Custodial Grandparents Community Support Program: Lessons Learned

This article discusses a holistic pilot program that was developed to deliver services to custodial grandparents, grandchildren, and school personnel. A primary purpose of this three-pronged approach was to determine whether a systems approach could improve program effectiveness. Three grandparent and three grandchildren educational support groups met weekly for eight consecutive weeks in both rural and urban locations. School personnel participated in a series of in-service meetings focused on providing information about custodial grandparent families, recognizing common strengths and challenges, and enhancing communication. During and after completion of the program, observations and preliminary data analysis showed positive social and participation benefits for both grandparents and grandchildren.