The extended family can be defined as a kinship or fictive kinship network comprised of parents, children and other relatives, sometimes living in the same household. In some cultures, especially those comprising United States (U.S.) ethnic group families of color, extended families are the basic unit of social organization. Often these family members live together and form extended family households. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, an extended family household is formed when children live with a biological or adoptive parent and at least one other person outside of their immediate family. The definition of extended family includes other diverse families where parents may be gay, lesbian, or transgendered or where parents may be hearing and seeing impaired or with other physical or mental health challenges.
Research suggests that the rate of extended family households is increasing and that these families are an asset in rearing children where they have shown positive educational...
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Suggested Reading
Bronfrenbrenner, U. (1972). Influences on human development. Hinsdale, IL: Dryden Press.
Morton, D. D. (2000). Beyond parent education: The impact of extended family dynamics in deaf education. American Annals of the Deaf, 145(4), 359–365.
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Children’s Defense Fund website—www.childrensdefense.org: The Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) provides a strong, effective voice for all the children of America who cannot vote, lobby, or speak for themselves. It has a specific focus on the needs of poor and minority children and those with disabilities.
Kinship Care Resource Center—http://www.kinshipcare.net/index.html: The Kinship Care Resource Center provides support for the physical, emotional, cultural, and social well-being of kinship families in Michigan by linking families to community resources.
National Council on Family Relations website: http://www.ncfr.org/—The National Council on Family Relations website (NCFR) provides a forum for family researchers, educators, and practitioners to share in the development and dissemination of knowledge about families and family relationships. The NCFR also publishes two journals and sponsors an annual conference.
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Danzy, C., LaPoint, V., Butty, JA.M., Small, C. (2010). Extended Family. In: Clauss-Ehlers, C.S. (eds) Encyclopedia of Cross-Cultural School Psychology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-71799-9_167
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-71799-9_167
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