A true grassroots effort, MKCA began in 1994. Its origin was fueled by the daily experiences of kinship caregivers and the human service advocates working with them. Kinship caregivers and the children they raise are, in many ways, “square pegs in a system of round holes.” MKCA’s goal was, and is, to change the design of the game board in order to adequately respond to the everyday reality confronting and impeding these families.

Focusing exclusively on the issue of kinship care, MKCA is governed by a volunteer board of directors. Members include grandparents, social workers, attorneys, and others with first-hand experience with parenting children whose parents are unable or unwilling to fulfill their parental responsibilities.