The Statistics

According to the 2010 Census, 7.8 million children live with grandparents or other relatives in the United States.

In Vermont, 6,836 children live in kinship care.

Of these, 5,593 (4.4% of the children in the state) live with grandparents and 1,243 (1%) live with other relatives.

Research shows that children do better when they are with relatives, if their parents are unable to care for them. They know their caregivers, maintain a connection to the extended family, and live in and learn about their family history, culture and traditions. They do better in school, have fewer behavior problems and generally are more settled.