In the leafy suburbs of Palm Beach County, Florida, something very special is happening.
As part of my Churchill Fellowship, I’ve been travelling across the United States exploring what best practice looks like in supporting Young Carers – children and young people who care for a family member due to disability, illness, mental ill health or substance dependency. The U.S. doesn’t have a national framework, funding mechanism, or formal definition for this group. But in Florida, the American Association of Caregiving Youth (AACY) has carved out a space that is changing lives.
At the heart of it all is Dr. Connie Siskowski.
Connie founded what became AACY in 1998 as a nonprofit to provide volunteers to help people who were homebound or caregiving families. Her doctoral research recognised a hidden group of young people, many still in primary school, who were carrying the weight of caring for family members behind closed doors. By 2006, she received new funding to begin a pilot with the local school district, launching the Caregiving Youth Project (CYP) in one middle school. Today, CYP operates in 44 schools across Palm Beach County, supporting hundreds of young people and their families each year.
It’s a program built on relationships, responsiveness, and the unwavering belief that “caregiving really helps people learn how to love.” And while the U.S. may not yet have a Young Carer sector, the work of AACY is laying the groundwork for what such a sector could look like.
What stood out most during my time with AACY wasn’t just the breadth of their work – home visits, mentoring, respite, fun activities, education sessions, skills-building workshops, and a soon-to-be alumni program – it was how deeply embedded they are within schools.
Each year, the team conducts screening surveys with sixth graders across Title 1 schools (schools are eligible for Title I funding if 70%+ of their students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a common measure of low-income status in the U.S.), identifying caregiving responsibilities early. Family Specialists are then assigned to schools, spending designated days each week supporting students directly – in classrooms, over lunch, or in quiet moments when things feel too heavy. Young people receive practical help and emotional support, in addition to being connected to others who share similar experiences. “I no longer feel alone,” one student reflected in their end-of-year survey. Another wrote, “This program helped me feel good about myself.”
For so many Young Carers, school is a double-edged sword: a place of opportunity, but also a site of disconnection. AACY flips that, turning schools into the place where recognition begins. Students are no longer invisible. Their caregiving is named, validated, and supported.
What’s remarkable is how much of this has been achieved without the need for national policy or legislation. Connie and her team have worked tirelessly to build trust with educators, policymakers, funders and families, forging a path where no clear road existed. “It is underreported because adults don’t get what kids are doing,” Connie shared with me. “They are hidden in plain sight.”
It made me reflect on the opportunity we have in Australia. Unlike the U.S., we do have some foundational support for Young Carers, including targeted programs, Carer Gateway, and a national bursary scheme. But where we’re still finding our feet is in embedding support across the places Young Carers show up every day. Particularly in schools.
Could we learn from Florida’s model of Family Specialists embedded in school communities? Could we be more proactive in identifying Young Carers earlier? Could we better integrate practical help, skills development and peer connection within the school day?
Florida reminded me that system change doesn’t always start with sweeping legislation.
Sometimes, it starts with one person. One idea. One school.
The AACY team is proof that when you combine data, deep relationships and a strong sense of purpose, you can build something powerful – even in a country where the system isn’t yet built to recognise it.
As I continue this journey, I’ll be carrying Florida with me – the stories, the people, and the simple, brave idea that no young person should have to walk through caregiving alone.
Written by Madeleine Buchner OAM
Want to learn more?
