UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- As baby boomers mature into retirement and their senior years, many are getting an unexpected late-life surprise: a second family to raise. To meet some of the pressing issues and concerns facing grandparents-raising-grandchildren (GRG) families, Penn State Public Broadcasting and Cooperative Extension have collaborated to develop a call-in program and a new educational initiative.

On Tuesday, Sept. 24, at 7 p.m., WPSX-TV and WPSU-FM will broadcast an hour-long community call-in show, "Take Note LIVE: Grandparents Raising Grandchildren." Take Note host Patty Satalia will discuss the challenges facing GRG families with guests Donna Butts, executive director of Generations United, and Amy Goyer, coordinator of the AARP Grandparent Information Center. Viewers and listeners are encouraged to call (800) 543-8242 with questions.

The new educational program, "Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: Doubly Stressed, Triply Blessed," will be offered to GRG families and the public by Penn State Cooperative Extension in half-day community forums. Interested individuals should contact the family-living agent in their county extension office for local information.

The number of U.S. children being raised by their grandparents is rising. In 1998, 1.4 million children in 888,000 households were being raised solely by their grandparents -- a 53 percent increase from 1990. In Pennsylvania alone, there are more than 80,000 grandparent-headed households. These families face a number of challenges, including child care, health services, housing, legal issues and education.

"When you think about why grandparents or aunts and uncles end up caring for grandchildren, the literature talks about the 4 D's: death, drugs, divorce and desertion," says Maria McCarthy, a parent-educator in the AARON Intermediate Unit in Indiana, Pa. "There seldom are happy reasons why you have these children."

Matthew Kaplan, Penn State associate professor of intergenerational programs and aging, says the main goal of both the call-in TV/radio program and the community forums is to help the public understand the plight of GRG families as well as to present concrete ideas for helping.

"These families have very little information and access to resources, and often they fall through the cracks of our human service systems," Kaplan says. "Grandparents who step in and take responsibility for their grandchildren don't always have the rights and resources to do the job. So great a responsibility with limited resources is a potent recipe for stress, and the video producers do a great job of using the grandparents' own words to convey that frustration.

"These are clear, understandable profiles of people that most of us can relate to. It helps us to appreciate a situation that we could find ourselves in, too."

Funding for the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: Doubly Stressed, Triply Blessed project was provided by Penn State Outreach Partnership and Program Innovation Funds.

The Grandparents Raising Grandchildren educational program is available for $30. For ordering information, call the College of Agricultural Sciences Publications Distribution Center at 814-865-6713. To order using VISA or MasterCard, call toll free (877) 345-0691.

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EDITORS: Contact Marie Hornbein at 814-865-3333 (TV), or Matt Kaplan at 814-863-7871.

Contact: Gary Abdullah gxa2@psu.edu 814-863-2708 814-863-9877 fax #242