Of the 2.6 million kids in the United States being cared for by a family member, 79,000 kids in across North Carolina comprise that number, according to data from The Annie E. Casey Foundation national KIDS COUNT Data Center.
The African American Families and Kinship Care Lab at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro is conducting two National Institutes of Health funded studies that will study kinship care and its impact on families. One study examines the strengths and resources of African American kinship care families (e.g., grandparents raising grandchildren) that influence the development of children’s social, academic, and behavioral outcomes.
“Kinship care” refers to the caregiving of children by grandparents or other relatives and those who have strong bonds with the children when biological parents are unable or unwilling to provide care.
Led by lead researcher and professor in the Department of Social Work at UNCG, Dr. Tyreasa Washington explains the study looks at what kinship care families do well that can help a child develop better outcomes.