibility for their grandchildren and the rise in social factors necessitating this arrangement have created millions of vulnerable families with unique needs. For further information on the topic of grandparents raising grandchildren or to get help, please call or visit the website of: AARP’s Grandparent Information Center: 202-434-2296; and Generation’s United: 202-289-3979.

Sources: Children’s Defense Fund website, AARP’s Grandparent Information Center website, US Census Bureau, Generations United website, Children’s Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, Child Welfare League of America, Center for Disease Control & Prevention, National Child Abuse Hotline, Child Welfare Information Gateway, FRIENDS National Resource Center, and the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child.

1. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth, and Families. Child Maltreatment 2008 [online]. Washington (DC): Government Printing Office; 2010. [cited 2010 Apr 8]. Available from: http://www.acf.hhs.gov.
Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

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Nichelle Mitchem Discusses Child Abuse Prevention & Neglect

Nichelle Mitchem Discusses Child Abuse Prevention

Recognizing the alarming  rate at which children are abused and neglected, the need for innovative  programs to prevent child abuse, and the importance of assisting  families affected by maltreatment, the month of April was designated at  National Child Abuse Prevention Month in 1983 by Presidential  Proclamation. Since then, child abuse and neglect awareness activities  have been promoted across the country.

With the goal of strengthening families, child abuse and neglect  awareness activities are promoted across the country during April. In  April, communities should seize the opportunity to help keep children  safe, provide the requisite support families need to stay together, and  raise children and youth to be happy, secure, and stable adults. The  Child Welfare League (CWLA) gives guidance on activities that each of us  can take to help prevent child abuse and neglect. Here is CWLA’s list  of ten actions that we can take to help prevent child abuse.

Ten Things You Can Do

Volunteer your time. After-school activities, parent  education classes, mentoring programs, and respite care are some of the  many ways to keep children safe from harm. Be a voice in support of  these efforts in your community.

Discipline your children thoughtfully. Remember that  discipline is a way to teach your child. Use privileges to encourage  good behavior and time-outs to help your child regain control. Both  words and actions can inflict deep, lasting wounds.

Support prevention programs.
 

Know what child abuse is, and what the signs are. Physical and sexual abuse clearly constitute maltreatment, but so does  neglect, or the failure of parents or other caregivers to provide a  child with needed food, clothing, and care. Children can also be  emotionally abused when they are rejected, berated, or continuously  isolated.
 

Report abuse. If you witness a child being harmed or  see evidence of abuse, or if a child tells you about abuse, make a  report to your state’s child protective services department or local  police.

Invest in kids. Encourage leaders in the community  to be supportive of children and families. Ask employers to provide  family-friendly work environments. Ask your local and national lawmakers  to support legislation to better protect our children and to improve  their lives.

Write, visit, fax, phone, or e-mail your elected officials.

Participate in ceremonies to memorialize children. Read the names of children lost to violence in your state, hold a  candlelight vigil, or host an event at your state capital to remember  those children who were lost to violence.

Raise public awareness.

Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

 

National Grandparent’s Day

Tomorrow, Sunday, September 9th, 2012, is National Grandparent’s Day. Grandparents’ Day was founded to champion the cause of lonely elderly persons residing in nursing homes and to encourage their grandchildren to tap into the wisdom and heritage their grandparents could provide. It has grown to be a special day for all to celebrate the roles grandparents play in the family unit.

On National Grandparents’ Day, it is a great idea for grandchildren to identify favorite photos in the family albums with their grandparents. Countless joyous memories can be derived from viewing the photo albums. National Grandparent’s Day is a time to discover one’s roots and learn patience, understanding and appreciation for the elderly. National Grandparents Day is an ideal time to enhance communication between generations.

For more than thirty (30) years, we have formally celebrated the role of grandparents in the lives of their grandchildren as a nation. In 1978, the United States Congress passed legislation proclaiming the first Sunday after Labor Day as National Grandparents Day. President Jimmy Carter signed the proclamation.

Now more than ever before, we should celebrate grandparents and the expanding role they are playing in the lives of their grandchildren. Don’t forget to honor your grandparents on National Grandparents Day, Sunday, September 9th. For further information on National Grandparents Day, visit www.grandparents-day.com.

Sources: Wikipedia. www.grandparents-day.com. Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art.

