Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

In Arizona, more than 100,000 children are being raised by their grandparents or other relatives.

Nationwide, that number is more than 5 million. Many parents are unable to take care of their children due to substance abuse, incarceration, mental illness, child abuse or death.

Grandparents raising their grandchildren must deal with school systems, health coverage, legal issues, financial concerns, and complex family situations. This leaves many of these “second-time around” parents feeling overwhelmed.

By providing support to grandparents and other relative caregivers, we help keep children out of foster care.
View Frequently Asked Questions

How We Help

Support groups
Educational workshops
Social therapeutic groups for children
Respite assistance
Legal guidance and assistance
Information and referral
Recreational opportunities

Grandparent Support Groups

Grandparents who have the primary responsibility for raising their grandchildren are often faced with many challenges. Our support groups give you a place to share experiences, network with others, and find workable solutions to the challenges ahead.
View our support groups for grandparents raising grandchildren

Educational Workshops

We coordinate many helpful workshops and seminars that focus on the special needs of grandparents raising grandchildren. Check our calendar frequently.

Topics include:

Financial literacy
Advocating for the needs of your family
Guardianship and adoption
Grandparents as community leaders
Substance abuse awareness

Social Therapeutic Group for Grandchildren

We offer lots of encouragement and support to children who are adjusting to their new living situations. We have a monthly meeting just for children who are being raised by a grandparent or other relative. Reservations are required for this group.

Respite Assistance

Do you want to enroll your grandchild in classes, camps, and after school activities ~ but don’t have the financial resources? If so, we may be able to help. Through our respite assistance, we may pay for a portion or all of the registration fees. We know these activities benefit you and your grandchildren.
Learn more about respite assistance

Legal Guidance/Assistance

Many grandparents assume parenting responsibilities for a short time while their adult child “gets it together.” However, raising grandchildren without some form of legal custody can be challenging.

We help determine and offer:

Legal options for grandparents in Maricopa County
Legal guidance and assistance

Information and Referral

Wondering where to turn for help? We provide ongoing referrals and information to eligible grandparents who need support and services. We offer benefits and entitlement counseling to help identify the services and programs available to you. Call us for one-on-one assistance.
Browse Frequently Asked Questions
Locate community resources on our Referrals page
Read our Grandparents’ Guide in English (PDF, 640k) or Spanish (PDF, 1.25MB)

Recreational Opportunities

We provide a wide variety of recreational opportunities for grandparents and their grandchildren to meet others in similar situations. We also give grandparents a chance to simply “be grandparents” and participate in fun activities with their grandchildren.
See our upcoming events

Arizona Kinship Care Coalition

We are part of the Arizona Kinship Care Coalition – a group dedicated to educating, empowering, and supporting grandparents and kinship caregivers. The Coalition works to strengthen family relationships and enhance the lives of children. The group meets once a month and all are welcome to attend and participate.
Learn more about AZ KinCare

What is respite assistance?

Because grandparents raising their grandchildren take on parental duties, they don’t get much of a “break” from the daily work load. We understand the emotional, physical and financial challenges that come with raising grandchildren.

That’s why we have unique respite assistance for grandparents raising grandchildren. If you are 55 or older, we may be able to help you and your grandchildren by paying for part or all of the registration fees or tuition for various activities.

Examples of fees that may be paid for (respite assistance) include:

Summer camps or day camps
After school activities
Various types of lessons
Enrichment classes

If you are interested in respite assistance, be prepared to:

Show legal custody, such as guardianship, non-parent custody, etc. for your grandchildren
Answer questions about your unique situation (about a 30 minute process)
Give the name of the agency that will be providing respite service. (We will not reimburse grandparents who have pre-paid for programs.)
Give the provider’s full address, phone number and name of a contact person.
Give the start and end dates for the program, and class frequency (i.e. every Mon. and Wed.)
Wait five business days to process your request (No exceptions!)

Frequently Asked Questions for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

Support Groups

Central Phoenix

Church of the Beatitudes
555 W. Glendale Ave, Lounge, Phoenix
2nd and 4th Thursday of each month
9:00-11:00 a.m.

Church of the Beatitudes (Evening Group)
555 W. Glendale Ave, Lounge, Phoenix
3rd Tuesday of each month
5:00-7:00 p.m.

Social Therapeutic Group for Grandchildren offered at the same time and location

Westside

Glendale Adult Center
5970 W. Brown Street, Glendale
1st Wednesday of each month
4:30-6:00 pm

Buckeye Community Center
210 E. Centre Ave, Buckeye 85326
4th Tuesday of each month
1:00-2:30 p.m.

Care 1st Avondale Resource Center (Evening Group)
328 W. western Avenue, Avondale
4th Tuesday of each month
5:00 – 7:00 p.m.