About AACY

The AACY mission is to recognize, support, and promote the awareness of dual role youth that are both students and caregivers within their families. AACY strives to address the needs of pre-teens, teens, families, and professionals through education and awareness, research, and direct services in cooperation with social, education, healthcare, government, and community corporations, organizations, and agencies. AACY seeks to utilize existing resources on a local, regional, and national level to effectively promote the valuable role a caregiving youth has within the family, in an aging society and in our health delivery system.

AACY seeks to accomplish its mission through the development of its web site resources and by establishing in the United States, Caregiving Youth Projects (CYP) Click here!. The Caregiving Youth Project (CYP) was also created by Volunteers for the Homebound and Family Caregivers, Inc. to explore how best to support caregiving students within the school setting. Click here! to see the Concept Paper. In the fall of 2006 the CYP had received funding to launch its Caregiving Youth Pilot Project beginning first at Boca Raton Community Middle School, then moving next to Congress Middle School in spring of 2007. Click here! to see data on caregiving youth in these schools.

Additional schools and the much needed services of in-school counseling, in-home evaluations, sponsored activities, education and respite will be added throughout Palm Beach County as funding permits.

It is anticipated that revenue for AACY will be collected through grants, fund raising efforts, corporate sponsors and donations, Click here!. AACY values its collaborative relationships with volunteers, local businesses and the Caregiving Youth Pilot Project Partners. Click Here!

The American Association of Caregiving Youth (AACY) was formed under the auspices of Volunteers for the Homebound and Family Caregivers (VHFC), a Florida based 501 (c)(3) non-profit corporation that began serving the greater Boca Raton community in 1998. For inquiries about VHFC, Click Here! for the Florida Department of State, Corporations Division. The VHFC mission is to promote dignity and independence for homebound persons and family caregivers of all ages. It was the lack of support services for a growing population of caregivers under age 18 that prompted VHFC to create the American Association of Caregiving Youth. AACY is the only organization of its kind in the United States for caregiving youth, a vulnerable and hidden population.

At least three other countries, the United Kingdom, Australia and most recently Canada, have established organizations for caregiving youth also known as "young carers". On May 18, 2005, AACY signed an agreement with The Princess Royal Trust for Carers to include some of The Trust's online website content from their www.youngcarers.net on the AACY website. The AACY website remains a work in progress and will ultimately serve as a place for caregiving youth to obtain information about their role, to learn about local resources of support, and to connect with other young caregivers/young carers throughout the world.

Last updated on April 30, 2008