The third bi-annual Aspen Forum on Children and Families will be held on June 7, 2021 and June 8, 2021 from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET on both days. This virtual forum includes panel discussions, keynote speakers, and breakout sessions covering two-generation (2Gen) approaches as well as resources and tools needed to strengthen families, communities, and the country. The Forum also features the release of The State of 2Gen, which synthesizes 10 years of the field's accomplishments and identifies policy recommendations to support families with improved health, education, and employment outcomes.

This guide supports stakeholders in thinking through and documenting key elements in the design of a Whole Family Approach Design Plan. The guide is organized by 12 plan components; each component includes a set of questions to prompt the strategic planning process. The Design Plan is an adaptation from earlier efforts, including the Rural Integration Models for Parents and Children to Thrive (IMPACT) and two-generation/whole family approach learning efforts delivered by the Aspen Institute Community Solutions Group.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Family-Centered Community Change® initiative used a two-generation approach to support parents and their children in three high-poverty communities. On April 29, 2021 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. ET, the Foundation will host a webinar with a panel discussion of practitioners and evaluators from the Urban Institute on how two-generation approaches influenced the practitioners’ work and how the approaches evolved during the initiative. Panelists also include representatives of the United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County, Community Properties of Ohio Impact Corporation, and Buffalo Promise Neighborhood.

This report reviews lessons learned in the implementation of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s seven-year Family-Centered Community Change (FCCC) initiative in Buffalo, New York; Columbus, Ohio; and San Antonio, Texas. The FCCC is an integrated two-generation service model offering child care, job training, and financial and employment services. The report presents lessons about collaborating, integrating services, and building strong partnerships at the community level.

This guidebook intends to support agency and organization leaders in setting goals and creating progress measures for their 2Gen approaches. The guidebook starts with definitions and a history of the 2Gen approach with lessons learned that inform current “2Gen 2.0” initiatives. The guidebook presents the 2Gen Organizational Change Measurement Framework, which reflects an organization’s culture and climate, engagement partnerships, knowledge and skills, infrastructure, and resources. The guidebook also includes resources and components to build capacity for change for each framework element.

This issue brief profiles the design and implementation of the 2Gen approach undertaken by the District of Columbia TANF program. The brief covers how staff were trained in 2Gen approaches, and the reorganization of TANF intake and eligibility processes. The report also features the District’s redesign of the TANF Employment and Education program, integration of 2Gen approaches for homeless families, and institution of a “whole family” model in universal pre-K and early childhood programs.

The Aspen Institute’s ASCEND initiative will host a webinar on October 28, 2020 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. ET to discuss the role of social capital as part of the 2Gen approach. Social capital, the “secret sauce” of the 2Gen approach, is demonstrated by increased peer support, greater sense of community belonging, and connections with family, friends, and neighbors. Social capital is also manifested in participation in community- and faith-based organizations, outreach by schools and the workplace, and engagement with case managers or career coaches. This webinar will include presentations from leadership and staff at the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, who will cover the identification and dissemination of emerging practices for measuring and using social capital. There will also be discussion of how practitioners can use a 2Gen approach to help their clients build relationships to attain their identified goals.

The National Community Action Partnership, Third Sector, and the American Public Human Services Association will host this webinar on October 19, 2020 from 12 noon to 1:15 p.m. ET. Representatives from the National Community Action Partnership, Third Sector, and the Waccamaw Economic Opportunity Council (WEOC) from South Carolina will discuss the importance of elevating young parent families as a priority population. Representatives will also present on leveraging a 2Gen approach within Community Action Agencies. A key topic will include how to measure program performance to achieve 2Gen outcomes using Results Oriented Management and Accountability (ROMA) with ongoing young parent and provider feedback.

This report is an initial evaluation of Families Forward, a locally designed and funded two-generation program in Bangor, Maine. The program involves a partnership with Bangor Housing, the local public housing authority, and the Boys & Girls Club of Bangor. The program’s model includes social supports for families, financial coaching, and access to services and training that are designed to move these families toward greater economic mobility.

This issue brief by Voices for Utah Children in conjunction with the Aspen Institute focuses on two-generation strategies to reduce poverty. Voices for Utah worked with Utah lawmakers to address the issue by passing the Intergenerational Poverty Mitigation Act in 2012 and creating an Intergenerational Poverty Advisory Commission in 2013. The goal was to develop evidence-based strategies and interventions with policymakers to increase economic security, educational success, social capital, and health and well-being for families. This legislation and approach have been a critical step in creating a framework for states to develop five- and ten-year plans to address poverty.