About 2.5 million children across the United States are being raised in grandfamilies, families in which grandparents, other adult relatives, or close family friends are raising children with no parents in the home. These are also known as kinship families.
Our report Pathways to Success: K-12 Education Support for Kinship and Grandfamilies uncovered three key themes about the education experiences of the nearly 2.5 million children being raised in grandfamilies and kinship care:
- Grandfamily and other kin caregivers face overwhelming barriers to supporting the education of children in their care.
- Despite this, their strength, resilience, determination and the power of family connection makes their home the best place for children who can’t remain with their parents. Children in grandfamilies and kinship care have better academic outcomes than children raised in foster care with non-kin.
- And when grandfamilies get access to critical supports, the children’s academic outcomes can soar.
When children cannot remain in the care of their parents, research consistently shows that they do best in kinship/grandfamilies. Yet, they often face serious challenges that can affect their educational success and are not easily overcome without appropriate, equitable services and support. Kinship/grandfamily challenges that impact education include:
- Meeting children’s basic needs
- Enrolling children in school and managing legal barriers related to educational decision-making
- Obtaining support for learning disabilities and other special needs
- Managing the effects of trauma
- Overcoming communication and education planning barriers with schools
Schools can serve as hubs of support for kinship/grandfamilies by providing wraparound services to connect them to needed benefits and supports. However, schools often lack staff trained on the unique strengths and needs of kinship/grandfamilies and/or do not have the resources, such as social workers and counselors, to provide the additional support necessary for the children’s educational success.
2024 State of Grandfamilies & Kinship Care Report