About 7.8 million children across the country live in households headed by grandparents or other relatives. Grandfamilies, or kinship families, are families in which children reside with and are being raised by grandparents or other extended family members or close family friends. Despite facing many barriers, children in grandfamilies are able to thrive.
This session will discuss the state of grandfamilies and multi-generational living in the United States. We will discuss the critical role that nutrition programs like WIC play in supporting healthy and strong grandfamilies, and also describe the newest dietary guidance for infants and young children all the way through older adults. Finally, we will describe resources available to support grandfamilies and other WIC participants with information and messaging about healthy beverages and complementary foods to their infants and toddlers.