b'Children Who Are Caregivers in Palm Beach CountyCanyouimagineasixthgradercominghomefrom school and having to immediately take care of a family member? Not being able to go outside with his or her friendsorstudy,butcominghometobeaprimary caregiver?Morethan290,000childreninFloridaandover 1,500,000nationwidewhosacrificetheireducation, healthandemotionalgrowthtoassumetheroleof family caregiver. TheCaregivingYouthProject(CYP)identifiesandsupportsthishiddenpopulationof children who sacrifice their education, health, well-being, and childhood to provide care for ill, injured, elderly or disabled family members. Now in its 13th year of service, the CYP has servedmorethan1,650youthcaregiversandtheirfamilies.Itcurrentlyprovides551 caregiving students with in-school therapeutic support groups, out of school educational and recreational(respite)activities,familyevaluationhomevisits,andmostimportantly,the opportunity for youth caregivers to learn they are not alone by connecting them with other kids dealing with the same issues. During the last five years, 98.0% of the 294 high school seniors that CYP worked with graduated high school, versus under 80% of high school seniors with the same ethnic diversity as the caregivers CYP works with. In 2019, 72 of 73 (98.6%) of the CYP high school seniors became graduates.HOThasmademanygrantstoCYPto:(i)purchase computersandmonitorsforkidstocomplete schoolwork,researchmedicalinformation,paybills, and secure employment, (ii) provide blocks of respite time, (iii) buy laptops for the staff to enter data while in the field, (iv) purchase equipment for the CYP office, and(v)setupafundtohandleemergenciesof caregivers and their families. Similar to all of HOTs EmergencyFinancialAidFunds,wedonotpermitthisfundtobeusedunlessallother potential sources of funds have been exhausted and we believe the need for aid is a one-time problem.Sadly,itisalmostaxiomaticthatafamilythatcannotaffordnon-family caregivers cannot fund financial emergencies. In the last two and a half years, we helped 56 families with problems they might not have ever recovered from.This year CYP is asking for: $8,400 for 28 laptops with Office @ $300 per laptop $7,500 to replenish the HOT Emergency Assistance Fund $10,800 for 40 blocks of six-hours of tutoring @ $270 per six-hour block $14,400 for 200 four-hour blocks of respite care @ $72 per four-hour block31'