Whether it's "grandma," "granny," "nana," "bubbe," "abuela," or "gramps," "pop-pop," or "g-pa," a grandparent can make a real difference in a child's life. In all ethnicities, cultures, and walks of life, grandparents are the link to a family's culture, history, and traditions. Children fortunate enough to have loving grandparents in their lives have a powerful emotional bond to nurture and sustain them.

• 4.5 million children under the age of 18 are being raised in households headed by grandparents.
• About 15% of grandparents provide some level of child care for their grandchildren - up from 8% in 1998.
• About half the grandparents help pay for their grandchildren's education, while 45% say they assist with living expenses.
• Almost 70% of surveyed grandparents responding to an AARP survey reported that they see their grandchildren at least once every week or two, and one-quarter spend time with them at least once every few months.
• The average grandparent spends about $500 a year on their grandchildren, but two out of five spend between $500 and $2,500.

Whether it's "grandma," "granny," "nana," "bubbe," "abuela," or "gramps," "pop-pop," or "g-pa," a grandparent can make a real difference in a child's life. In all ethnicities, cultures, and walks of life, grandparents are the link to a family's culture, history, and traditions. Children fortunate enough to have loving grandparents in their lives have a powerful emotional bond to nurture and sustain them.

No importa que se le diga "abuela," "abuelita," "nana," o "mamabuela," o "abuelo," "abuelito," "tata," o "papabuelo," un abuelo puede hacer una diferencia sustancial en la vida de un niño. En todas las etnicidades, culturas y sociedades, los abuelos son el vínculo con la cultura, historia y tradiciones de la familia. Los niños que tienen la buena fortuna de tener abuelos cariñosos en sus vidas cuentan con un poderoso lazo emocional para su desarrollo y sostenimiento.

Most young children develop language rapidly, moving from crying and cooing in infancy to using hundreds of words and understanding their meanings by the time they are ready to enter kindergarten. Language development is a major accomplishment and is one of the most rewarding experiences for parents to share with their children.

La mayoría de los niños pequeños desarrollan rápidamente el lenguaje, pasando del llanto y el arrullo en la infancia al uso y comprensión de cientos de palabras para cuando ya están listos para ingresar al kindergarten. El desarrollo del lenguaje es un logro importante, y es además una de las experiencias más gratificadoras que los padres pueden compartir con sus hijos.

Today's job market requires many employees to work shifts that start or end after most child care programs open or close. More and more businesses operate around the clock. Many companies work in shifts, which means employees work in the early mornings, evenings, nights, rotating schedules, weekends, holidays or extended hours. These non-traditional schedules affect the lives of millions of families.

El mercado laboral de hoy requiere que muchos empleados trabajen turnos que comienzan o terminan después de la hora de apertura o cierre de la mayoría de los programas de cuidado de niños. Un número de negocios cada vez mayor se mantienen en operación las 24 horas del día. Muchas compañías trabajan sobre la base de turnos, lo cual significa que los empleados pueden trabajar ya sea temprano por la mañana, por la noche, en la madrugada, con horarios rotatorios, durante los fines de semana, en días feriados o con turnos extendidos. Estos horarios de trabajo no tradicionales afectan la vida de millones de familias.