If You Only Have a Minute:

1. Children in kinship care may face trauma, academic gaps, and school instability that affect learning.
2. Caregivers often encounter challenges with enrollment, records access, and educational decision-making authority.
3. Building strong relationships with teachers, counselors, and school administrators is one of the most effective advocacy tools.
4. Put requests in writing, keep records, and ask questions when you need clarification.
5. Your consistent presence and advocacy can significantly improve your child’s educational experience and success.

When you’re suddenly helping a relative child with homework, attending parent-teacher conferences, or answering calls from the school office, you may discover that school challenges extend far beyond the classroom. Whether you’re a grandparent, aunt, uncle, or other kin raising a child, navigating the school systems can feel overwhelming, especially when a child is coping with trauma, academic setbacks, or a major family transition. The good news is that understanding these challenges can help you become a stronger advocate and ensure your kinship child gets the support they need to succeed.

View further resources to support back-to-school for adoptive, foster, and kinship families.

School Challenges and How to Advocate for Them

The good news is that you do not have to become an education expert overnight. Understanding the most common challenges can help you advocate effectively and ensure your child receives the support they deserve.

Challenge #1: School Enrollment and Access to Records

Many kinship caregivers assume that because they are caring for a child full-time, they automatically have the authority to enroll the child in school, sign forms, or access educational records. Unfortunately, that is not always the case.

Schools often require documentation proving a caregiver’s authority to make educational decisions. This can be especially frustrating for relatives who stepped in during a family crisis and may not yet have formal guardianship. Research shows that many kinship families face barriers simply because schools are unsure how to work with caregivers who are not legal parents.

How to advocate:

  1. Ask the school what documentation they need as soon as possible.
  2. Bring any available paperwork, including guardianship orders, caregiver affidavits, or emergency placement documents.
  3. Request to be listed as the primary contact for school communication.
  4. If legal authority is unclear, contact a local kinship navigator program, legal aid office, or family resource center for guidance.

Challenge #2: The Impact of Trauma on Learning

Many children in kinship care have experienced difficult circumstances before arriving in your home. These may include parental substance use, incarceration, neglect, family violence, mental illness, or the death of a parent. Even when children appear resilient, those experiences can affect attention, memory, emotional regulation, and behavior in school.

A child who struggles to focus, frequently forgets assignments, or reacts strongly to minor frustrations may not be deliberately misbehaving. They may be responding to the stress and uncertainty they are feeling internally.

How to advocate:

  • Share relevant information with school staff while protecting the child’s privacy.
  • Ask whether the school uses trauma-informed practices.
  • Request regular communication with teachers, counselors, or support staff.
  • Focus conversations on understanding the reasons behind behaviors rather than simply addressing consequences.

Remember, you are the expert on this child’s daily life. Your observations can help school staff better understand what the child needs.

Download your FREE guide to Parenting a Child Exposed to Trauma

Challenge #3: Academic Gaps and Interrupted Learning

It’s common for children and youth who enter kinship care to have experienced frequent school changes, absenteeism, or disruptions to home routines. As a result, they may fall behind academically, even when they are bright and capable.

Children who have changed schools multiple times may also have missing records or gaps in services. Generations United’s research found that educational instability is a significant concern for many kinship families.

How to advocate:

  • Ask for an academic assessment if you suspect your child is behind.
  • Request copies of records and evaluations.
  • Meet with teachers early in the school year to discuss concerns.
  • Explore tutoring, after-school programs, or reading support services.

Whichever support path you choose, remember to focus on progress rather than trying to catch up overnight. Stability and consistent support often help children make remarkable gains over time.

Challenge #4: Accessing Special Education Services

If this child has learning disabilities, developmental delays, ADHD, emotional challenges, or other special needs, accessing services can become complicated when caregivers lack formal legal authority.

Some schools may hesitate to evaluate a child or move forward with services without proper consent from a legal guardian. Yet delaying support can leave children to struggle unnecessarily.

How to advocate:

  • Ask the school to explain its requirements for educational decision-making.
  • Request evaluations in writing if concerns exist.
  • Keep copies of all correspondence and meeting notes.
  • Bring a trusted advocate, friend, or family member to meetings if you feel overwhelmed.

Above all, do not be afraid to ask questions. Educational terminology and special education procedures can be confusing for anyone.

Challenge #5: Feeling Different or Isolated

Children and youth in kinship care may feel different from classmates whose lives appear more traditional. Questions about parents, family assignments, Mother’s Day activities, or family tree projects can trigger sadness, embarrassment, or anxiety.

Many caregivers also report feeling invisible within school systems that automatically assume every child lives with parents. Children benefit when they see their family recognized and respected, and sometimes we must advocate to help educators understand our family make-up.

How to advocate:

  1. Open a conversation early in the year to give teachers a picture of your family’s structure.
  2. Encourage inclusive classroom activities that recognize diverse family arrangements.
  3. Ask school counselors to check in with your child during difficult times.
  4. Help your child develop simple, comfortable responses to questions about their family.

Your Voice Matters

One of the greatest strengths of kinship families is their commitment to keeping children connected to family, culture, and community. Research consistently shows that children raised by relatives often experience greater stability and stronger family connections than children placed with strangers.

Still, it’s crucial not to assume that your relative child’s school understands the unique needs of kinship families like yours. That is why advocacy matters.

You do not need to know every law, policy, or educational acronym. Effective advocacy often starts with asking questions, painting accurate pictures of your relative child’s experiences, building relationships with school staff, and then speaking up when something does not seem right.

Most importantly, remember that your presence matters. Whether you are a grandmother helping with homework, an aunt attending IEP meetings, or a family friend showing up for parent-teacher conferences, you are providing something every child needs: a caring adult willing to stand by their side.

Being there for and with this child may be the most powerful form of advocacy of all.

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