Election Day

Today is Election Day? Across the country critical state and municipal elections are taking place. Get out and vote today! The elections taking place today range from referendums to state legislatures polls to gubernatorial matchups. Whatever the local or state election, it’s vital that you make your voice heard. Get involved. Take action that can and will change the future. If you are not already registered, get registered to vote. Seize the opportunity to cast your vote. As was aptly stated by President Johnson when discussing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, “The vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised by man for breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible walls which imprison men because they are different from other men.”

Saturday, July 16th 2011, was declared National Day of Action by the Democratic Party. Across the country there are efforts being made to bring new supporters into the campaign. It has been reported that volunteers in all 50 states will be knocking on doors and registering new voters. The overarching goal for this campaign is to register voters in order to ensure: the reelection of President Barack Obama and that Democrats take back the United States House
of Representatives.

This summer, important action was taken to bring more people into the political process- thus making certain that every voter who wants to exercise their right is registered. There are three stages in the voter empowerment process: registration, education, and mobilization. Today, Democratic supporters can join a national day of action dedicated to voter registration. Get involved. Your vote can be decisive, stand up, speak out, be heard— vote!

Each election day, countless eligible voters deprive themselves of their voting right through complacency or apathy. Don’t be among them—exercise your right to vote.

Source:[email protected]. Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

Celebrate, Honor, and Revere Grandparents on Sunday, September 11, 2011: National Grandparent’s Day 2011

Today, Sunday, September 11, 2011, is National Grandparent’s Day. Grandparents’ Day was founded to champion the cause of lonely elderly persons residing in nursing homes and to encourage their grandchildren to tap into the wisdom and heritage their grandparents could provide. It has grown to be a special day for all to celebrate the roles grandparents play in the family unit.

On National Grandparents’ Day, it is a great idea for grandchildren to identify favorite photos in the family albums with their grandparents. Countless joyous memories can be derived from viewing the photo albums. National Grandparent’s Day is a time to discover one’s roots and learn patience, understanding and appreciation for the elderly. National Grandparents Day is an ideal time to enhance communication between generations.

For more than thirty years, we have formally celebrated the role of grandparents in the lives of their grandchildren as a nation. In 1978, the United States Congress passed legislation proclaiming the first Sunday after Labor Day as National Grandparents Day. President Jimmy Carter signed the proclamation. Now more than ever before, we should celebrate grandparents and the expanding role they are playing in the lives of their grandchildren. Don’t forget to honor your grandparents on National Grandparents Day, Sunday, September 11th. For further information on National Grandparents Day, visit www.grandparents-day.com.

Sources: Wikipedia. www.grandparents-day.com. Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art.

National GrandRally 2011

WHEN:
September 15, 2011 at 1:00 p.m.

WHERE:
West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol Building, Washington, DC

An increasing number of grandparents have become full-time caregivers for their grandchildren due to AIDS/HIV, child abuse and neglect, domestic violence, substance abuse, incarceration. United States Census 2000 indicates that 4.5 million of our nation’s poorest children reside in grandparent-headed households and that number is escalating rapidly. Data indicates that approximately one-third of these children have no parent present in the home. The number of children in grandparent-headed households has increased 30 percent since 1990. Further, the literature on this phenomenon suggests that there are probably many more children in informal care arrangements residing with their grandparents than the data can capture.

AARP indicates that the majority of grandparents rearing grandchildren are between ages 55 and 64. Approximately 20 to 25 percent are 65 or older. While grandparent-headed families cross all socio-economic levels, these grandparents are more likely to live in poverty than are other grandparents. AARP materials also state that there are eight times more children in grandparent-headed homes than in the foster care system.

Caring for their grandchildren can have life altering consequences for the grandparents. Many grandparents have not planned to raise a second family or may be retired and living on a fixed income. Having sufficient income or resources to provide housing, food, clothing, medicine, and school supplies for their grandchildren may be of critical concern. Research indicates that children raised by their grandparents are more likely than children in traditional foster care to live in poverty, to have special health and educational needs, and to lack access to health care.

To let their voices be heard thousands of grandparents raising grandchildren travel to Washington, DC, from countless states to: participate in the National GrandRally, meet with their elected officials, and make their voices heard in support of the needs of kids and their caregivers.

Source(s): AARP, CWLA, Generations United.

Photo credit:Microsoft Clip Art

National Grandparent's Day

Posted on August 5, 2011 by Administrator

National Grandparent’s Day was founded to champion the cause of lonely elderly persons residing in nursing homes and to encourage their grandchildren to tap into the wisdom and heritage their grandparents could provide. It has grown to be a special day for all to celebrate the roles grandparents play in the family unit. In 2011, National Grandparent’s Day will be celebrated on Sunday, September 11.

