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Two-generation (2Gen) approaches are paving pathways for children and their families to reach their full potential together. This monthly newsletter highlights 2Gen practice and policy breakthroughs so you can cultivate innovation, collaborate within and outside your organization, and improve outcomes for whole families.
Becoming an Unstoppable Force of Change for America’s Families
Evolving Ascend’s National, Strategic Agenda through 2028 – and Beyond
We are living through a moment of profound transformation.
Challenges to long-standing, universally-held principles about the support families need and deserve are disproportionately impacting children and communities.
Ascend is meeting this moment by re-committing to the values that matter most – and to our North Star of creating a better future for families.
All across America, state and local leaders have a unique opportunity to chart a new course: one that puts families at the center of a national agenda.
To this end, we’re developing a focused, strategic national agenda that will make the Ascend community an unstoppable force of change for families – through 2028, and beyond.
Our goal is bold: to emerge from this moment with a scaled, shared culture that redefines what it truly means for families to thrive.
We’ll be co-creating with you throughout this journey, beginning with strategic conversations with state leaders later in June and continuing in July with a gathering of doers and dreamers at VisionXChange.
Read more HERE.
Upcoming Webinars & Convenings
Ascend fosters dialogue with communities from across the country to build connections, learn from one another, and document promising practices for family well-being.
Big Moves, Bold Partnerships: A Public Sector Conversation on Scaling for Family Success
Monday, June 16th
4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET (1:00 – 2:00 p.m. PT)
Join a powerful conversation with Ascend Fellows Dr. Teresa Ramos, Inaugural Secretary of Illinois Department of Early Childhood, Dr. Nate Chomilo, Minnesota Medicaid Medical Director, and Aspen Institute Vice President and Founder and Executive Director of Ascend Anne Mosle. Together, they will explore how governments at the state and local level can negotiate and collaborate with community leaders, businesses and employers, and philanthropic partners for more effective, scaled programs and practices.
Parenting Students in Higher Ed
Thursday, June 26th
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. ET (11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PT)
Join New America's Higher Education Policy Program for their monthly call focused on supporting student parents in higher education. Whether you work at a higher education institution, policy organization, or state-level agency, this is a space to stay informed on federal policy updates, connect with peers, and learn from others in the field.
Each session shares timely policy insights, uplifting reports and helpful practices from across the parenting student community. You can read more on Ascend’s own Postsecondary Success for Parents initiative here.
Investing in Student Parents: A Catalyst for Economic Mobility
Thursday, May 8th
Past Event (Recording from May 8 Available)
Last month, the Asset Funders Network hosted a webinar that explored the transformative impact of supporting student parents, featuring Ascend Funder Imaginable Futures and Ascend Network Partners United Way for Greater Austin and EdTrust–West. This recorded discussion highlights how targeted investments in student-parent success yield strong returns for individuals, families, communities, and the broader economy, even in the face of a complex and polarized political landscape.
Learning & Stipend Opportunities
Empowering Single Mothers & Parenting Students Community of Practice
The California Alliance for Student Parent Success is now accepting applications from public institutions in California for the second cohort of their Empowering Single Mothers and Parenting Students Community of Practice.
This cohort offers robust technical assistance and peer learning to help guide policy and practice changes that improve outcomes for student parents. Support includes help with collecting or refining student parent data, guidance in identifying two policy or practice changes, and stipends to support engagement.
Apply by July 18.
Education Design Lab Student Parent Opportunities
The Education Design Lab is offering compensated opportunities for student parents to share their expertise through its Student Parent Organization (SPOrg). Participants will receive a $50 gift card, a resume-worthy credential, and free access to additional skill assessments.
To participate, student parents complete a short series of surveys and assessments, including a two-minute pre-survey, four brief assessments, and a 10-minute post-survey.
2Gen Stories & Accomplishments
Explore these new stories to inspire and advance how you partner with families.
