American Association of Caregiving Youth, Inc.

AACY's ultimate goal is for no child in the US to have to drop out of school to provide care for family members. Family health situations impact children more than most people understand. This includes health professionals, educators and legislators.So what happens in families when there is no adult available? Perhaps mom or dad is working, ill or it is a single parent/grandparent household and that person gets sick? Children must step up to the plate! For most families, this works. For others, due to the types of illnesses, the severity or length of time of the condition or disability, the financial resources or the number of family members impacted, the responsibilities become overwhelming. A child has no experience bank. All caregiving families need support; especially those in which there are caregiving youth.The AACY created the Caregiving Youth Project (CYP) as a replicable model program to:1) Identify and prioritize caregiving youth beginning in sixth grade according to the types of care they perform and the time they spend in these responsibilities;2) Provide needs-driven support services in school, out of school and at home; 3) Strengthen the family with community resources to reduce their stress, anxiety, isolation and thus reduce the burden on the caregiving youth; and4) Protect the health and improve the overall well-being of the caregiving youth so he/she completes high school (at least!) and becomes a healthy, productive adult.In partnership with schools, AACY promotes social and system change by integrating healthcare (body), education (mind) and the community (spirit) to create a solid foundation of services. The impacts of the CYP are many and are exponential for the whole family. Members remain in school as confirmed by students, families and school records. Students report that they are earning higher grades and are feeling more confident in their caregiving and personally. They know they are no longer alone and have established friendships and remain connected with the CYP through high school as they learn how to prepare for their own futures. More than anything else, CYP youth want other caregiving youth to be given the opportunities and support they have received.
With its success AACY is in the process of establishing significant national partnerships, educating legislators who wish to introduce legislation to support teen caregivers and furthering an affiliate network as a nonprofit franchise model to assist its own sustainability as well as to reach more caregiving youth.

1. As resources are sought and realized, expand the Caregiving Youth Project in Palm Beach County to the north and to the west. A satellite office will be established with financial help from The School District, County and others. The initial focus is on Title I middle and high schools. Meanwhile, The School District is creating "go to" caregiving youth contact persons in each middle and high school and purchasing copies of a book for which AACY contributed, "I'm a Teen Caregiver. Now What?"
2. Further the work of the Caregiving Youth Institute with holding and participating in conferences to educate the public and professionals. The Caregiving Youth Research Collaborative (CYRC) is formulating several multi-site research projects as well as local initiatives in various states, especially, CA, NC and WI.
3. Educate and encourage legislators to include caregiving by youth in legislation and policy. A FL State Senator, Lori Berman is becoming the Caregiving Youth Champion to introduce legislative support in this state. Two PA Congressman are developing legislation to introduce bills to support teen caregivers.
4. Reach child caregivers in military families through a relationship with the Elizabeth Dole Foundation and listing on their website for Hidden Heroes. AACY is also partnering with other Veteran related organizations including Connected Warriors,
5. Develop the AACY Affiliate Network and appropriate partnerships with leadership from the AACY National Advisory Council. One such strategy is through a Workforce Development project with Leading Age. So far in 2018, there are two new affiliates, one in AZ and the other in PA with a possible second in PA.
6. Utilization of structured social media messaging and resources to maximize raising awareness. A dozen new minute videos have been created including youth, parents and AACY team members to assist with messaging.

To reach our short term goals and the long-term goal for no child in the US to have to drop out of school to provide care for family members, AACY's core assets include:
*Long-standing organization leadership including its Board of Directors, credentialed staff and dedicated volunteers and an operations environment which fosters continued process improvement
*The developing national presence through the National Advisory Council, affiliate network and opportunities to present data at conferences to educate and engage others in expanding their resources to serve this population
*Multi-media exposure including nationally through the NY Times, The Hill, CNN, ABC TV news feature and most recently Vice HBO news clip which has had in excess of 2.2 million views on all social media channels.
* Reaching yet untapped markets such as mommy bloggers, businesses practicing corporate social responsibility along with themed giving and naming opportunities such as with the Caregiving Youth Institute development.

AACY has solely dedicated itself to caregiving youth since January of 2010. The Caregiving Youth Project began at one middle school in the Fall of 2006 and is now in 35 middle and high schools. It has assisted more than 2100 youth caregivers and their families in Palm Beach County. Furthermore it has:
*Established credibility as the national leader in this field as demonstrated by engagement with universities, media, community, government, School Board, healthcare providers and other collaborating partners
* Long-standing organization leadership including credentialed staff and dedicated volunteers and an operations environment which fosters continued process improvement
*Significant CYP enrollment, progress and multiple case studies demonstrate track records of successes including high school graduation rates nearly 20 percent greater than the comparable demographic population in Palm Beach County
*Multi-media exposure including nationally through the NY Times, The Hill, CNN, ABC TV news feature and most recently Vice HBO news clip which has had in excess of 6 million views on all social media channels.