For many families in the United States, having grandparents provide child care is not just occasional help. It’s what makes work and parenting possible. Yet despite their central role in supporting families, too often grandparents are overlooked or taken for granted in the design of child care systems and policies. This post focuses on one particularly common group of grandparents: non-custodial or non-guardian grandparents who provide regular child care while the child’s parents remain the legal guardians and primary caregivers. By understanding the motivations, experiences, strengths, and needs of these grandparent-caregivers, alongside the policies and programs that may shape their day-to-day lives, we can help ensure that grandparents and their families have access to the supports they want and need.
Grandparent child care in the U.S.:What we know, what’s missing, and what policy can do
Mi nombre es Gladys Jones y soy la directora ejecutiva de ECE on the Move. También soy líder en el cuidado infantil, defensora y una persona que vive con una discapacidad.
My name is Gladys Jones, and I'm the Chief Executive Officer of ECE on the Move. I'm also a child care leader, an advocate, and a person living with a disability.
As we commemorate Juneteenth, the field of early childhood education has an opportunity to reflect on the enduring relationship between Black women’s caregiving labor and the American social economy.