On Nov. 12, the Annie E. Casey Foundation released "Creating Opportunity for Families: A Two-Generation Approach," a KIDS COUNT policy report. In addition, the Foundation held a webinar to highlight data and recommendations from the report. Learn more at http://www.aecf.org/resources/creating-opportunity-for-families/.

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2. I.Welcome and Introductions (Sue Lin Chong)
II.Review of Policy Report and Data (Patrice Cromwell and Laura Speer)
III.Research on Two-Generation Approaches (Ron Haskins)
IV.Two-Generation Policies in Connecticut (Commissioner Roderick Bremby)
V.Voices for Utah Children’s Approach to Addressing Poverty (Karen Crompton)
VI.Q&A
Agenda
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4. Our Panel
Patrice CromwellDirector, Strategic Initiatives
The Annie E. Casey Foundation
Laura SpeerAssociate Director, Policy Reform and AdvocacyThe Annie E. Casey Foundation
Ron HaskinsSenior Fellow, Economic Studies
The Brookings Institution
Roderick BrembyCommissioner
Connecticut Department of Social Services
Karen CromptonPresident and CEO
Voices for Utah Children

5. •Problem:Nearly half of young children –17 million –are growing up in low-income families.
•We need to ensure these kids have a shot at the American dream.
•Today, too many programs address the needs of parents and children separately and in isolation.
•What we need is a new approach that recognizes kids succeed when families succeed —a two-generation approach.
A Two-Generation Approach to Creating Opportunity for Families: An Overview
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6. •10 million low-income families with children age 8 and under
•Limited skills, low wages, inflexible work schedules:
–Only half with full-time work
–Nearly 80 percent lack postsecondary degree
–Nearly five times more likely to have difficulty speaking English
Families Are Struggling to Make Ends Meet
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7. Low-Income Families Face Greater Barriers to Success
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are single-parent families
of low-income parents reported child care significantly affected their ability to get and keep a job
of children in low-income families have parents with concerns about their development
45%
17%
31%

8. Our Approach: Strengthening the Whole Family
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Financial Stability
•Education and job training
•Access to income and work support benefits
•Financial coaching
•Access to affordable financial products
Parent Involvement
•Treating parents as assets and experts on their kids
•Having culturally competent staff
•Addressing family stress
•Enhancing social networks
Quality Early Care and Elementary Education
•Access to high- qualityearly education programs
•Successful transition to elementary school
•Quality elementary school experiences
•Effective teaching

9. Our Goal: Better Outcomes for Families
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PARENT OUTCOMES
Less parental stress
Stronger parenting skills
Parent confidence as child’s first teacher and best advocate
Recognition of parents as leaders and experts on caring for their kids
CHILD OUTCOMES
More positive, high- quality interactions with parents
Improved social- emotional development
Readiness for school
Ability to meet school and life milestones
FAMILY ECONOMIC OUTCOMES
Ability to meet basic needs
Greater income and financial stability
Ability to achieve major economic outcomes
Housing stability

10. The Challenge Today
•Adult programs treat children as barriers to employment
•Child programs often do not help parents who are struggling with day-to-day stress of providing for their family
Many federal and state programs operate in isolation

11. Create policies that equip parents and children with the income, tools and skills for success.
Make government policies and programs more family friendly.
Build evidence on promising programs and platforms focusing on parents and children together.
Policy Recommendations
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12. Equip Families With the Income and Tools They Need
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•Enable families keep more of the income they earn to raise their family
-Increase and make refundable the child tax credit and expand the earned income tax credit for workers without dependents
•Strengthen policies that equipparents with limited education and job skills to earn a family-supporting income.
–Adult-serving programs should build bridges to family and child programs
–Policies should pay particular attention to the role of fathers

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•Give parents more flexibility and paid time off (family and sick leave) and options for parents to create more flexible work arrangements
•Connect families to health care and newly expanded mental health programs now available to adults.
•Recognize parents’ strengths, help them interact with fellow parents and build peer support systems, and offer leadership development opportunities.
Equip Families With the Income and Tools They Need

14. Make Government More Family Friendly
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•Use interagency commissions and innovation funds to promote cross-sector collaboration
•Connect child and adult data systems
•Adopt practices that offer “no wrong door” and take the whole family into account
•Use new federal legislation and reauthorization periods to begin to bridge policies and programs

15. Build Evidence on Promising Programs and Platforms
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Schoolsand early-education, home- visitingand job-training programsare some of the platforms that offer opportunities to create partnerships that address in the needs of parents and children together.

16. •Parent voice is critical. Partner with families in creating solutions and decision making.
•Poverty disproportionately affects children of color. Prioritize equity for all families.
•Government can’t do this alone. Engage a full range of public and private partners.
Core Principles and a Call To Action
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17. KIDS COUNTCreating Opportunity for Families: A Two-Generation Approach
Ron Haskins
Senior Fellow & Co-Director, Center on Children & Families
The Brookings Institution
November 12, 2014

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Two-Generation Programs in the Twenty-First CenturyP. Lindsay Chase-Lansdale & Jeanne Brooks-Gunn
•Combine education/job training for adults with preschool for kids
•First wave in 1980s & 1990s; modest success
•Current resurgence:
»Build strong connections between components for kids and adults
»Ensure adequate duration & intensity of programs for kids and adults
»Incorporate advances in preschool and workforce development
•Moderate evidence of impacts: “The time is ripe for innovation, experimentation, and further study.”
Source: Future of Children, Spring, 2014.