Denver’s Family-Centered Investments Uplift Thousands Out of HomelessnessAscend Network Partner Warren Village and their newest site at Alameda take a two-generation approach to breaking the cycle of homelessness by offering on-site early childhood education, workforce training, and mental health services. This is the first Denver project to receive city-funded housing vouchers with $22.7 million from Denver’s Homelessness Resolution Fund, which is backed by public and private dollars. Residents pay no more than 30 percent of their income toward rent. This project was featured in Denver news as a strong result of how COVID-era city investments are supporting efforts to end street homelessness. |
Friends of the Children Opens Eastern Oregon Chapter in La GrandeAscend Network Partner Friends of the Children is breaking cycles of poverty in Oregon and nationwide by providing long-term, professional mentoring to youth facing systemic barriers. Their recent expansion in La Grande, Oregon, was made possible by a $33 million philanthropic donation. The Eastern Oregon chapter is enrolling its first cohort of 16 youths and their caregivers, and hiring professional mentors known as "Friends," each of whom will support up to eight children weekly. Their model of mentorship, from kindergarten through high school, yields strong results: 83 percent of participants graduate high school or earn a GED; 92 percent enroll in post-secondary education or enter the workforce; and 93 percent avoid the juvenile justice system. |
Muncie Scholar House Is Helping Single Parents Pursue College Degrees Muncie Scholar House, a member of Ascend Network Partner Family Scholar House’s national network, is showing promising outcomes in its first year. The site offers stable housing, wraparound services, and life-skills programming to single student parents and their children. Across other Family Scholar House sites, 86 percent of participants graduate from college and 91 percent complete the classes they start. With fewer than 2 percent of Indiana’s single parents completing a college degree, Muncie Scholar House is helping to change that narrative and open new pathways for student parents. |
Tarrant Business Leaders Applaud Dallas County Program To Match Child Care Costs Dallas County, Texas, has introduced a first-of-its-kind $1 million child care grant program to support working families by matching private employers’ contributions toward child care costs of up to $1,500 annually per employee. Developed with consultation from Ascend Network Partner ChildCareGroup, this effort centers the needs of families through affordable, high-quality childcare as a workforce strategy, with the hopes of gaining legislative support in Texas on a broader scale in the future. |
Call to Action
Take Action to Protect Nonprofits
The National Council of Nonprofits (NCN) has released a statement, along with resources for nonprofits to act upon, in response to the U.S. House of Representatives passing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. If passed in the Senate, this bill would harm nonprofits, and communities served, nationwide. NCN urges nonprofits to follow actions listed in its release to encourage Senate leaders to remove harmful provisions to nonprofits. Additional one-pager and summary resources are included.
Recent Research & Reports
Our 2Gen Resource Library has hundreds of free and evidence-informed materials to advance your 2Gen work. Read these new resources authored by Ascend staff, Ascend Fellows, and partners about building whole family well-being.
Guaranteed Income: An Unconditional Investment in Children and Families
Too many families are forced to choose between rent and medical care, or between putting food on the table and spending time with loved ones. Guaranteed income is one solution that gives them the stability, autonomy, and dignity they need to build better futures. New research from Ascend Funder Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) confirms this, showing that in the more than 150 guaranteed income pilots launched across the U.S. since 2017, financial stability, health, and opportunity for families consistently improves. To scale and sustain guaranteed income nationwide, RWJF recommends that policies like the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit be reimagined as forms of guaranteed income to extend this kind of support to millions of families.
The research features Ascend Network Partner Springboard to Opportunities, which is led by Ascend Fellow Aisha Nyandoro.
Resource Navigation in Primary Care During the First Year of Life: The StreetCred Economic Bundle
Ascend Fellow Lucy Marcil ’22, co-Founder and Executive Director of Ascend Network Partner StreetCred, published a retrospective review of the first 14 months (April 2022 – June 2023) of the StreetCred Economic Bundle program. The model integrates economic resource navigation into pediatric primary care by assisting families with enrolling in programs like SNAP, WIC, and paid family and medical leave during routine well-child visits.
Findings from the review show significant increased enrollment and benefit uptake among participating families, including increased tax preparation. StreetCred’s early outcomes suggest that clinically embedded resource navigation is a promising strategy for advancing family economic stability during a child’s critical first year of life.
Contribute to the 2Gen Movement
Embedding family voice and community input are core to making a 2Gen approach relevant, accessible, and effective. Help us learn from your work and elevate your community's expertise on a national level.
The Aspen Institute Ascend Network is a community of more than 600 organizations from across the US and beyond that uses 2Gen approaches in their work so that children and families can reach their full potential. The Ascend Network connects leaders from across sectors with diverse areas of expertise so that we build relationships, spark connections, and co-create innovative solutions that lead to better outcomes for families. If your organization isn't already in the Network, take a 15-minute survey to join.
Thank you for all the work you do to improve outcomes for children and their families.
Best,
Sarah Haight
Director, 2Gen Practice
Ascend at the Aspen Institute
Stephanie Brueck-Cassoli
Senior Program Manager,
Ascend at the Aspen Institute
Jordan Colvin
Program Associate, 2Gen Practice
Ascend at the Aspen Institute
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