Among its provisions, the American Rescue Plan Act, which was passed on March 10, will provide $10 million for the first-ever National Technical Assistance Center on Grandfamilies and Kinship Families. Three crises—the COVID-19 pandemic, the opioid epidemic, and the long history of racial injustice in our country—have heightened the challenges and elevated the essential work of grandparents, other relatives, and close family friends in keeping children safe, stable, and connected to community and culture. This federally supported resource will help state, local, and community-based systems better serve the growing numbers of grandfamilies who raise children when parents cannot. Read the joint statement by Ana Beltran and Jaia Lent.

Earlier this month, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act into law. Here's a detailed breakdown of how the $1.9 trillion #COVID19 relief package provides immediate relief for children, older adults and families. The relief package also works to address the racial and economic injustices that COVID-19 has exacerbated, cuts child poverty in half in 2021, and creates a National Technical Assistance Center on Grandfamilies and Kinship Families. Learn more.

On December 27, 2020, the Consolidated Appropriations Act was signed into law. The Act combines $1.4 trillion to fund the federal government for fiscal year 2021 and a $900 million COVID-19 relief package. The law contains several important provisions that have implications for grandfamilies or kinship families. Learn more from our summary of the Act. You can also read our blog to see the important provisions included because of your advocacy.

This is the second of three Center for American Progress issue briefs highlighting how TANF can be retooled and utilized to better assist families in or at risk of poverty during the coronavirus crisis. Learn more.

For too long, racial disparities have existed in child welfare systems across the country, with Black and Brown families overrepresented at key decision points. This is an issue that the New York City Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) has long been committed to addressing in New York City’s system, but in keeping with society’s painful acknowledgment of systemic racial inequities, we are now taking more aggressive and comprehensive action than ever before. As Dr. Martin Luther King once said, “The time is always right to do what is right.” Learn more.

A key component to that success has been the Cherokee Nation's private healthcare system, which includes a hospital on the reservation. Learn more.

A fellow grandfamily caregiver, Lynn was an early and strong voice for grandfamilies. After retiring from teaching, Lynn was a founding member and executive director of Vermont Kin as Parents. In this role, she shared her story of kinship care and tirelessly advocated for families providing care, always keeping the children’s best interests as their priority. Lynn was valued for her knowledge, intelligence, compassion and empathy and consequently served on many legislative committees, boards, councils, and advisory groups as a spokesperson and advocate for kinship providers. Read the full obituary.

The COVID-19 pandemic has required the Social Security Administration (SSA) to limit in-person services to protect its customers and employees. Children with disabilities and their families are still eligible to receive financial support, but they may be struggling to access these benefits. Learn more.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has launched an Emergency Broadband Benefit Program to help households struggling to pay for internet service during the pandemic. This new benefit will connect eligible households to jobs, critical healthcare services, and virtual classrooms.

The Emergency Broadband Benefit will provide a discount of up to $50 per month towards broadband service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on Tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if they contribute $10-$50 toward the purchase price. Learn more.

There are many ways you can help children learn at home. Whether your child is attending in-person classes, online classes at home, or a combination of both, adjusting to a new learning routine can be challenging and stressful for everyone involved. The following strategies are meant to help you get the support you need to facilitate at-home learning while staying connected and engaged with your school community. Remember – there is no “right” way for your child to learn at home. Learn more.

In this episode, Dr. Anita Rogers discusses her civil rights work, how the activist landscape has changed, and the similarities between Black Power and Black Lives Matter. Listen to this episode.

Before she was a record-breaking gymnast competing on the world stage, Simone Biles spent time in foster care as a young child. Nimble and boundlessly energetic, she cherished every playground and each new backyard.

When she was six years old, Simone's family took shape in a different way. Her grandparents Ron and Nellie Biles adopted Simone and her sister Adria. Ron and Nellie became their parents. Simone was also introduced to gymnastics that same year, launching a lifelong passion fueled by remarkable talent, sacrifice, and the undying support of her family. Learn more.

Resources such as financial assistance and other help available can ease the stress, shore up health care and ease the money crunch for grandparents raising their grandkids. The secret can be understanding your situation and knowing where to turn for help. Learn more.

These toolkits are designed to give resources and tips to child welfare agencies, other government agencies, and nonprofit organizations, so they can better serve all American Indian and Alaska Native grandfamilies as well as African American grandfamilies regardless of child welfare involvement. It will explore some unique strengths and challenges of these grandfamilies, which agencies and organizations need to recognize in order to provide culturally appropriate support services. Learn more.

Generations United’s National Center on Grandfamilies is seeking a Project Assistant to join our results-oriented team and be a part of building on a 20-year legacy of working on behalf of and with grandfamilies. See the job posting.