Author Jonathan Kozol often speaks about the role of grandparents, particularly grandmothers, in his research on children in some of the nation’s poorest urban neighborhoods. Grandmothers are often the stabilizing force in young lives already scarred by poverty, violence, and the relentless inequities in school and society, he says.

In honor of Grandparent’s Day, which was Sept. 9, the U.S. Census Bureau released some facts and figures that show just how many children are being raised by their elders, often without a parent present. Consider:

• Eight percent of children in the U.S. live with a grandparent, and more than half of those children live in the grandparent’s home.

• There are 5.7 million grandparents who have grandchildren under the age of 18 living with them. Two and a half million of these grandparents are responsible for the basic needs—food, clothing, shelter—of at least one of the children who live there.

• Of those who are caretakers of their grandchildren, 496,000 live below the poverty line. Some 753,000 have a disability, and 545,000 speak a language other than English.

The influence of grandparents—whatever form it takes--simply cannot be underestimated.

And there’s one important lesson that Kozol has learned from his many visits with inner-city families (and as someone who was partly raised by a grandmother, I can certainly concur): If a grandmother invites you to dinner or offers you food, you better eat. Even if you have just had a meal or are not hungry—you don’t argue, you just eat.

Joetta Sack-Min, associate editor