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Empowering Grandparents and Relative Caregivers to
Support Children/Youths’ Academic Achievement
Grandfamilies

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GPTSA
Grandfamilies
PTSA, Inc.
Baltimore
Grandfamilies
Community
Partner
City Schools
Family and
Community
Engagement
National PTA
Urban Family
Engagement
Initiative

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Welcome/Introductions
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Annette Saunders, Founding President, GPTSA
Grandfamilies: A National Overview
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Jaia Lent, Ex. Deputy Director, Generations United
Grandparent’s Perspective: Family, School, Community
National PTA Urban Family Engagement Initiative
Evolution of Grandfamilies, PTSA, Inc.
Maryland Kin Connection:
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Fred Strieder, PhD, LCSW-C, University of MD School of Social
Work
References
Contact Information

Grandparents & Other Relatives
Raising Children
Jaia Peterson Lent, Executive Deputy Director
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Any grandparent can unexpectedly find him or herself raising children
Phenomenon transcends socioeconomic groups, geographic areas and ethnicities
Generations United

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About 6.7 million children living in households headed by grandparents
For nearly 1 million of these children, no parent is present in home
Higher incidence of physical
& mental health problems & learning disabilities
27% live in poverty
Less likely to have health insurance
Generations United

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Compared to children in non-relatives’ care:
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More likely maintain connection to roots
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Brothers & sisters together
Stay in the same school
Families don’t give up
Generations United

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2.5 million grandparents report responsibility for most of the basic needs of grandchildren
60% more likely to live in poverty than peers
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67% under age 60
Generations United

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60% still working
51% caregivers white,
24% black, 18% Latino
36% responsible for more than 5 years
Many challenges
Also many joys and unique gifts
Generations United

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Generations United

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Substance abuse
Incarceration
Poverty
HIV/AIDS
Mental health
Child abuse
Death of a parent
Military deployment
And others
Generations United

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“Informal” Caregiver
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Without a legal relationship
Legal process can be exhausting Financial drain
Hope that child will ultimately return to parents’ care
“Formal” Foster Care
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More than a fourth of children in foster care are with relatives
Vast majority of children being raised by relatives are outside of the formal foster care system
Generations United

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Federal Law (ESEA) includes grandparents raising grandchildren in definition of parent BUT grandparents still:
Have difficulty enrolling children in school
Are often left out of
Individual Education Plan process
Generations United 13

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“I realized this is the first year my grandchild has started and finished the year at the same school…and she’s in the sixth grade.”
Generations United

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Baltimore
Grandfamilies
Community
Partner
City Schools
Family and
Community
Engagement
National PTA
Urban Family
Engagement
Initiative
Grandfamilies
PTSA, Inc.

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Janet
Flemings, grandparent with two grandchildren in public school.
GPTSA
Founding
Program
Chair
 Gifted grandson
 Decision to skip grade
 Told I had no voice as grandparent
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High school counselor offered no support for college application/financial aid process
Sought assistance from middle school advisor
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Challenged granddaughter
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Decision to repeat grade
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Told I had no voice as grandparent
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No resources to assist with dyslexia
Sought outside resources on my own
 School wanted to use my resources

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Experience working with schools and parent involvement .
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Challenge to get information
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Information not sent in timely manner
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Lack of identity for grandparents
 Lack of support once grandparent group started
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Know that grandparents are at schools, but invisible from central office down
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Grandparents can be of no assistance as volunteers
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No refreshments provided for meetings
No administrators present at meetings

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Why
GPTSA can be beneficial in reaching grandparents in the community
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An asset to our schools because it has the ability to give grandparents the opportunity to openly discuss concerns.
We meet in communities.
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Already has a network of grandparents that we see regularly.
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GPTSA National PTA Family and
Community Standards: Goal # 6-
Collaborating with the Community.

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Baltimore
Grandfamilies
Community
Partner
City Schools
Family and
Community
Engagement
National PTA
Urban Family
Engagement
Initiative
Grandfamilies
PTSA, Inc.

