"In Turnabout, Children Take Caregiver Role"

The first thing I noticed about this article was that the lead uses the full name of a person whose name we don't recognize. I think it works here because the whole article is very personal and includes a lot of quotes from different families. The article is about children who act as caregivers for family members and how this responsibility affects their lives. It is an interesting subject that hasn't received a lot of attention, I feel. The article quotes child caregivers, their family members, teachers, and experts on the topic. It also includes some relevant statistics, like how in 2005, 3 percent of households with children ages 8 to 18 included a child caregiver. The only criticism I would make of this article is that it obviously supports The Caregiving Youth Project. Three examples of success stories through the Caregiving Youth Project are given. I wondered who is paying for the program and if it really is the best option for these children--it seems like it gives them a break from their responsibilities but then sends them right back to those responsibilities. The article makes the program out to be a godsend, but it doesn't get to the root of the problem.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D01E3D7143FF930A15751C0A96F9C8B63