Children Living with and Cared for by Grandparents: State-Level Data from the American Community Survey. Research Brief. Publication #2012-31.

Increasing numbers of children in the U.S. are living with their grandparents, many of whom are responsible for their grandchildren’s care. In fact, the number of children living in a grandparent’s household rose from 4.6 million in 200507, to 5.2 million in 2008-10. Grandparents may be called upon, often with little preparation, to provide primary care for their grandchildren in the face of family crisis. These circumstances can be stressful, not only for children, but for their grandparents, who often need to make major adjustments (social, psychological, and financial) in their lives to step into a role they had not planned for, and for which they may be poorly prepared.1 Grandparental care can be rewarding in many ways for both children and their grandparents. Grandparents can bring economic resources, the wisdom of their years, and a sense of continuity and stability that benefit children.2