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A catalyst for mobilizing the
Urban Community
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Parents: Part of the
Solution
Develop new models of parent engagement – locally driven
Mobilize volunteer leaders to address needs important to each community
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Free community – wide events that allow families the opportunity to increase their understanding of meaningful parent involvement and partner collaboration
;;pw e events that rents and caregivers to effectively m
“ The information that I learned from attending the PTA Parent Academy was information that
I needed when I was raising my children...
When I got home and told my great-grandson what I had learned, he said to me, ‘Granny, why didn’t you take me with you? That’s the kind of information I need to know for myself.’”
A. Foster, Great-grandparent and Founding GPTSA Treasurer

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Baltimore
Grandfamilies
Community
Partner
City Schools
Family and
Community
Engagement
National PTA
Urban Family
Engagement
Initiative
Grandfamilies
PTSA, Inc.

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Chartered May, 2011
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Seven Member Executive Board
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Year-Round Operational Calendar
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Monthly Executive Committee Meetings
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Membership $12 a year
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Diverse Membership
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Three General Membership Meetings
 www.grandfamiliesptsa.org

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Empowering grandparents and community members to proactively become informed, trained leaders and advocates for education
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Service Learning Training and Opportunities for
Students
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Family & Community Collaboration
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Intergenerational in scope -Community Partners
Approach

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School
Resource
Community
Partners
GPTSA
Everychild.one voice
Student
Service
Learning
Mobile
General
Membership
Sites

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Cherry Hill,
South
Baltimore
• Faith Based
Site
Clare Court
Stone House
North East
• Intergenerational
Community
Johnson
Square
Academy
West
Baltimore
• Early Childhood
Learning Center

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Learn how to become responsible accountable
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Develop hopes, dreams and aspirations
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Service Learning Training and Opportunities
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Advocacy/leadership development

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Independent of a Specific School Affiliation
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No PTA Council
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Digital Divide - Technology
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Funding

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Housing
School
Grandfamilies
Food
Health
Issues

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Frederick H. Strieder,
M.S.S.A., Ph.D.
Program Director,
Family Connections
Grandparent Family
Connections
Trauma Adapted
Family Connections
University of
Maryland School of
Social Work
Ruth H. Young Center for Families and
Children
Interaction Components
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Understand families in their context
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Develop a knowledge base about all aspects of the families-in-context
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Develop a model responsive to families’ needs
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Use current exemplars to provide guidance
UM SSW

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RISK FACTORS
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High stress
Daily hassles
Adverse life events
Financial instability
Inadequate resources
Legal uncertainty
Impact of discrimination
Multiple traumas
Parental stress
Intergenerational conflict
PROTECTIVE FACTORS
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Spirituality
Social network
Parenting competence
Attitude toward parenting
Family functioning
Attitude toward change
Caregiver physical health
Caregiver mental health
UM SSW

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Persons living in urban poverty share increased risk for exposure to daily hassles and strains related to meager resources, crowded conditions, etc.;
The challenges associated with hardship conditions and exposure to traumas negatively affect individual functioning
(child and adult) by increasing distress;
Increased parental distress attenuates positive parenting and, in turn, negatively influences family functioning; and
Parental and family functioning are associated with child outcomes by increasing or reducing risk for development of emotional and/or behavior problems.
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(
Whittlesey, S.W., et al.,Levendosky, A.A. and S.A. Graham-Bermann, Erel, O. and B. Burman) (in Kiser, 2006)
UM SSW

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Strong relationship between social support and grandparenting practices
(Ramaswamy, Bhavnagri, & Barton, 2008)
“Aging morale mediates the influence of social support on grand parenting practices” (Ramaswamy, Bhavnagri, & Barton,
2008)
Increasing positive parent-child interactions and emotional communication skills, teaching time out and parenting consistency, and skill practice in sessions associated with larger effects
(Kaminsky, Valle, Filene, & Boyle,2008),
UM SSW

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National U.S. Children’s Bureau Grant
Initiative in 7 Maryland jurisdictions ( Baltimore City, Baltimore
Co., Prince George's Co., Montgomery Co., Washington Co. &
Charles Co.)
Serving relatives who are caring for family members (formal and informal care)
Navigator responding to caregivers seeking assistance
Replicate 3 month Family Connections
UM SSW

