Rutgers-Newark and Community Partners Launch Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Initiative

Rutgers-Newark and partners launched a community effort to support the growing number of grandparents who are their grandchildrens' primary caregivers.

The Rutgers Center for Health Excellence & Community Empowerment (CHECE) co-ordinated with partners to establish the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Initiative, which works with  local organizations to provide New Jersey grandparents with educational resources, fresh produce and wellness services. 

“This is about dignity, stability, and equity,” Diane Hill, Director of the Rutgers Center for Health Excellence & Community Empowerment. "By aligning our resources with partners, we can build a more wholistic model to support grandparents."

“We are committed to uplifting families who often go unseen—especially the grandparents who have reopened their homes and rebuilt their lives to keep their grandchildren safe and connected. Together, we are expanding pathways to wellness, increasing access to critical services, and ensuring kinship families have the long-term support they deserve,’’ said Hill, a professor in the School of Public Affairs and Administration.

The initiative works in partnership with co-leaders CareSparc Community Connections, Programs for Parents, and other community stakeholders. According to the 2025 State of Grandfamilies Report from Generations United, nearly 2 million grandparents nationwide are responsible for caring for grandchildren living in their homes—most outside of the formal foster care system. 

In New Jersey alone, more than 41,828 grandparents serve as kinship caregivers. Without them, the foster care system would be overwhelmed, according to data from the national grandfamilies report. Additionally, it would cost taxpayers at least $10.5 billion annually in foster care payments.

Through the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren partnership, Hill said, “We are expanding pathways to wellness, increasing access to critical services, and ensuring kinship families have the long-term support they deserve. This is how we empower communities—one family at a time.” 

With recent federal budget cuts and reductions in safety-net services placing an even greater strains on vulnerable families, the program could not be more necessary, said Hill.

Both seniors and children in New Jersey already face higher rates of food insecurity than the general population – but for grandparent-headed households, the statistics are startling, according to Heather Thompson, Executive Director of Table to Table, a community-based food rescue program that collects fresh, nutritious, perishable food that would otherwise be wasted.

About 25 percent of families that have grandparents raising grandchildren are food insecure, said Thompson. For older adults living on fixed incomes, the cost of raising children can quickly become overwhelming. 

“Our partnership with Rutgers CHECE and Caresparc brings fresh, free rescued produce to these families - not only bolstering food and nutrition security but also letting them know that their community sees them and cares about them,” Thompson added.

Caresparc Community Connections and Table to Table have provided more than 1.8 million pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables to seniors, grandparents and children in Essex County. 

The evidence-based Grandparents Raising Grandchildren program will also offer wellness activities that provide family well-being, emotional support, and community connections.

There are bi-monthly lunch and learn sessions held on child development, benefits navigation, mental health and stress management to improve the quality of life for the caregivers and children. These and other initiatives are hosted at the Programs for Parents sites and the NewArk Freedom School and House of Miriam, both located at 13th Avenue Elementary School.

Last month, Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Initiative (GRGI) held an event at Rutgers-Newark’s Paul Robeson Campus Center, providing New Jersey grandparents with holiday gifts and other program services.

Partners involved with the effort emphasized the need for services that help support grandparent caregivers. "Our role is to make sure grandparents aren’t navigating alone but with access to education and concrete support in times of need,’’ said Nayibe Cappellan, Executive Director of Programs for Parents. which will provide the bi-monthly workshops as part of the collaboration. “ 

Keith DaCosta, Co-founder and Executive Director of CareSparc Community Connections, said, “Grandparents are the anchors of our communities, yet far too many are carrying these responsibilities alone. Grandparents Raising Grandchildren ensures grandparents are seen, supported, and surrounded by resources that keep families together and children out of foster care.”

Hill commended Lt. Jamie Hendrix, of the Rutgers University Police Department in Newark,  who headed up its annual Winter Blessing Drive, distributing toys and essential items distributed to grandparents participating in the GRGI  launch reception. 

The event also included a Senior Generations Celebration, recognizing and honoring grandparents raising grandchildren. As part of the GRGI launch, the Sheila Oliver Foundation also presented two grandmothers with monetary gifts to help support their families during the holiday season.