Celebrating Grandparents and Kinship
Caregivers in September
Grandparents play an important
role in every family. For some, they
are the keepers of family traditions,
while for others they are caregivers
for their grandchildren. No matter
the role, there’s no question that
for all families, grandparents are a
source of love.
National Grandparents Day
is celebrated every year on the
first Sunday after Labor Day
to pay tribute for all the great
things grandparents do for their
families. The month of September
also celebrates another important
member of the family – kinship
caregivers. Kinship Caregiver
Month recognizes the unique
and often demanding role of
kinship caregivers, who are aunts,
uncles, cousins, adult siblings or
grandparents who care for children
in their family.
The NYC Department for the
Aging’s (DFTA) Grandparent
Resource Center recognizes the
important role and challenges
that grandparents who are also
kinship caregivers face. The
Grandparent Resource Center
supports these older New Yorkers
through community-based services
including referrals, information,
community support groups, and
more. The program also works
The Department for the Aging’s Grandparent Resource Center
provides support to grandparents taking care of teens and children.
within 15 New York City Housing
Authority (NYCHA) developments
with neighborhood residents to help
reduce crime through programming
for older adults and grandparent
caregivers, making it beneficial for
everyone.
Like many DFTA programs
dur ing COV I D - 1 9 , t he
Grandparent Resource Center
has transitioned from in-person
services to virtual or phone-based
services, including case assistance,
support groups and trainings,
intergenerational programming,
advocacy, and more. To connect
older kinship caregivers with these
virtual programs, it launched a tech
readiness program and distributed
374 free computer tablets equipped
with internet access. With the help
of DFTA partner Older Adults
Technology Services (OATS),
kinship caregivers can get technical
help and support to access these
online programs.
This month, the Grandparent
Resource Center is offering an
Empowerment Training series
on Zoom to help grandparent
caregivers strengthen their
parenting and communications
skills with their grandchildren and
learn how to stay connected to their
community and support network
during COVID-19. Anyone who
is a grandparent or older relative
taking care of children can sign up
for the course by calling the GRC at
(212) 442-1094 or emailing them at
GRC@aging.nyc.gov. To learn more
about activities and services that
support grandparents and kinship
caregivers, visit the Grandparent
Resource Center online.
In addition to the Grandparent
Resource Center, DFTA also has
the Foster Grandparent Program,
which supports intergenerational
programming between older and
younger New Yorkers. For 45 years,
the Foster Grandparent Program
has partnered with communitybased
organizations, including
elementary schools, hospitals, and
head-start programs, to connect
low-income older adults with part-
time volunteer positions.
At Queens Centers for Progress’
APPLE Preschool, 87-year-old
Delores Ford has been volunteering
as a foster grandparent for almost
23 years. “My favorite thing about
volunteering is to get outside of the
house and do something different,
and see different people and younger
people. As a foster grandmother, I
love being with the children,” said
Ms. Ford. For their service, program
participants are paid a small stipend
for their time.
During National Grandparents
Day, Kinship Caregiver Month and
throughout the year, DFTA is proud
to support all grandparents who
fulfill what many call, “the best job
ever.” For more information about
all services that support older New
Yorkers, call DFTA’s contact center
Aging Connect at 212-244-6469.
NYC Department for the
Aging Commissioner
Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
Schneps Media Sept. 10, 2020 11
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