The old saying by grandparents has it that they love spending time with their grandchildren but the beauty is that when it comes time to part, the grandkids go home with Mom and Dad.

Well, that is only so true these days.

According to the results of a nationwide survey of grandparents by the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies, more and more grandparents are serving as a key support for working parents when formal child care arrangements fall through by providing child care for grandchildren themselves.

According to the survey, 40 percent of grandparents (with grandchildren under 13 that live less than an hour away) are currently providing child care for grandchildren. Aside from providing regular child care, grandparents are often involved in providing backup care (50 percent), sick care (31 percent), before and after care (27 percent) and summer care (38 percent currently). Additionally, the survey shows that more than a third of grandparents have changed their work schedules in order to provide care for their grandchildren.

Survey results show that grandparents provide child care for grandchildren for a number of different reasons. The top two reasons reported by grandparents for providing child care for their grandchildren were to help parents with their work schedule (40 percent) and to spend more time with their grandchildren (22 percent). The survey also shows that the majority of grandparents are caring for their grandchildren for fewer than 25 hours a week.

“This poll shows that grandparents are a critical child care support for families,” said Linda K. Smith, executive director of NACCRRA. “They are helping parents on a regular basis every week and pitching in when parents need them most for backup care and when their grandchildren are sick.”

According to the survey, grandparents believe that affordable child care is a necessity. The majority of grandparents surveyed support improving the quality and affordability of child care to make affordable, high-quality child care a reality for all working parents. Almost 90 percent of grandparents strongly support requiring training for providers, including classes in child development, First Aid and CPR, child guidance and discipline, and in recognizing child abuse. Grandparents also overwhelmingly support requiring inspections of child care programs, setting basic standards of quality, and improving health and safety standards.

Furthermore, almost two-thirds of grandparents (67 percent) are willing to pay $10 more in taxes each year to make child care more affordable for families.

That’s because grandparents care about their grandchildren -- and increasingly are caring for them. Officially, Grandparents Day in America (it was Sept. 7) doesn’t get the attention of Mothers Day and Fathers Day. It should.

 

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