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More and more grandparents tend to grandkids

On Sept. 10, the US celebrates Grandparents Day, and with 56 million US grandfathers and grandmothers, there are many good reasons to mark the occasion. Increasingly, however, grandparents aren't just the warm and generous relatives who visit their families on holidays or call with greetings on special occasions. They are active caregivers to children, especially in this day and age of working couples and single-parent households. Grandparents are often asked or volunteer to help tend their grandchildren, sometimes out of financial necessity. Statistics provided by the Census Bureau that help fill out the picture:

Children living with grandparents 6.1 million

Grandparents responsible for most of the basic needs of live-in grandchildren 2.4 million

Foreign-born grandparents caring for grandchildren 320,000

Grandparents who've cared for grandchildren at least five years 920,000

Grandparents in poverty caring for grandchildren 460,000