Two Generations, One Future: Aligning State Systems for Family Success
Event Summary
On March 12, AEI’s Katharine B. Stevens hosted an event with early childhood leaders to discuss their work using a two-generation approach to align early childhood social services around whole families.
Marjorie Sims and Sarah Haight of Ascend at the Aspen Institute explained that this approach focuses on building family well-being by working with children and the adults in their lives simultaneously, recognizing that children exist in the context of their families. This framework aims to center fragmented bureaucracies on family needs, breaking down silos that reduce efficiency and effectiveness of government support provided to families.
Georgia Mjartan of South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness described her work as a case study for effectively implementing the “2Gen” approach. Instead of building additional bureaucracies around early childhood services, South Carolina uses existing well-functioning systems and promotes collaboration among government agencies to ensure families and their children are the focus of all decision-making.
Panelists agreed that a 2Gen approach is valuable in three ways. First, it supports and empowers families. Second, it greatly increases the effectiveness of public dollars targeting vulnerable families and children. Lastly, it saves money by increasing the efficiency of multiple government programs.
Event Description
Over the past decade, efforts to advance opportunity in disadvantaged communities have increasingly emphasized the power of a two-generation approach: aligning fragmented social services around whole families to help parents and their young children move ahead together.
Yet, many states still struggle to put families — instead of bureaucracies — at the center of social services aimed to help them. How can states integrate multiple siloed funding streams to better support family success? What do parents say matters most to them? What have been the most effective approaches and why?
Please join AEI’s Katharine B. Stevens for a conversation with leaders from Ascend at the Aspen Institute and South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness about their successful work implementing two-generation strategies at the state level and a new initiative focused especially on families with children from birth to age 3.
Event Materials
Ascend at the Aspen Institute: “Aspen Institute Early Childhood and Health Forum Brief”
Ascend at the Aspen Institute: “Parents’ Voices 2020: Focus group findings”
South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness: “Flow of state and federal funds into the South Carolina early childhood state system”
“Preschool Development Grant: South Carolina needs assessment report 2019”
South Carolina Early Childhood Advisory Council: “Build it back better survey”
Agenda
11:00 AM
Katharine B. Stevens, Visiting Scholar, AEI
11:05 AM
Discussion
Panelists:
Sarah Haight, Associate Director for Network and Outreach, Ascend at the Aspen Institute
Georgia Mjartan, Executive Director, South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness
Marjorie Sims, Managing Director, Ascend at the Aspen Institute
Moderator:
Katharine B. Stevens, Visiting Scholar, AEI
11:50 AM
Q&A
12:15 PM
Adjournment
See Also
Event ~ July 17, 2019
Blog ~ November 6, 2017
Blog ~ April 14, 2021