As National Grandparents Day approaches, it is a great idea for grandchildren to identify favorite photos in the family albums with their grandparents. Countless joyous memories can be derived from viewing the photo albums. National Grandparent’s Day is a time to discover one’s roots and learn patience, understanding and appreciation for the elderly. National Grandparents Day is an ideal time to enhance communication between generations.

For more than thirty years, we have formally celebrated the role of grandparents in the lives of their grandchildren as a nation. In 1978, the United States Congress passed legislation proclaiming the first Sunday after Labor Day as National Grandparents Day. President Jimmy Carter signed the proclamation. Now more than ever before, we should celebrate grandparents and the expanding role they are playing in the lives of their grandchildren. Don’t forget to honor your grandparents on National Grandparents Day, Sunday, September 11th. For further information on National Grandparents Day, visit www.grandparents-day.com. Sources: Wikipedia. www.grandparents-day.com. Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art.

Nichelle Mitchem Poses the Question, “Who is Caring for an Ever Increasing Number of Our Nation’s Poorest Children?”

In the United States, child abuse and/or neglect are growing public health issues. The few cases of abuse and/or neglect which appear in the press are only a small part of this pressing public health issue. Many assert that a notable portion of the child abuse cases are not reported to police or social service agencies. What we do know about the prevalence of child abuse is as follows:
• 1,740 children died in the United States in 2008 from abuse and neglect.1
• 772,000 children were found to be victims of maltreatment by child protective services in 2008.1

In response to concerns regarding abandonment, abuse, and or neglect of their grandchildren, a growing number of grandparents have become full-time caregivers for their grandchildren. The 2000 United States Census indicates that 4.5 million of our nation’s poorest children reside in grandparent-headed households and that number is escalating rapidly. Data indicates that approximately one-third of these children have no parent present in the home. The number of children in grandparent-headed households has increased 30 percent since 1990.

Research data indicates that in New York, there are 297,239 children living in grandparent-headed households which constitutes 6.3% of all the children in that state. Twenty-eight (28) percent of these grandparents live in households without the children’s parents present. The literature on this phenomenon suggests that there are probably many more children in informal care arrangements residing with their grandparents than the data can capture.

AARP indicates that the majority of grandparents rearing grandchildren are between ages 55 and 64. Approximately 20 to 25 percent are 65 or older. While grandparent-headed families cross all socio-economic levels, these grandparents are more likely to live in poverty than are other grandparents. AARP materials also state that there are eight times more children in grandparent-headed homes than in the foster care system.

Although the phenomenon of grandparents raising grandchildren is neither novel nor new, this emerging social issue is garnering a great deal of national attention due to its impact on the welfare of an ever increasing number of our nation’s children. The rise in the number of grandparent headed households is due to serious family problems. The reasons for the increase in grandparent headed households include but are not limited to: abandonment, child abuse and neglect, substance abuse, teenage pregnancy, death, divorce, incarceration, AIDS, and the parent’s lack of employment.

Caring for their grandchildren can have life altering consequences for the grandparents. Many grandparents have not planned to raise a second family or may be retired and living on a fixed income. Having sufficient income or resources to provide housing, food, clothing, medicine, and school supplies for their grandchildren may be of critical concern. Research indicates that children raised by their grandparents are more likely than children in traditional foster care to live in poverty, to have special health and educational needs, and to lack access to health care.

While grandparents have played a significant role in the lives of their grandchildren for generations, the increasing numbers of grandparents with responsibility for their grandchildren and the rise in social factors necessitating this arrangement have created millions of vulnerable families with unique needs. For further information on the topic of grandparents raising grandchildren or to get help, please call or visit the website of: AARP’s Grandparent Information Center: 202-434-2296; and Generation’s United: 202-289-3979.

Sources: Children’s Defense Fund website, AARP’s Grandparent Information Center website, US Census Bureau, Generations United website, Children’s Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, Child Welfare League of America, Center for Disease Control & Prevention, National Child Abuse Hotline, Child Welfare Information Gateway, FRIENDS National Resource Center, and the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child.

1. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth, and Families. Child Maltreatment 2008 [online]. Washington (DC): Government Printing Office; 2010. [cited 2010 Apr 8]. Available from: www.acf.hhs.gov.
Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art