KINSHIP

Are you raising your grandchild or the child of a relative?

You are not alone. Today, over four million American children live in a home headed by a grandparent or other relatives.

You play a special, central role in your family. You are a grandparent, uncle or aunt maybe a god-parent-but you are more, too. You give each day what a parent would offer - love, food, family, and home. You are, as best as you can be, a safe harbor in a stormy world.

Caring for children is important but very hard work. It is even harder when children and family are coming out of a crisis. If you are feeling sad, angry, worried and tired, that is natural. With time and support, it can and will get better.

As an outreach effort of the Robert E. Fulton Education Center, we host a Kinship Care Program.   

• You may feel sad and angry about the problems the children brought into your life.
• You may feel worried about the children, and whether you can meet their needs.
• You may need help with their expenses.
• It may be hard to juggle work and family demands.
• You may need clothes, food, shelter, etc.
• You may need help with the legal system, or legal aide.
•  You may feel nervous talking to a social worker about the children’s welfare and their parents
• You may feel so tired that you just need help or time for yourself.

You may feel alone and feel that there is no help; however, there is a program just for you that will assist you with your needs. With time and support, you will find you are stronger than you had thought. You will find, too, that raising grandchild or other relatives, like any form of parenting has its joys.

We will conduct monthly training sessions, which will include the following topics:

• Nutrition
• Behavior, Anger and Stress Management
• Health Issues
• Child Development
• Communication Skills
• Recreational Activities and Opportunities
• Self Esteem and Self Awareness