American Association of Caregiving Youth

The American Association of Caregiving Youth (aacy) provides direct services to middle and high school Caregiving Youth locally and responds to queries for information and support from other regions in the usa. Its national advisory council is co-chaired by sara poole of mclean, va who along with her two young sons, provided care for two years for her mom who had alzheimer's disease (see www.kidsarecaregiverstoo.com). The co-chair is martin hunicutt of durham, nc who is retired from duke. In 2014 aacy received seed money to establish the Caregiving Youth institute to expand its reach through c.a.r.e. - connect Youth with each other; advocate to educate legislators on behalf of Caregiving Youth; research to expand the scant body of knowledge about this hidden population; and educate the public and professionals. The Caregiving Youth research collaborative has formed under the institute which has held four in person conferences and one virtual conference, both with national and international presenters. Results from the statewide Youth risk behavior survey administered by the Florida department of health in conjunction with the Florida department of education and the centers for disease control (cdc). The first ever Caregiving question revealed that among Florida public middle and high school students, more than 290,000 are doing some kind of Caregiving for a family member with chronic illness, disability, or other health condition. As the us leader in this field, aacy is participating in a research project with unc chapel hill that is funded by the national science foundation. It has a growing affiliate network and is further developing its national partnersips. A toll-free number that is person-answered, and donated by call4health,helps to facilitate this reach. National presentations,journal publications and media have also helped to raise awareness. Aacy contributed to the published book, "i'm a teen caregiver, now what?" The aacy president and founder dr. connie siskowski is a faculty member of the raise family caregiver council, under the auspices of the federal hhs and acl where she has brought the voices of these children to national attention and recognition.

The Caregiving Youth project in a formal cooperative behavioral health agreement with the school district of palm beach county, Florida, first screens Caregiving Youth in sixth grade and has a rolling enrollment throughout the middle and high school years. Professional staff provide services to participants in and out of school and at home including academic support and respite. It works to strengthen families and reduce stress on the child to enhance learning abilities. It also works to link families with community resources to provide help and support at home. The holistic approach, working in systems of healthcare, education and the community has resulted in a 98.1% nine year average high school graduation rate with about 85% of graduates going on to post-secondary education or the military. As of june 2023, there were 515 students receiving services during the school year, however the program operates throughout the calendar year, as Caregiving continues throughout 12 months. There are 35 middle and high schools that host the in school program with about 60 students attending 22 other schools. They receive home visits and are able to participate in fun and educational activities.