For Grandparent turned Caregiver, Struggle is Worth It… and Why FCCS Levy Invests in Kinship

While working two jobs and considering a third, Sonya Smith is raising her 16, 13, and 10-year-old grandchildren. Her 12-hour workdays are a struggle, she admits, but knowing the children have a safe home keeps Ms. Smith going.

When children can no longer safely stay with their parents and need a place to stay, caseworkers at Franklin County Children Services first search for relatives and others close to the family - such as teachers, coaches, church members, neighbors, or family friends - who can provide a caring, familiar environment where the children might better cope with the trauma of separation. 

Grandparents like Ms. Smith often are the first to step up to help keep kids safer. “I couldn’t see them going out into the world without my protection,” she said.  

According to the national Annie E. Casey Foundation, more than 127,000 children in Ohio between 2020 and 2022 relied upon a family relative or other adult with whom they have a family-like relationship as their primary caregivers.

Recognizing the challenges that kinship providers can face - including the financial hardship of unexpectedly caring for a child - the 2024 Children Services Levy includes millions of dollars in new investments in additional kinship supports, higher kinship stipends, and wider access to resources.

For the past eight years, Ms. Smith has relied upon support to care for her grandchildren, after she says their father and mother could not offer a safe, stable home.

Looking forward, she sees bright futures ahead for her grandchildren: “They’re all good kids.”

Her 16-year-old granddaughter Kimora works part time, takes college courses, and wants to become a traveling nurse. At 13, Tariq loves video games and playing football - and hopes to go to the NFL or become a gamer. Ten-year-old Taraj loves soccer and reading about animals. He’s also “the one in the family who knows all of the answers during trivia games,” Ms. Smith said. 

All three enjoy science and math, and Ms. Smith makes sure education is a priority for them. 

“I encourage them to keep their grades up, and everybody knows they have to get scholarships,” she said.

To further encourage the children, Ms. Smith recently went back to school for her job as a community health worker, completing a rigorous training program at The Ohio State University and receiving a certification. 

“I hope that showed them you have to go to school and study to get what you want,” she said. 

Read more about the new initiatives in the 2024 FCCS Levy, including Kinship Support and Community Prevention, at https://fccs.us/fccs-levy.

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