FREEHOLD, NJ – The Board of Chosen Freeholders has approved a new program to support grandparents who are raising children in Monmouth County.

 

The county’s Office on Aging will oversee the new grandparent Caregiver Respite Program, which gives grandparents who live in Monmouth County a break from the daily routine of raising their grandchildren. The program will be funded with an Older Americans Act grant of $35,000. 

 

“Many children in Monmouth County are being cared for by their grandparents,” said Freeholder Amy A. Mallet, who oversees the county Office on Aging. “This Grandparent Caregiver Respite Program offers our seniors a breather from the strain of raising their grandchildren.”

“The stresses of caring for youngsters or teen-agers can take a toll on seniors,” said Thomas Pivinski, director of the Monmouth County Division on Aging, Disabilities and Veteran’s Interment. “These grandparents need a rest from their daily care-giving chores and responsibilities and need to be able to recharge their own energies. That’s what this program is about.”

 

As many as 1.3 million children in the United States are being raised by their grandparents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. It is not known exactly how many children in Monmouth County are being raised by their grandparents, but it is estimated to more than 2,000.

 

Child Care Resources, a private nonprofit agency in Neptune, will administer the Grandparent Respite Program for the county. Theresa Hayes, director of Child Care Resources, said, “We will work with each grandparent on a one-to-one basis and match resources with needs. The basic premise is to provide child care with certified day care centers or individual home providers.

 

“Help is available to a grandparent who is a child’s primary caregiver and at least 60 years old,” Hayes continued. “The child or children must be living with a grandparent who has either legal custody or an informal care-giving arrangement with the parents.”

 

Hayes added, “All parents need time off from care-giving chores. The Grandparent Respite Program allows grandparents to leave the children with trustworthy people and to have some time for themselves. The respite is on a temporary day-to-day basis.”

 

Applications are now available by calling 732-918-9901, Ext. 114, or by stopping at the

Child Care Resources office at 3301 C, Route 66 in Neptune, New Jersey.

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