About 10% of US children live with one or more grandparents (e.g., 7.5 million in 2010 according to the US Census). Most children who live with a grandparent also live with one or both parents, but more than 20% of these children (i.e., 2% of all US children) do not have a parent in the household. Of the grandparents who serve as their grandchildren's primary caregivers, more than 60% are grandmothers.
More about grandparents:
- US President Jimmy Carter established National Grandparents Day in 1978. The day falls on the first Sunday after Labor Day.
- The percentage of children in the US living with a grandparent increased by 8% between 2009 and 2010.
- In the United Kingdom, grandparents who stop working to care for young grandchildren can receive credits toward their pension.