Did you know that in September, Arizona celebrates Kinship Family Month? May I tell you about these families, how they serve the community, and how they can be strengthened? I’m a member of Arizona Grandparent Ambassadors (AZGA), advocates for increased recognition and support for kinship families.
In a kinship family, grandparents, other extended family members or close family friends are raising children without parents in the home. Census data indicate that over 55,000 children in Arizona live in these families. Kinship families may be created voluntarily or after intervention by child protection authorities for reasons including death of parents, military deployment, incarceration or abuse.