PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A Philadelphia nonprofit is helping grandparents navigate their grandfamilies.
In Philadelphia, more than 17,000 families are headed by grandparents, and 1 in 5 African American children live with their grandparents for all or some of their childhood.
Mary Pat Tracy is the executive director of Connectedly, which educates grandparents on literacy, nutrition, and more through their GrandFamily Program.
“They may have last raised a child in the 80s. Lots of changes since then, right? So, understanding the education system, understanding the current culture, digital literacy, Discipline… discipline has changed a lot,” Tracy said.
She says Grandparent caregivers experience significant stress in their parenting role and may face financial hardship, legal hurdles and access to services.
Celeste Williams, a grandmother from Philadelphia, says Connectedly provided her with critical support after she lost her daughter in 2020 and helped her gain custody of her grandson. She said she had a lot to relearn.
“We keep ourselves from so much because of what we've been taught. It's like, ‘Oh, we did that all the time.’ I'm learning through this journey… Hey, it's okay to ask for help. Guess what? It's okay to be not okay,” Williams said.