Featured Press

Kids Are Caregivers Too | National Outreach for the PBS Documentary Caregiving

​“Charlie and A.J. Poole were just kids when they started caring for their grandmother, who lived with Alzheimer’s. They now speak up for the 5.4 million kids and teens in the U.S. who are caregivers too. They have been longtime spokesmen for the American Association of Caregiving Youth (@aacy_caregivingyouth), and are the brothers behind KidsAreCaregiversToo.com, a platform raising awareness about Caregiving Youth.”

— WETA Washington, D.C. | Well Beings
Watch the PBS Well Beings video

​Research & Academic Citations

CITED IN PEER-REVIEWED MEDICAL PUBLICATIONS

​Pediatrics, American Academy of Pediatrics, 2023
Recognize and Support Caregiving Youth in Your Care
Kids Are Caregivers Too cited as a resource for supporting caregiving youth in the United States. Read the article
​
Journal of Adolescent Health | PubMed Central, 2024
An Urgent Need to Support Children and Adolescents Who Are Caregivers for Family in the United States
Kids Are Caregivers Too cited as a recommended resource for caregiving youth.
Read the article

​Press

MEDIA & INTERVIEWS

ESQUIRE Magazine | Interview & Advocacy
The Silent Epidemic Affecting Generation Z
​By Anna Altman | January 12, 2023
Read the article

Catholic Health Association | Interview & Advocacy
Children Who Give Care Are Overlooked
Read the article

NewsRadio WINA Charlottesville | Interview & Advocacy
A Graceful Life – Our Caregiving Youth
Listen to the interview

Mensa Bulletin | National Publication
Children Who Give Care Are Overlooked
The Mensa Bulletin featured an article highlighting the experiences of young caregivers and the need for greater recognition and support for Caregiving Youth in the United States.

PUBLIC SPEAKING
​
American Association of Caregiving Youth Conference | Public Speaking
Charlie Poole and A.J. Poole
Keynote Speech
​[Watch on YouTube]

Brain Bowl | Boca Raton, FL | Public Speaking
Charlie Poole and A.J. Poole
Audience of nearly 1,000 attendees
[Watch on YouTube]
[Read the press release]

Holton–Landon Leadership Symposium | Public Speaking
What Does It Take To Be a Leader
[Read the speech - This I Believe]

EARLY RECOGNITION & LOCAL COVERAGE 

McLean Patch | Feature Article
McLean Boys Raise Awareness About Young Caregivers
Read the article

Heroes and Givers: McLean People Worth Remembering in 2017
McLean Patch Recognition Feature
Read the article

FCPS News Spotlight - Feature in Fairfax County Public Schools Newsletter
Longfellow Middle School Students Charlie and A.J. Poole Support Youth Caregivers

Publications & Outreach

Disconnected: Understanding Alzheimer's Disease
Connie Goldsmith | Lerner Publishing, 2025

The Poole family is featured across eight pages of this book, which explores the stages of Alzheimer's, current clinical research, and the impact of the disease on patients and families. Kids Are Caregivers Too is referenced to highlight the broader issue of Caregiving Youth, and a quote from Charlie Poole appears on the back cover. Distributed to libraries and schools for readers in grades 6--12.

View the Publisher's page

Caregiving Youth: A Call to Action for Research, Education, and Policy | Johns Hopkins School of Nursing
​
The Johns Hopkins School of Nursing Center for Equity in Aging and Center for Equity in Child and Youth Health and Well Being hosted a program titled “Caregiving Youth: A Call to Action for Research, Education and Policy,” featuring Dr. Connie Siskowski, founder and president of the American Association of Caregiving Youth.

Charlie Poole attended the event in support of Dr. Siskowski and the national effort to raise awareness of Caregiving Youth. During the discussion, he was invited to join the panel onstage and speak about his experience caring for his grandmother during her Alzheimer’s illness.

View the article

At Risk: Caregiving Youth | Virginia Governor’s Conference on Aging
​
​Dr. Richard Lindsay, Professor Emeritus of Internal Medicine and Family Medicine at the University of Virginia Health Sciences Center, founder of the Division of Geriatric Medicine at UVA, and former President of the American Geriatrics Society, his partner Dr. Rhonda Zingraff, former Associate Dean at James Madison University, and Charlie Poole, a student at Christopher Newport University and Caregiving Youth advocate, presented at the Virginia Governor’s Conference on Aging on May 8, 2023.

​The group led a breakout session titled “At Risk: Caregiving Youth.”

Elizabeth Dole Foundation | Hidden Helpers Summit
​
A.J. Poole attended the Elizabeth Dole Foundation’s Hidden Helpers Summit in Washington, D.C., on behalf of the American Association of Caregiving Youth (AACY) and KidsAreCaregiversToo.com.

​The summit focused on children and youth caring for wounded, ill, or injured service members and veterans. A.J. attended to represent and give support for all Caregiving Youth, regardless of circumstance or diagnosis.

Caregivers and Mental Health | Congressional Briefing

A.J. Poole represented the American Association of Caregiving Youth (AACY) at a Congressional Briefing on Caregivers and Mental Health, hosted by the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers and The Carter Center on June 23, 2024.

​The briefing featured presentations from former Caregiving Youth, including Anita, who cared for her mother as a teenager, and Saanvi, who began translating for her grandmother at age seven, highlighting the role of young people in caregiving teams. People responsible for this event included Diana Felner, Senior Director, Caregiver & Mental Health Policy at the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers, the American Psychological Association (APA), and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

Caregiving Youth Advocacy and Education | Monticello High School, Charlottesville, Virginia
​
Monticello High School in Charlottesville hosted an event focused on the challenges and opportunities faced by Caregiving Youth. The program featured Dr. Richard Lindsay, Professor Emeritus of Internal Medicine and Family Medicine at the University of Virginia Health Sciences Center, former President of the American Geriatrics Society, and founder of the Lindsay Institute for Innovations in Caregiving; Dr. Rhonda Zingraff, former Associate Dean at James Madison University; and A.J. Poole, advocate and former Caregiving Youth.

A.J. Poole shared his personal experience helping care for his grandmother during her Alzheimer’s illness and spoke about the impact caregiving had on his schoolwork, health, sports, and daily life.

Representative Barbara Lee’s 118th Congress Open House | Washington, D.C.
​
Charlie and A.J. Poole attended Representative Barbara Lee’s 118th Congress Open House on the opening day of the new Congress. During the visit, they delivered Certificates of Appreciation on behalf of the American Association of Caregiving Youth (AACY) to the offices of Representative Barbara Lee, Representative Maria Elvira Salazar, and Representative Sheila Jackson Lee to thank them for co-sponsoring H.Con.Res. 114.

The resolution, introduced by Representative Lois Frankel in the 117th Congress, was passed to raise awareness and encourage national recognition of children and adolescents under age 18 who serve as primary or secondary caregivers for family or household members.