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ERIC Number: ED616337
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 24
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1075-7031
EISSN: N/A
The United States Should Recognize and Support Caregiving Youth. Social Policy Report. Volume 34, Number 2
Armstrong-Carter, Emma; Johnson, Catherine; Belkowitz, Julia; Siskowski, Connie; Olson, Elizabeth
Society for Research in Child Development
In the United States, more than 5.4 million children and adolescents under age 18 provide care for family members who are aging or have chronic illness, disability, or other health conditions that require assistance. In this policy report, we describe youth's care for the family, and highlight the increasing prevalence, global challenges, and uneven successes of measurement and categorization. We briefly summarize research on how caregiving affects youth's academic, social, and emotional well-being. Next, we present novel, emerging evidence from the public school-based 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey for the State of Florida, which suggests that as many as 24% of middle school students and 16% of high school students provide at least some care to the family on a regular basis. Drawing on this evidence, we discuss targeted social programs which have been shown to promote the well-being of caregiving youth outside of the United States, as well as a 13-year-old school-based intervention in The School District of Palm Beach County, Florida. We conclude with specific recommendations for a path toward recognizing and supporting caregiving youth via policy and practice in the United States. Our aim is to increase the awareness and feasibility of identifying and supporting caregiving youth and their families via government-organized data collection and targeted social policies.
Society for Research in Child Development. 2950 South State Street Suite 401, Ann Arbor, MI 48104. Tel: 734-926-0600; Fax: 734-926-0601; e-mail: info@srcd.org; Web site: http://www.srcd.org
Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Secondary Education; High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Society for Research in Child Development
Identifiers - Location: Florida
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Youth Risk Behavior Survey
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A