Fact Sheet
October 2007
More than six million children - approximately 1 in 12 - are living in households headed by grandparents (4.5 million children) or other relatives (1.5 million children). In many of these homes, grandparents (approximately 2.4 million) and other relatives are taking on primary responsibility for the children’s needs. Often they assume this responsibility without either of the child’s parents present in the home.
These grandparent and other relative caregivers often lack information about the range of support services, benefits and policies they need to fulfill their caregiving role. In an effort to remedy this situation, a group of national organizations working on behalf of children and/or seniors has prepared State Fact Sheets for Grandparents and Other Relatives Raising Children, which provide helpful state-specific data and information for each of the states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
In a unique national partnership, AARP Foundation, Brookdale Foundation Group, Casey Family Programs, Child Welfare League of America, Children's Defense Fund, and Generations United have compiled and released state fact sheets and one national fact sheet that include:
- Census data on the number of grandparent caregivers and the children they are raising
- A comprehensive list of local programs, resources and services
- State foster care policies for kinship (grandparent and other relative) caregivers
- Information about key public benefit programs
- Important state laws
- National organizations that may be of help
top of the pageEach fact sheet will be revised once annually, with approximately 12-13 states being fully updated each quarter. If you have information or updates for these Fact Sheets, click here.
To access the Fact Sheet for a particular state, click on the state in the interactive map or on the list of states below. To access the National Resources Fact Sheet, click here.
Disclaimer: None of the sponsoring organizations whose logos appear on this website ( AARP Foundation, Brookdale Foundation Group, Casey Family Programs, Child Welfare League of America, Children’s Defense Fund, or Generations United) recommend or endorse any of the groups, agencies or services listed on the GrandFacts State Fact Sheets. Neither the sponsoring organizations nor any of their employees make any warranty, expressed or implied, or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information. None of the sponsoring organizations shall have liability to any website user or to any third party for any loss expense, or damage, including consequential, incidental, special or punitive damages. A user's sole and exclusive remedy for dissatisfaction with this service is to cease using the service. Please be advised that there may be other similar services available that have not on these fact sheets and therefore are not listed. The sponsoring organizations are not obligated to include any specific groups, agencies or services and may choose not to include some that submit their information. The sponsoring organizations are not responsible for consumer interactions with groups, agencies or services listed on these fact sheets.
