Members of Arizona Grandparent Ambassadors gathered at the Legislature Monday to encourage lawmakers to support a Senate bill that would strengthen financial support for kinship caregivers.

Certified foster care parents receive an average of $641 per child in financial assistance per month according to the Arizona Department of Child Safety. But unlicensed kinship parents receive a fraction of that amount.

Arizona Department of Child Safety

Senate Bill 1306, sponsored by Phoenix Sen. Kate Brophy McGee, would change that by appropriating $5 million from the federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families block grant fund.

Grandmother Kelli Appling, who suddenly inherited the care of her 5-year-old granddaughter with post-traumatic stress disorder, spoke at the press conference.

"For the Arizona families that have opened their doors to take in and provide a home for a child relative, financial assistance is their number one necessity,” she said. 

The bill is scheduled for a Senate hearing on Wednesday.