On Feb. 19, Anne Mosle, executive director of the Aspen Institute’s Acsend Program for family economic security, wrote to the Huffington Post on Ascend’s new efforts to reduce poverty in America by supporting both parents and children. Ray Marshall Center director Dr. Chris King is among the 20 recently named Ascend Fellows “pioneering two-generation approaches.”
Click here to read the full article.
For more information about the Ascend Fellow and the program, click here. Ascend also released the Two Generations, One Future report that provides the framework for the two-generation approach.
The Ray Marshall Center is working on two dual-generation projects:
Creating a Sectoral Workforce Development Strategy for Tulsa – The Ray Marshall Center developed and is implementing two pilots in Tulsa, Oklahoma centered on a sectoral workforce development strategy for low-skilled, low-income parents of children served by early childhood programs. There is emerging evidence that children whose parents hold stable jobs with progressively rising incomes exhibit better academic and behavioral outcomes. RMC and its partners have undertaken a dual-generation approach to poverty reduction that strengthens the investment in early childhood development by equipping Head Start parents with workforce training and gainful employment opportunities. This approach employs a more holistic model than traditional workforce development programs, as it also includes employee counseling and other support services to help parents complete training and adult basic education, retain their jobs, advance in their careers, and become economically self-sufficient.Read more about the project here.
Dual-Generation Strategy Initiative – With support from the Foundation for Child Development, this initiative aims to create and promote the field of “dual-generation” strategies, those in which children simultaneously participate in high-quality early and primary education (PreK-3rd) while their parents participate in leading-edge workforce development and education programs ultimately leading to long-term learning and economic success for low-skilled, low-income families in the United States. The goals of the project are to improve the understanding of dual-generation strategies among policymakers, researchers, and funders, as well as, foster the implementation of dual-generation strategies at the federal and state levels. Read more about the project here.
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