Kinship Care Month Recognition Resolution of 2025

ENROLLED ORIGINAL
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A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION

26-66

IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

July 1, 2025

To recognize the importance of kinship families in the District of Columbia and the many
benefits kinship caregivers bestow on the children in their care as well as the many
challenges they face when raising these children, and to declare the month of September
2025 as “Kinship Care Month” in the District of Columbia.

WHEREAS, the D.C. Council seeks to proclaim September 2025 as Kinship Care Month
in the District of Columbia; and

WHEREAS, Kinship Care Month is observed to recognize children in kinship families,
and the grandparents, other relatives, and family friends who raise them, ensuring their safety,
promoting their well-being, and establishing a safe and stable home for these young people; and

WHEREAS, in kinship families, a caregiver cares for a child or children who were
biologically born to another family member or close friend because the biological parents are
unable to raise them; and

WHEREAS, nationally, approximately 2.7 million children are living with grandparents
and other relatives or fictive kin in kinship care; more than 22,000 of these young people reside
in the District of Columbia, with fewer than 125 of them in foster care; and

WHEREAS, one in 11 of all children, and one in 5 Black children, will live within a
kinship family sometime during their childhood; and

WHEREAS, kinship caregivers report tremendous satisfaction in caring for and raising
children, but face substantial challenges in accessing the resources they need to care for their
families; and

WHEREAS, many kinship caregivers live at or below the margins of financial stability
themselves even before they agree to take a child into their homes, while others may give up
their retirement years to assume parenting duties for these children, and

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WHEREAS, many children come to live with kinship caregivers after allegations of
parental abuse or neglect; and

WHEREAS, children in kinship care frequently have mental health conditions from
trauma experienced in their homes and communities; and

WHEREAS, kinship caregivers offer a refuge, as well as love, nurturing and care, for
these children; and

WHEREAS, research shows that kinship care helps maintain family, sibling and
community ties, improves behavioral and mental health outcomes, and promotes permanency for
children who cannot live with their parents; and

WHEREAS, it is vitally important for the public to grow in awareness of the challenges
faced by children, grandparents, and other relatives in kinship families; so as to ensure there are
services and supports available and accessible to enable kinship youth to grow and thrive; and

WHEREAS, the D.C. Council expresses its wholehearted thanks and support for kinship
caregivers for stepping up in times of crisis to provide loving homes for D.C. children; and

WHEREAS, Kinship Care Month honors the priceless role these grandparents and other
kinship caregivers play in the lives of the children they love.

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
resolution may be cited as the “Kinship Care Month Recognition Resolution of 2025”.

Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia recognizes the contributions of kinship
families raising children in the District of Columbia and declares the month of September 2025
as “Kinship Care Month”, as a confirmation of the District’s continued support of kinship
caregivers for stepping up in times of crisis to provide loving homes for children in the District.

Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately.