Economic Development and Quality of Life for People and Communities
Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
Issue
One in ten grandparents has been the primary support of a grandchild
at some time in his or her life. In Arizona, 7 percent of all children
under age 18 are living in a household headed by a grandparent. Figures
reported in the 2000 census show a 73.8 percent increase since the 1990
census with Arizona ranking fourth highest in increase of grandparent-headed
households nationally. Many organizations that provide services for
both generations are not prepared to deal with the special needs that
may arise. Legal options are limited and emotionally draining and financially
expensive.
What has been done?
Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Southern Arizona Coalition (GRGSoAZ)
was formed in 1999 as an outgrowth of the National Satellite Conference
on Grandparents Raising Grandchildren. With leadership from the University
of Arizona Cooperative Extension, coalition members, and representatives
from grandparent support groups in Pima, Maricopa, Cochise, Graham and
Yuma counties worked together to determine needs and priorities. The
GRG Coalition has become a network of professionals representing 35
agencies to collaborate and meet the needs of GRG. Agency personnel
contribute time, in-kind resources and cash to meet the needs of GRG
through development of the GRG Resource Notebooks, annual conferences,
and activities at the Kinship, Adoption, Resource, Education (K.A.R.E.)
Family Center. The coalition actively interacts with the Governor's
Advisory Council on Aging Task Force for Grandparent Concerns in Maricopa
County that comprises 15 agencies. In 2002, Coconino County Extension
in collaboration with Northern Arizona Gerontology Association formed
a support group for GRG and established an ethnically diverse 14-member
advisory committee to identify critical needs and develop a vision to
provide better services for kin caregivers in Northern Arizona.
In the early efforts of the GPRG SoAZ coalition, 700 resource notebooks
were developed with 1032 volunteer hours that contained material and
community resources available in the following areas: support groups,
legal and financial issues, childcare and school support, parenting
tips, and nutrition and health issues. Notebooks were distributed free
throughout the community. The coalition holds an annual conference for
grandparents, employs a full-time program coordinator, maintains and
updates a grandparent support website, www.ag.arizona.edu/grandparents.
Other activities included the grand opening of the K.A.R.E. Family Center
in Tucson on February 7, 2002, the first and only "One-Stop-Shop"
for Arizona and a model for other communities. KARE is a collaboration
of Arizona's Children Association, Casey Family Program, the Pima Council
on Aging and the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension.
Impact
By the end of 2002 the number of monthly support groups in Arizona for
grandparents had increased from 1 early in the year 2000 to 22 (Pima
13, Maricopa 4, Yuma 2, Mohave 1, Coconino 1 and Cochise 1). During
2002, the K.A.R.E. Center had 1300 contacts from local grandparents
at public and community events, and reached 11 percent of grandparents
raising grandchildren in Pima County. Through leveraged funding and
community collaboration, 475 revised GRG notebooks were assembled and
257 distributed in 2002. Maricopa County provided outreach to 70 grandparents
raising grandchildren through support groups, conference and one-to-one
mentoring. Coconino County reached 25 kin caregivers and applied for
grant funding to develop a survey instrument to further identify GRG
needs in their county.
"I'm so glad that we have a support group for GRG. We are thankful
that we have a caring person like Jessica. She really is concerned about
grandparents and their grandchildren."
--Phoenix grandparent raising her grandchild
"The KARE Center was there for us when we didn't know what to
do."
Tucson grandparents raising their grandchild
"The resources in the GRG Resource Notebook have greatly increased
my ability as a professional to assist grandparents raising grandchildren.
The notebook has decreased the stress level of grandparents I work with."
--Case Manager from Area Agency on Aging.
Funding
Arizona Cooperative Extension and more than 60 local community agencies
Community Services Block Grants
Contact
Linda Block, assistant agent
Pima County Cooperative Extension
The University of Arizona
4210 N. Campbell Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719-1109
Tel.: (520) 626-5161, FAX (520) 626-5849
Email: lblock@ag.arizona.edu
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