MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WTVF) — Raising three grandchildren comes with a lot of love for Shanna Schofield — but also significant financial strain.
"There have been days I'm not sure how I'm going to get by until payday when I was in California, but by the grace of God, it worked," Schofield said.
Four months ago, Schofield moved to Tennessee from California. She has had custody of her three grandchildren for four years.
"It's expensive at times to raise them and be able to go do things with them," Schofield said.
The numbers reflect just how expensive. A 2026 LendingTree report estimates raising a child from birth to age 18 now costs more than $300,000, even after tax credits.
"I have to pay this bill, then have to wait until next month to pay that bill. And what if something happens and comes up? Then what do you do?" Schofield said.
Hoping for financial relief, Schofield found Tennessee's Relative Caregiver Program, which provides monthly stipends to eligible families. The answer from the program provider was not what she expected.
"This is a program that's supposed to help and they say there are over a thousand people on the waitlist," Schofield said.
The Department of Children's Services confirmed the program currently has just over 3,100 funded stipend slots statewide. In the 14-county region that includes Rutherford County, there are 826 funded slots and 64 children on the waiting list. The state says families are enrolled on a first-come, first-served basis as spots open up or more funding becomes available.
"It's heartbreaking families would have to choose foster care over having to help raise their family members in their own home," Schofield said.
Despite the challenges, Schofield hopes other caregivers facing the same struggles know they are not alone.
"People have the same stories and together we can overcome a lot," Schofield said.
DCS reports they're also taking steps to strengthen the support available to relative caregivers. DCS recently partnered with the University of Tennessee's Social Work Office of Research and Public Service (SWORPS) on two federally funded initiatives. They say one will help them better understand what's working well and where improvements can be made. The other will support the development of a kinship navigator tool.
Also, families with unmet needs can contact DCS for help connecting with other available resources. They have a dedicated Resource Linkage Team that works with families to identify services and assistance based on their individual circumstances.
DCS says Commissioner Margie Quin is working with lawmakers to secure more funding for the program next year.
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