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Grandparents usually welcome the chance to dote on their grandchildren. But taking them in on a full time basis is another story. President Donald Trump signed the Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act into law in July that could offer some relief. It creates a federal task force that focuses on supporting grandparents. It also creates a one-stop resource center that connects elders to social services. Native American grandparents are most likely to live with and take care of their grandchildren According to The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2014 American Community Survey. The agency also found from the 2000 Census that about a third of Native elders live in poverty and only a quarter of those utilize social services.
Guests:
Sonya Begay (Diné) – grandparent and parent
Randella Bluehouse (Navajo) – executive director of the National Indian Council on Aging
Arra Carbajal – director of the early childhood program at Native American Professional Parent Resources
Jan-Ellen French (Mohawk from Kahnawake) – grandcaregiver
Break 1 Music: Grandmother’s Song (song) Fawn Wood (artist) Iskwewak (album)
Break 2 Music: War Cry Movement I (song) Cris Derksen (artist) The Cusp (album)
