Generations United released our 11th annual State of Grandfamilies & Kinship Care report on September 19, 2024. This report, “Pathways to Success: K-12 Education Support for Kinship and Grandfamilies,” discusses how about 2.5 million children in grandfamilies and kinship families are impacted by educational challenges and actionable recommendations to improve their school support and services. Our goal is to enhance academic outcomes and build a stronger future for these children. Visit w...

Generations United released our 10th annual "State of Grandfamilies" report on November 8, 2023. The report, Building Resilience: Supporting Grandfamilies’ Mental Health and Wellness, outlines the reasons grandfamilies have mental health concerns yet have more trouble accessing mental health services and supports for both children and their caregivers due to lack of availability, lack of legal authority, and limited understanding of grandfamilies’ needs among providers, cost, stigma, an...

This event co-hosted by Generations United and RRF Foundation for Aging on October 5, 2023, highlighted the recommendations in the new report Strengthening Cultural Responsiveness in Intergenerational Programs: Passion, Purpose, and Planning to Drive Equitable Change. This event explored the challenges and successes of organizations embarking on a diversity journey and those already prioritizing cultural responsiveness. We heard from a panel of intergenerational program practitioners whose wo...

From the vaults! Check out Generations United's webinar on the importance of cultural responsiveness in intergenerational programming. This virtual event held in August 2022 and made possible with support from the RRF Foundation for Aging, was co-hosted by the National Indian Child Welfare Association and the National Caucus and Center on Black Aging and included examples of organizations bringing younger and older people together in diverse communities and provided practical recommenda...

A few months ago, Generations United released our latest set of free resources—developed with support from RRF Foundation for Aging—aimed to strengthen and expand intergenerational programs. The publications—Making the Case for Intergenerational Programs, Fact Sheet: Intergenerational Programs Benefit Everyone, and Staying Connected While Staying Apart: Intergenerational Programs & the COVID-19 Pandemic—support the growing field of practice by increasing the knowledge and skills of people...

A new study from Generations United, Family Matters: Multigenerational Living Is on the Rise and Here to Stay, finds that the number of Americans living in a multigenerational household with three or more generations has nearly quadrupled over the past decade, with a dramatic increase of 271 percent from 2011 to 2021 (7 percent vs. 26 percent). Our report found that 66 percent of those living in a multigenerational household say the economic climate was a factor in their living ar...

Across the U.S., more than 2.7 million children are growing up in grandfamilies — families in which grandparents, other adult family members, or close family friends are raising children. Generations United, with support from the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, created a brief and national comparison chart, Adoption and Guardianship for Children in Kinship Foster Care, which focuses on adoption and guardianship for children in kinship foster care, so that these children can exit foster ...

Dr. Anita Rogers has been involved with the delivery of education, civil rights, human services, reentry programming, violence prevention, victim assistance and mental health in various capacities. As a development consultant, she has raised millions of dollars to help nonprofit and government agencies provide services to underserved populations, especially people of color. She now serves as a senior fellow at Generations United Dr. Rogers joined Generations United's Executive Director Donna...

Young Invincibles was founded by a group of students in the summer of 2009, motivated by the recognition that young people’s voices were not being heard in the debate over health care reform. In the years since, the organization expanded from a group run out of a school cafeteria to a national organization with offices across the country. Their Executive Director Rachel Fleischer joined Generations United's Executive Director Donna Butts for a discussion on the various priorities and action...

In this episode, Adrian Sutton, project coordinator for Connect.DC (a program of D.C.'s Office of the Chief Technology Officers), and Alex Glazebrook, director of operations for Older Adults Technology Service (OATS), discuss older adults and technology. They also discussed the role of young people helping elders understand tech. Resources discussed in this episode: TechTogetherDC.comSeniorPlanet.orggu.org/covid-19 Support the show

Robyn Wind-Tiger is a member of Generations United's GRAND Voices network, which is a select group of grandparents and other relative caregivers from across the country. Our GRAND members serve as strategic partners to inform policies and practices affecting grandfamilies and help reveal family strengths, needs and service gaps. They provide Guidance and feedback on Generations United’s resources and advocacy on behalf of grandfamilies. In this episode, Robyn discussed with Generations Unit...

For over 40 years, DOROT has been an innovative leader in designing programs that enhance the lives of older adults by helping them build social connections with peers and other generations. In this episode, DOROT's Executive Director Mark Meridy discusses the organization's origin and shares inspirational stories of generations connecting through their work. In this episode, Generations United's Executive Director Donna Butts referenced our report with The Eisner Foundation, I Need You, ...

The conversation in this episode goes back to the roots of Generations United, which was founded over 30 years ago. The purpose, according to one of our founders Jack Ossofsky, was "to argue for a caring society." Over those three decades, the organization has weathered many attempts to spark intergenerational warfare. Fortunately, they've never taken root. In this episode, Generations United's former board chair John Rother, president and CEO of the National Coalition on Healthcare, and Ev...

Across the United States, more than 2.65 million children live in grandfamilies — families in which grandparents, other adult family members or close family friends are raising children – with no parents in the home. Frequently, these families come together at a moment’s notice. In an instant, the home of the new grandfamily is inadequate for their suddenly expanded household. A new report from Generations United, A Place to Call Home: Building Affordable Housing for Grandfamilies, fou...

The Eisner Foundation -- started in 1996 by Michael D. Eisner, then-Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company, and his wife, Jane -- gives an estimated $7 million per year to nonprofit organizations based in Los Angeles County. In 2015, The Foundation became the only U.S. funder investing exclusively in intergenerational solutions. The Eisner Foundation's CEO Trent Stamp discusses the motivation behind The Foundation's funding priorities, what they look for in a site visit, highlights from...

Twenty years ago, Ebenezer Ridges in Burnsville, MN, offered a skilled nursing facility and an adult day services program. Today, they're an intergenerational shared site with HUD-funded senior housing, an assisted living facility on campus, and a child care center. They're featured in our recent report with The Eisner Foundation, The Best of Both Worlds: A Closer Look at Spaces That Connect Young and Old. Erin Hilligan started out there as an intern 25 years ago. She's now vice president...

Grandparents play a critical role in filling the gap as parents struggle to provide the best affordable care for their children. In fact, almost 1 in 4 children under age 5 is cared for on a regular basis by a grandparent. That's according to ZERO TO THREE's new resource, Who's Watching the Kids? The Grand Plan Grandparenting Survey. In this episode, ZERO TO THREE's Rebecca Parlakian (senior director of Programs) and Kathy Kinsner (senior manager of Parent Resources) discuss additional find...

In this episode, Dr. Nancy Henkin, our senior fellow and a pioneer in the intergenerational field, discusses her mentor Maggie Kuhn, intergenerational programming in senior housing, and getting young people interested in careers in aging. Support the show

In this episode, Dr. Joan Lombardi, a giant in the early education field, discusses the role of community elders being changemakers for children and youth. She also discusses family separation at the border. Support the show

Our conference co-host Bridge Meadows is changing the world by starting in their neighborhood in Portland, OR. They provide safe, stable and supportive communities for youth in foster care, adoptive parents, and elders. Their Executive Director Dr. Derenda Schubert shares the intergenerational collaboration between the youth who experienced foster care and the community of elders that helped create the community at Bridge Meadows. Support the show