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Free Program Aimed at Helping Suffolk Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

Outside of the five boroughs of New York City, Suffolk County has the greatest number of grandparents responsible for their grandchildren in New York State.

With a grant of $60,000 awarded by Pritchard Charitable Trust, the Family Health and Wellness program at Cornell Cooperative Extension will provide assistance to grandparents and other relative caregivers through “Parenting the Second Time Around” (PASTA), Cornell University’s award winning curriculum for grandparents raising grandchildren.

The free workshops will be held at the Middle County Library in Selden on Wednesdays, July 24 through September 11 from 6pm-8:30pm. A light dinner and child care will be provided. To register for the workshops, call 727-7850, ext. 340 or abl98@cornell.edu.

According to the 2010 U.S. Census 29,591 children live in grandparent-headed households in Suffolk County. These caregivers have specific needs as they struggle to raise grandchildren in an era very different from the years when they raised their own children.

As part of PASTA, grandparents will be offered support, advice, workshops, and as the program winds down, reunions with other participants and mentoring.

It Wasn’t Supposed To Be Like This—acknowledges the ambivalent feelings accompanying changing roles as grandparents assume parenting responsibilities and children adjust to new living arrangements
Getting to Know You—helps them feel more confident, comfortable and informed about the community resources available to them and provides an overview of child development
Rebuilding a Family—provides a forum for discussion about sensitive issues, practice of effective communication skills and information about mental health resources
Discipline is Not a Dirty Word, But it May Look Different Today—offers information and practical tips about authoritative (loving but firm) discipline
Legal Concerns of Relatives Raising Children—provides an overview of possible legal issues including custody, visitation and child support that are common in relative care situations
Standing up for Grandparent’s/Grandchildren’s Rights—encourages caregivers to see themselves as advocates for their grandchildren particularly in accessing legal, medical, social and educational services
Grandparents and Teens Living Together—reviews key points about adolescent development in order to establish expectations for teen behaviors and explore changing relationships within the family
Living With Teens Can Be Challenging—introduces indicators of high risk adolescent behavior and discusses strategies and resources to help caregivers keep teen children safe

For additional information on PASTA, contact Dinah Torres Castro at 727-7850, ext. 351.

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County is a non-profit educational agency dedicated to strengthening families and communities, enhancing and protecting the environment, promoting sustainable agriculture, and fostering countywide economic development. Affiliated with Cornell University, and funded in part by Suffolk County government, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County is part of the state and national extension system that includes the land-grant universities and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. CCE’s sites and program areas include Agriculture, Marine, 4-H Youth Development, Family Health and Wellness, Suffolk County Farm and Education Center and Suffolk County Peconic Dunes Camp.