About the Kinship Care Resource Center.
Call 1-800-535-1218 for free help and support.
The Kinship Care Resource Center is one of several community programs in the School of Social Work at Michigan State University. The KCRC serves kinship care families across the state by providing information and referrals to resources and services for caregivers and the children they are raising. KCRC also offers support to professionals serving kinship families.
The Kinship Care Resource Center is generously funded through grants provided by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
Our services include:
- Information and referral assistance from Kinship Care Navigators, connecting caregivers to resources that support kinship families in the communities where they live.
- Contact list of local support groups across the state and a calendar with their meeting information.
- Trainings and workshops for kinship caregivers, community members, service providers, policymakers, and others.
We serve kinship caregivers who are related or have a family-like bond with a child they are providing with full-time care without the parents assistance.
Meet our leadership:
- Michelle Twichell, Director
- Stormie Jacobs-Wakemup, Program Manager
- Samantha Meyers, Connect Program Manager
- Nikki English, KCRC Training Coordinator
- Charles Downey, KCRC Data Coordinator
- Luginia Srygley, Office Assistant
MichiKIN Partners
The MichiKIN Network brings together organizations from child welfare, community action, and child advocacy dedicated to supporting kinship caregivers. By hiring project staff who help families navigate information and referrals and offer emotional support, this network ensures kinship families get the help they need. When you call the KCRC, you are working with highly trained staff.
Contact Us
Please call 517-355-9600 or 1-800-535-1218 between the hours of 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM, Monday – Friday.
How the Center was founded
In 1999, plans for the Center grew out of a series of research projects conducted by the late Dr. Robert Little on the policies and programs affecting kinship families in Michigan. In 2002, the Kinship Care Resource Center was established to address the needs identified by the analysis of the research data.
Dr. Robert Little was an instructor at the Michigan State University School of Social Work and an expert in kinship care issues. In the 1960’s, he served as Director of the Children’s Center facility in Washington DC. In the 1970’s he was Deputy Director for the State of Michigan Department of Human Services for Wayne County. Dr. Little was a passionate advocate for family preservation programs and kinship care. The Kinship Care Resource Center is dedicated to his memory.