Grandparents struggling to raise their relatives' children now have a place to turn for help in Modesto.

Called Apron Strings, the center offers counseling, support groups, parenting education, help with homework and other services for families, such as a food bank and a clothes closet.

The idea, organizers said, is to give grandparents and other relatives caring for children a place to come when they need a helping hand.

"All of a sudden, you have new mouths to feed, diapers to change," said Mayo Lunt, the center's director. "It can be overwhelming."

Located in the former New Deal Market headquarters on East Morris Avenue, the 5,800-square-foot center is operated by Stanislaus County's Behavioral Health and Recovery Services along with the county's Community Services Agency and a private group, FamiliesFirst.

The county's Foster Parent Association helps out by providing child care for caregivers who need a break. The YMCA donates family memberships to the center's clients.

The county's Health Services Agency stations a nurse at the center to help keep children and their caregivers healthy.

These services are needed, Lunt said, because about 40 percent of the children in foster care in Stanislaus County live with grandparents or other relatives. Many more, she said, are being cared for by family members without formal foster care arrangements.

Officials estimate that 300 caregivers and 650 children and teen-agers will benefit from the center each year.

These families have unique needs, said Lillie Clark, who has raised her grandson, Kenyon, since he was 5 days old.

They might have health problems or be short of money. They might not know about social services that could help them with the children.

They might feel alone, alienated from friends and family members.

"You just don't know how to start putting this kid's life and your life together," said Clark, who now helps other caregivers in support groups organized by the county's Parent Partnership.

Orine Prescott of Patterson attends support group meetings at the center every Wednesday. The 80-year-old cares for her three great-grandchildren and her ailing husband.

One child, now 16, has attention deficit disorder, a condition that at first baffled the older woman.

"I thought he was just being contrary," she said. "I learned how to deal with it here."

Support groups and the rest of the center's services are funded mostly by state grants, Medi-Cal and federal welfare money. The center will eventually run on an annual budget of $1.3 million.

Funds go to help caregivers make connections with programs that will help them, such as Medi-Cal. Vouchers for bunk beds, car seats and other necessities are available.

Counseling for children takes place in colorful rooms, the walls decorated with towering yellow giraffes and smiling gray elephants.

The center's "homework club" meets four days a week. Family outings are planned to neighborhood parks and the Stanislaus County Fair.

"We welcome them as a family," Lunt said. "They are a family now. They aren't two separate entities."

The Apron Strings Kinship Support Services Center is at 421 E. Morris Ave., Modesto. For more information, including a schedule of support group meetings, call 558-8917 or 558-7494.

Reprinted by permission of Modesto Bee.