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Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health National Institute of Nursing Research
1R01NR012256-01 Revised
Ohio, Texas, California, & Maryland
126 grandmothers and grandchild
Participate in 10 week group
Interviews before and after the group and every 6 months to
2 years
Understand the benefit of parental cognitions, behavior strategies, or support and information in caring for grandchild
UM SSW

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
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Respite Services
Food and Nutrition programs
Health Care
Child Care
Specialized
Housing
Social Security
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Temporary
Assistance for Needy
Families
Foster Care/Child
Welfare
Family Connections
Grants
National Family
Caregiver Support
Act
Generations United

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th
Join us on
September 15 th at
1:00 p.m. at the
U. S. Capitol in
Washington, D.C., as grandparents and other relative caregivers from across the country take part in the 4 th
National
GrandRally.
Generations United

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Addressing the Need Impacting Change
Expanding
Circle of
Support
National
PTSA
Urban
Family
Engagement
Initiative
GPTSA
Leadership/
Advocacy
Development
Supportive
Services
UFIE
Equipping
Advocacy and
Leadership
Development

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Generations United www.gu.org
AARP www.aarp.org
Brookdale Foundation www.brookdalefoundation.org
Children’s Defense Fund www.childrensdefense.org
Child Welfare League of America www.cwla.org
Grandfamilies of America www.grandfamiliesofamerica.org
National Committee of Grandparents for Children’s
Rights www.grandparentsforchildren.org

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
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Cohen, J. A. , Mannarino, A. P., & Deblinger, E. (2006). Treating Trauma and Traumatic Grief in Children and Adolescents. New
York: The Guilford Press.
DePanfilis, D., & Dubowitz, H. (2005). Family Connections: A program for preventing child neglect. Child Maltreatment, 10,
108-123.
Hayslip, B. & Kaminski. P. (2008). Epilogue. In B. Hayslip Jr. & P. Kaminski (Eds.), Parenting the Custodial Grandchild Implications
for Clinical Practice, 285-289. New York: Springer Publishing Company.
Henggeler, S. W., Schoenwald, S. K., Borduin, C. M., Rowland, M. D. & Cunningham, P. B. (1998) Multisystemic Treatment of
Antisocial Behavior in Children and Adolescents. New York: The Guilford Press.
Kaminsky, J. W., Valle, L.A. Filene, J. H. & Boyle, C. L. (2008), A Meta-analytic Review of Components Associated with Parent
Training Program Effectiveness. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 36, 567-589.
Kiser, L.J. & Black, M.M. (2005). Family Processes in the midst of urban poverty: What does the trauma literature tell us?
Aggression ad Violent Behavior, 10, 715-750.
Ramaswamy, V., Bhavnagri, N. & Barton, E. (2008) Social Support and Parenting Behaviors Influence Grandchildren’s Social
Competence. In B. Hayslip Jr. & P. Kaminski (Eds.), Parenting the Custodial Grandchild Implications for Clinical Practice, 165-178.
New York: Springer Publishing Company.
Sheidow, A. J. & Woodford, M. S. (2003). Multisystemic Therapy: An Empirically Supported, Home-Based Family Therapy
Approach. The Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families, 11, 257-263.

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Annette Saunders, President
Grandfamilies PTSA, Inc
823 Cherry Hill Road
Baltimore, MD 21225
President.gptsa@gmail.org
443-386-9393
Jaia Peterson Lent
Deputy Executive Director
Generations United
1331 H St. NW Suite 900
Washington DC 20005
202-777-0115 jlent@gu.org
www.gu.org
J anet Flemings, Program Chair
Grandfamilies PTSA, Inc
823 Cherry Hill Road
Baltimore, MD 21225 jrflem3@hotmail.com
410-763-8093
Frederick H. Strieder, Ph.D., M.S.S.A., LCSW-C
Clinical Associate Professor, University of MD
Baltimore School of Social Work
Director, Family Connections at Baltimore
525 West Redwood Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
Phone: 410-706-5479
Fax: 410-706-1462

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