Families maintained by African American grandmothers: Household composition and childcare experiences

The article is a descriptive analysis of household characteristics of co-resident children and grandchildren among families maintained by African American grandmothers. Using a purposive sampling design, ninety-nine custodial African American grandmothers, caring for one or more grandchildren, were included in this analysis. Households with neither biological parent present were the majority in African American households. Fifty-six percent of the grandmothers were caring for grandchildren without any adult children in the home. African American grandmothers care for their grandchildren for long periods of time. Thirty-four percent of the grandchildren had been in their grandmothers 'care for 10 or more years. The prevalence of households maintained by single grandmothers, and the extensive period of caregiving suggest the need for additional research and practice intervention.