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Sources of Chronic Stress
•Homelessness
•Abuse/neglect/domestic violence
•Chaotic environments
•Poverty
•Foster care
•Maternal depression

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The Theory of How Stress Works
Stress
Biological development and function
Behavior
Example behaviors:
•Impulse control
•Focused attention
•Control of emotions
•Memory, learning, language

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A Stress Pathway for Getting Under the Skin
Stress
Cortisol
Hypothalamus and amygdala (emotion and motivation)
Prefrontal cortex (self- regulation)
Hippocampus (memory)

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Priority Groups for Intervention
•Children in Head Start
•Children in foster care
•Parents who have abused or neglected their children
•Foster parents

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Helping Parents and Children Who Experience Chronic Stress
•Home visiting; support for parents
•Economic assistance & work support; reduce financial stress
•Quality child care; safe, warm, predictable environment

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Creating Opportunity for Families: A Two- Generation Approach
Our Connecticut Experience
Roderick L. Bremby
Commissioner
State of Connecticut
Department of
Social Services
November 12, 2014
'The Eyes of the Future are looking back at us and they are praying for us to see beyond our own time.‘
-Terry Tempest Williams

25. Simulating the Effect of the ‘Great Recession’ on PovertyEmily Moneaand Isabel Sawhill, of the Brookings Institution9/16/2010
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26. Simulating the Effect of the ‘Great Recession’ on PovertyEmily Moneaand Isabel Sawhill, of the Brookings Institution9/16/2010
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27. Adverse experiences common
among poor children include:
Living in poverty exposes children to many adverse experiences
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•Income instability
•Substandard and unstable housing
•Caretaker disruptions
•Excessive exposure to violence
•High levels of family stress
•High levels of depression and other mental health disorders
•Exposure to environmental toxins
•Sustained food insecurity
LaDonnaPavetti, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 9/24/2014

28. Why Poverty Matters
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LaDonnaPavetti, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 9/24/2014

29. Brain Architecture is not fixed:
Interventions can make a positive difference
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30. Connecticut Two Generation Framework
R1 –Create policies that equip parents and children with the income, tools and skills for success
Earned Income Tax Credit to 27.5% of the federal EITC
1stState to Raise the Minimum Wage to $10.10
1stState to Mandate Paid Sick Leave
1stState to expand Medicaid coverage under the ACA. Successful launch of a state based insurance exchange. 30

31. Connecticut Two Generation Framework
R2 –Make government policies and programs more family friendly.
Establishment of Office of Early Childhood
Legislation to develop a two-generation learning plan that will address intergenerational barriers to school readiness and workforce readiness.
Adoption of “no wrong door” integrated eligibility approach via ACA funding opportunities. 31

32. Connecticut Two Generation Framework
R3 –Use existing child, adult and neighborhood programs and platforms to build evidence for practical pathways out of poverty for entire families.
Pay for Performance –Medicaid OB&GYN Initiative
Fatherhood Initiative
TANF –Temporary Assistance for Families, RESET
The New Haven Mental Health Outreach for MotherS(MOMS) Partnership
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Creating Opportunity for Families: A Two- Generation Approach
Our Connecticut Experience
Roderick L. Bremby
Commissioner
State of Connecticut
Department of
Social Services
November 12, 2014
'The Eyes of the Future are looking back at us and they are praying for us to see beyond our own time.‘
-Terry Tempest Williams

34. A Two-Generation Approach toAddressing Poverty in Utah

35. www.utahchildren.org
2012 Legislation
S.B. 37 Intergenerational Poverty Mitigation Act
•Defined intergenerational poverty
•Required gathering of data to track intergenerational poverty

36. www.utahchildren.org
2013 Legislation
S.B. 53 Intergenerational Welfare Reform
•Created Commission and Advisory Committee
•Required sharing of data between state agencies; creation of 5 and 10 year plans

37. Next Generation Kids Pilot Program
www.utahchildren.org
•Utah’s Family Employment Program (FEP) has historically focused on employment goals.
•The pilot will focus on the entire family by assisting parents with employment and intensive services that benefit everyone.
•Targets families with children 12 years and younger who have received financial assistance through FEP during the last 12 months.

38. Next Generation Kids Strategies
www.utahchildren.org
•Use an intensive team approach
•Build relationship through team-engagement with customers
•Meet families where they live –schools, community centers, residences
•Promote self-determination for families
•Intensive training for team members
•Build relationships with community partners and government agencies
•Incentives for goals achieved

39. Next Generation Kids Pilot Program
•Launched September 1 in the urban Ogden area:
•Largest concentration of intergenerational welfare dependent families in these zip codes
•Strong community support
A second pilot scheduled for 2015 in Salt Lake County

40. THANK YOU
www.utahchildren.org
For more information, contact:
Voices for Utah Children
801-364-1182
karen@utahchildren.org
Visit our website at www.utahchildren.org

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Questions: media@aecf.org
Report and additional resources: www.aecf.org
Q&A