ASCEND The Aspen Institute – States Leading the Way

Hartford PLTI Alumni and Two-Gen Parent Leaders, Janine McMahon and Stephan Palmer were invited to participate on a panel to discuss the importance of engaging the voices of parents as a core principle of the two-generation approach. Strong programs and policies incorporate parent feedback loops. Janine and Stephan shared their personal stories as well as their roles in partnering with Connecticut State agencies and legislators to ensure families were the focal point of two-gen legislation, how PLTI provided a foundational structure for their advocacy and their collective leadership on establishing a Two-Gen Parent Academy.

The convening marked the release of ASCEND’s report, States Leading the Way: Practical Solutions that Lift Up Children and Families, and they will publish briefs and host additional convenings throughout the year, on the top policies and solutions recommending the opportunities below that can break the intergenerational cycle of poverty for families:

• Partnering with families to build social capital;
• Supporting fathers and non-custodial parents in parenting and economic supports;
• Sustaining the 2Gen culture;
• Legislative support for 2Gen, family outcomes;
• Promoting organizational culture change to support 2Gen systems change;
• Incorporating brain science, resiliency, and trauma informed care into family supports;
• Braiding together systems and funding to support the whole family; and
• Reducing disincentives to work via the “cliff or benefits effect.”