According to the U.S. Census Bureau, over 5.7 million grandchildren lived in homes with grandparents in 2000. As a grandparent raising a grandchild, you have an important responsibility. Area IV has information to assist you in finding the resources that can help you in this role.

Grandparents/relatives who are raising children have special issues related to their situation:

• They are more than one generational gap apart, causing extreme difficulties in each generation understanding the concerns of the other;
• They are not aware of the social and educational issues facing the children – how to help them with schoolwork, how to work with the school, internet, computers, etc.;
• They are oftentimes retired and on a fixed, retirement income (and seldom receive any support from the parents of the children), making it difficult to support themselves, let alone the children;
• They oftentimes have illnesses or disabilities that make it difficult to care for children;
• They are dealing with the emotional issues of the children who have lost their parents to death, divorce, drugs/other substance abuse, or incarceration;
• Often the parents of the child(ren) are still meeting with the child and the grandparent must cope with the aftermath of those meetings, as well as with the parent themselves and the havoc they may cause;
• Many children are abandoned by parents because of the child’s disability – physical, mental, and emotional. So the grandparents often are raising children with multiple health concerns.

NOTE: Every grandparent other family member raising children (not parents) are welcome to contact the Family Caregiver Program for information, attend educational programs and support groups. The only services that require that you meet the requirements listed above (age 55 and up) are those of respite and supplemental services.

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Resource Guide available by clicking here (PDF)

Support Groups for Grandparents/Relatives Raising Children

Raising Our Children’s Kids (R.O.C.K.)

Otterbein Public Library
23 East 1st St.
Otterbein, IN 47970

Facilitators
Mary Strawsma, (765) 583-2768
Gail Green

Meetings
3rd Tuesday each month 7:00pm
Childcare ages pre-K to 6th grade

Golden Grands Group

Location to be determined. Please call.

Facilitators
Aggie Ward, 765-494-5669 (week days)
Marty Dahlstrom,  765-474-8207

Meetings
Time to be determined. Please call. 

Education for Grandparents/Relatives Raising Children

• Workshops/Conference on topics of interest, including legal, social, and financial issues;
• Resource Guide for Grandparent/Relative Caregiver Raising Children
• Resource Center with books and videos about appropriate topics