Welcome to Grandkin Café: Where Grandfamilies Connect and Thrive

Are you a grandparent or kinship caregiver seeking a supportive community for connection, sharing, and understanding? Look no further! At Grandkin Café, we’ve created a welcoming space just for grandfamilies like yours.

Did you know Arizona has more than 198,000 “kinship care” households headed by grandparents or other relatives who are caring for one or more related children? These families are helping with everything from schoolwork, extracurricular activities, providing meals and shelter, support and general advice to their grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or other family members. It can be a challenging but much needed role for families who are dealing with an illness, substance abuse, loss of a parent or other circumstances that do not allow for a parent to care for their child.

Duet: Partners In Health & Aging is pleased to introduce a new way to support grandparents or kinship caregivers with its Grandkin Café, launching in January 2024.

What is Grandkin Café? It is more than just a gathering; it is a community where grandparents and kinship caregivers can connect with others facing similar journeys. Duet provides a space to learn about community resources and explore topics that impact grandfamilies. Grandkin Cafés are uniquely designed to be more than a support group. By bringing in community organizations to share their services and programs with special topics like healthy relationships, self-care, child development, and discipline, Grandkin Cafés offer a hub of resources and supportive fellowship.

“We want grandfamilies to realize they aren’t alone,” said Lisa McCormick, kinship care services manager, Duet: Partners In Health & Aging. “Parenting for the second time can bring a spectrum of emotions, however, the crucial message remains you are not alone. The Grandkin Café will provide a comforting hub of laughter, shared experiences, and valuable resources.”

Imagine warm conversations, insights, and tips, all over a cup of coffee or tea. Join a vibrant community that understands and supports your unique journey.

McCormick adds, “We are switching formats from our typical support group to Grandkin Café because we found that people were reluctant to attend a support group but were eager to attend our Lunch & Learn educational workshops. Grandkin Cafés are a fresh and innovative way for grandfamilies to gather in the support group style.”

The GrandKin Café will meet once a month and discuss topics such as healthy relationships, self-care, child development, to sessions on discipline, we cover it all.

“Since I found Duet, I am not alone in raising with my grandchildren with special needs,” explains one Kinship caregiver. “As a grandmother, I am not as young as I used to be, and the support has been wonderful. If you are raising a grandchild, I highly recommend finding a Grandkin Café to get additional support and resources.”

Duet also offers educational webinars, grandfamilies outings, up to $250 a year for activities per child, legal assistance and more! To learn more about Duet’s kinship caregiver services or find a new GrandKin Café in your neighborhood, click the button below.