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Have a Question?
Contact the
IFAPA Kinship Peer Mentor:
Angela
Stark
515-261-7255 (Dsm area)
877-788-7255 (toll-free)
starkifapa@aol.com
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More than 6 million children in the United
States, about 1 in 12 children, are living in households
headed by grandparents or other relatives. In many of
these households, grandparents or other relatives are the
primary caregivers for children whose parents are unable to
care for them because of:
It may have been
a while since you have parented a child or maybe you have
never been around kids until the child moved in.
Relative caregivers are often thrown into parenting
situations for which they aren't completely prepared.
Below are helpful resources to help you become better equipped.
Support Groups:
Kinship
Support Group, Cedar Rapids
Meets every 3rd
Sunday from 4:00 to 6:00pm
Christ Church
Presbyterian - 2000 1st Ave NW, Cedar Rapids
Free supper and
childcare provided for kinship caregivers who RSVP
For more info,
contact Erica Zito at
zitoifapa@yahoo.com or
319-366-0439
Kinship
Support Group, Muscatine
Meet every 2nd
Tuesday (9:00 to 10:30am) & every 4th Tuesday (1:00 to
2:30pm)
Muscatine
Community Y - 1823 Logan Street, Muscatine
The Muscatine Community Y offers a variety of services
to Grandparents (and other relatives) Raising
Grandchildren.
Grandparents who are raising their grandchildren meet
twice each month for 1.5 hours in a comfortable
atmosphere that is conducive to sharing and a
professional in our community regarding issues unique to
grandparents raising their grandchildren presents four
educational Workshops each year. Refreshments are
provided at each meeting. Grandparents come together
with trained facilitators and volunteers to gain
information regarding issues that are unique to their
situation while at the same time increasing their
parenting skills. The grandparents gain support by
networking with others who are living in similar
situations. They are also given education regarding
legal issues, medical care, childcare, etc. Two
facilitators trained to work specifically with
grandparents raising their grandchildren staff each
group meeting as well as one volunteer. This group has
been in existence for five years. Curriculum consists
of group support, videos, national RAPP (Relatives as
Parents) Foundation materials, “Active Parenting Today”
which promotes positive discipline, “Generations United”
workbooks, and guest speakers comprised of local
professionals. The target population for this group is
grandparents who are raising their grandchildren. For
more information please contact the Diana Broderson at
the Muscatine Community Y at 563-263-9996 or at
dbroderson@muscatiney.org. Families do not
need to live in Muscatine county to access these
services.
Publications:
Kinship Connection Project Brochure
Raising Relatives Children
Booklet
This booklet
is was created by IFAPA and covers caregiver's feelings, children's issues, financial
assistance, health insurance, child care, respite,
educational issues, raising children of color, talking with
children about their parents and much more helpful
information. To request a copy of this booklet, call
IFAPA at 800-277-8145.
Fact Sheets from the Child
Welfare Information Gateway:
How Does the Child Welfare System Work?
Kinship Caregivers and the Child Welfare System
Parenting the Sexually Abused Child
Additional Resources for
Kinship Providers:
Training Manual for Starting a Kinship
Support Group
Iowa Department of Elder Affairs
AARP Grandparent Information Center
American Bar Association
Brookdale Foundation
Child Welfare League of America
Children of Alcoholics Foundation
(and other substance abuse issues)
Children's Defense Fund
Generations United
Group Benefits, Ltd. - Health
Insurance Options
National Center on Grandparents
Raising Grandchildren
National Committee of Grandparents for
Children's Rights
University of Wisconsin Extension -
Fact Sheets for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
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