AACY CONNECTS | April 2026 | | |
Dear Friends,
Palm Beach County, Florida, is where the work of supporting Caregiving Youth began, and where the nation continues to look for what is possible. What I can tell you this quarter is that the rest of the country is paying attention.
Caregiving Youth was cited in TIME Magazine this month. Two members of the AACY National Advisory Council are presenting at On Aging 2026 in Atlanta next week. I will be joining advocates and dementia care leaders for the closing session at the Aging Life Care Association Conference in Austin, the week after, and then at UVA in May. A Churchill Fellow in Australia traveled here specifically to study what AACY has built and has formally published her report. And a young man who was a Caregiving Youth himself is making a documentary about what that experience actually looks like.
Closer to home, graduation season is almost here. We are proud to have walked alongside our seniors through high school and everything they were carrying at home. We cannot wait to celebrate them on May 19th. The celebration will be at Palm Beach State College. We are also hosting a stress buster contest for our 8th graders to win prizes and mark their important transition to high school. That is what this work looks like up close. It is what we do every day for more than 700 students in Palm Beach County.
The national need is growing. None of this happens without the support of the greater community.
With appreciation,
Connie
| |
| | Caregiving Youth in TIME Magazine | |
Journalist and former Caregiving Youth Lisa McCarty published "Medicaid Cuts Could Force More Kids to Become Caregivers" in TIME on April 12.
The piece connects federal policy decisions to the children who bear the consequences when home-based care disappears. AACY and 16-year-old Caregiving Youth advocate Neo are cited.
| | | |
| | AACY National Advisory Council at On Aging 2026 | Atlanta | April 21 | |
AACY National Advisory Council Co-Chair Brian Duke and AACY National Advisory Council member Maria Miranda, LMSW, will present “Kids Are Caregivers, Too: Supporting Caregiving Youth in the U.S.” at On Aging 2026, the American Society on Aging’s annual conference and the nation’s largest multidisciplinary conference on aging.
If you are attending, the session will take place April 21 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta.
| | | |
| | AACY at the Aging Life Care Association Conference | Austin | April 25 | |
AACY Founder Dr. Connie Siskowski joins Jodi O'Donnell-Ames, Founder of Hope Loves Company and AACY National Advisory Council member, Patti LaFleur of Lorenzo's House, and Madeline Grace Asbell, AACY Caregiving Youth Ambassador, for the closing general session of the Aging Life Care Association's 42nd Annual Conference:
"Caregiving Youth and Dementia Justice: The Hidden Frontline of Care."
The session runs April 25 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Austin and will include film, personal storytelling, and practical strategies for recognizing and supporting Caregiving Youth.
| | | |
| | AACY Recognized in International Research | |
Madeleine Buchner OAM, Founder and CEO of Little Dreamers Australia and 2024 Churchill Fellow, spent four weeks in the U.S. and UK studying best practice policy and programs for young carers around the world.
Her research in the U.S. centered on AACY and the Caregiving Youth Project as the primary working model for school-embedded direct service.
The resulting Churchill Fellowship report identifies six action areas for systemic change and is now being used to shape policy in Australia.
| | | |
| | A Documentary in Production | |
NYU student and former Caregiving Youth Omarion Calloway is making "Hands Too Small," a thesis documentary about what it actually looks like to be a young person carrying caregiving responsibilities while trying to go to school and live their life.
The project grew out of his experience at the AACY Conference last November. This quarter, AACY National Advisory Council member Maria Miranda filmed her story for the project alongside Neo.
Three Caregiving Youth. Three generations of the same experience. In the same room.
| | | |
| | Global Caregiving Youth Collective | Episode 2 | |
The Emotional Side of Growing Up as a Young Carer
AACY National Advisory Council member Todd Keitz and the team at My Care Friends built the Global Caregiving Youth Collective to give young people a place to speak openly about their caregiving experiences.
Episode 2 is out now.
Omarion, Jacqueline, and Aditya talk about the emotional and mental health side of caregiving.
They do not hold back.
"Just because we're here now, as young adults, in school, working, building our own lives, that doesn't mean those feelings disappeared or even went away. Caregiving changes you." - Omarion
| | | | |
Frank A. Barbieri, Jr., Esq. Rejoins the AACY Board of Directors
| | Frank A. Barbieri, Jr., Esq. has rejoined the AACY Board of Directors. Frank first encountered AACY's work in 2006 when the Caregiving Youth Project launched at Boca Raton Community Middle School, one of the schools he represented during 16 years on the Palm Beach County School Board. He is back to help AACY continue expanding its impact. | | AACY Benefit Coverage in the Boca Raton Tribune | | |
The Boca Raton Tribune covered AACY's March benefit supporting Caregiving Youth services in Palm Beach County. Pictured above are major event sponsors Arline and John McNally and Wanda Moran.
[Read the Article]
| | AACY Camp Treasure Spring 2026 | | |
On Saturday, AACY's Camp Treasure brought together more than 30 Caregiving Youth at the Everglades Youth Conservation Camp in West Palm Beach for a full day of fishing, canoeing, archery, and time to just be kids.
That last part matters. These students spend a lot of time managing things most adults would find overwhelming. A full day outside, together, with nothing extra to carry for a while, is not a small thing.
Thank you to our AACY staff, the camp team, and everyone who helped make the day possible, including Fatou Benoit from Palm Beach County Fire Rescue, who led an emergency preparedness session that gave these kids real skills to take home.
These are the moments made possible by our donors, volunteers, and supporters.
| | | Here Are a Few Ways You Can Support AACY! | |
- Commit to a Monthly Donation
-
Attend a Local Fundraising Event
- Become a Business/Corporate Sponsor
- Become an Affiliate
-
Donate in honor of a loved one and add their name to the American Association of Caregiving Youth Wall of Recognition - makes a great gift!
- Connect AACY to local or national events for Speaking Engagements to educate about Caregiving Youth
-
Volunteer to support our students and programs
- Follow, like, share, and comment on AACY's LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram
- Shop AACY Gear
- Write your Representative to advocate for legislation recognizing Caregiving Youth
| | |
Mission: We champion youth who provide care for chronically ill, injured, elderly, and/or disabled family members. We support their role as caregiver and guide their success in school and life.
Vision: We envision a nation in which there is understanding, appreciation, and celebration of the lives of Caregiving Youth on their individual path to life’s dreams and opportunities.
| | Many Thanks to Our Partners: | | |
The American Association of Caregiving Youth (AACY) is a Florida 501 (c) (3) corporation.
A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION (#CH12431) AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE (800-435-7352) WITHIN THE STATE OR AT WWW.FRESHFROMFLORIDA.COM. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.
| | | | |
