Kinship caregivers are relatives who provide care for minor children. Grandfamilies are one of the forms of kinship caregiving, where biological grand or great-grandparents provide for the care of their grandchildren.
Thank you for visiting our GrandUnderstandings Resource Hub! The Ohio Statewide Family Engagement Center’s GrandUnderstandings project is designed to provide resources to assist grandfamilies and the educators who support them. Click on the topics below to find grandfamily specific tools and resources.
Infographics
The following infographics are tools designed for you to use to increase your understanding of the school, community and agency resources that are available to support grandparents and other kinship caregivers. They are available in multiple languages below.
“Getting to Know Your Family” Resource for Schools
This “Getting to Know Your Family” questionnaire can be used to connect to kinship families in your school. If you identify a kinship family in your school or classroom, this can be used as a conversation starter to partner with caregivers in supporting the children in their care. If schools are seeking a Google Form version of this tool, within the Word document below, there is a link to an online Google Form with the same questions.
Research Brief
The Ohio Statewide Family Engagement Center created this research brief to increase educator’s awareness of grandfamilies. When implemented, the tips and strategies contained in this brief can increase home and school connections, a sense of belonging and the capacity of grandfamilies and educators.
Report: How Schools Can Support Basic Needs of Grandfamilies
In this 2024 report from Generations United, you will find many ideas for increasing awareness of and supports for grandparents and other kinship caregivers raising children in your school community.
