Kinship Care

Kinship Care is a special provision under the Code of Virginia. It provides a registration path for students who are temporarily residing in Arlington with an adult relative who is not their Parent or Legal Guardian because their Parent or Legal Guardian is experiencing a hardship and cannot care for the child.

• The Code of Virginia defines Kinship Care as the full-time care, nurturing, and protection of children by relatives
• Arlington Public Schools defines a relative a person connected with another by blood or affinity
  • Affinity is a long-term close relationship such as with a godparent or in a blended family.

To register a child under Kinship Care, start by completing the Kinship Care Form and then contact the APS Welcome Center at 703-228-8000 or schooloptions@apsva.us. They will review the form with you and work with you to identify supporting documents. Because each Kinship Care situation is unique, we work to understand that unique story. The conditions and examples below can help you understand if the child qualifies for registration under Kinship Care.

Conditions

The following conditions must be met for the child to be registered in APS under the Kinship Care provision

• The student cannot be an  Arlington resident for educational purposes only
  • EX: A student living with their grandmother because the parent believes that Arlington provides a better educational experience than their home school district does NOT qualify for Kinship Care
  • EX: A student living with their uncle so the child can participate on an APS sports team does NOT qualify for Kinship Care
• The Parent or Legal Guardian must be unable to care for the child due to hardship (documentation is required)
• The relative registering the child must be an Arlington resident
• The relative registering the child must provide documentation they are a relative connected by blood or affinity

Examples where the child would be eligible to enroll under Kinship Care (documentation is required) include:

• • The child is staying with their aunt or uncle because the parent is hospitalized;
  • The child is staying with their godparent because the parent is incarcerated; or
  • The child is staying with an older sibling because the legal guardian has been deported.

For additional information on registering a child under Kinship Care, please contact the APS Welcome Center at 703-228-8000 or schooloptions@apsva.us.