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At the Nexus of Two Generations:Policy Opportunities to Support the Success of

Parents and Children

Olivia Golden, CLASP

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Plan

1. Why two-generational strategies matter…now more than ever

2. Top policy opportunities right now3. Principles for success

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Why two-generational strategies matterNow more than ever….

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• Children are the poorest Americans (20% for children vs. 14% for adults).

• Children under age 5 are the poorest (22%). Almost half live in low-income families.

• Black children (38%) and Hispanic children (30%) are most likely to be poor.

• Two in five (42%) children and the same share of young adults (ages 18-24) live in low-income families struggling to pay the bills.

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Many Poor Children Live with Working Parents

• Low wages and insufficient hours keep families poor.

• Over 70 percent of poor children live with 1+ workers.

• Over 30% of poor children and more than half of low-income children live with a full-time, full-year worker.

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But Low-Wage Work Can Pose Additional Risks to Children

• No time off Nearly half of all workers in the lowest 25 percent of

wage earners have no paid time off at all.

• Rigid, unpredictable, and volatile schedules 70% of working mothers (26-32 years of age) with

young children experience fluctuations in the number of hours they receive from week to week.

One third receive one week or less advance notice of their job schedules.

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What Has Changed?Dramatic increase in mothers’ work, especially in the first years of life.

Source: http://www.bls.gov/opub/reports/cps/womenlaborforce_2013.pdf

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Children Are Rapidly Becoming “Majority Minority”

• In the past decade, the number of white children fell by 4.3 million.

• The number of Hispanic and Asian children increased by 5.5 million.

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Children of Color and Their Parents Face Additional Risks, Including…

• Immigration enforcement: About 4.5 million citizen

children have unauthorized parents.

• Language Nearly half (44%) of

immigrant children have no English-proficient parent.

• Parents’ trauma and exposure to violence in high-poverty communities.

• Parents’ lack of access to high quality high school and post-secondary opportunities.

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What Has Changed?

In 2013, children with at least one immigrant parent accounted for 25% of America’s children and 31% of low-income children.

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Two generational strategies can help because…

• Parents are crucial to children’s development.

Quality of parenting (stress, untreated health/ mental health conditions)

Parents’ economic success and job quality

Quality and stability of out-of-home care.

• Children affect parents’ success.

Children’s illness or school problems affect parents’ attendance, stability, success at work.

Children’s improvement can affect parental mental health.

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Parents and Children: Positive Cycle

Parental health, less

stress, stable income

More nurturing parenting,

better physical conditions

Child’s development

on track

Few interruptions

to parents’ work

Parent succeeds at work, good workplace

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Top policy opportunities

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Five Immediate Policy Opportunities

1. Helping parents get treatment for health and mental health problems.

2. Making child care subsidy policies fit family needs (CCDBG reauthorization).

3. Strengthening education and training pathways (“WIOA”).

4. Improving low-wage work schedules and leave.5. Ensuring a two-generational approach for youth

and families of color.

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1. Parents’ Health/ Mental Health

• Untreated problems damage parenting AND a parents’ own education/ career.

• These problems are widespread among low-income parents.• Financial access has been a major barrier to treatment.

Other barriers include availability of quality, trusted care; stigma; lack of child care and transportation.

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The ACA is a Game-Changer

• Mental health benefit, for everyone• Medicaid expansion, where states take it up• Incentives for integrated care, health homes• Demonstration and technical assistance

opportunities

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The Example of Maternal Depression• Key intervention point for improving young children’s

environment and opportunities: Depression is widespread, especially among low-income mothers of

young children. It’s treatable. When untreated, damages parenting and places children’s

development at risk. Few low-income mothers receive treatment. That’s true even for major depressive disorder.

• Treatment for mothers is high-payoff prevention for children.

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2. Reauthorization of CCDBG

• Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) is the federal legislation that sets parameters for child care assistance.

• Bipartisan reauthorization passed in November 2014, first since 1996.

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How Does the Reauthorization Help Both Generations? • Focus on health, safety, and quality

Provider training requirements. Background checks and inspections Increase in the quality set-aside.

• Support and continuity for working families Annual redetermination regardless of temporary changes in parent’s work. Gradual phase out of subsidies as income increases. Increased consumer education on child care options.

• Support for child care providers Delinking provider reimbursement rates and attendance. Improved payment practices and timely payments.

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3. Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)

• Bipartisan law signed in July 2014.• First reauthorization of core workforce training

programs in 16 years• Reflects what’s been learned:

Education and training can lift families out of poverty.

Today’s workers need a post-secondary credential.

Underprepared workers often need financial and other supports.

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How Does WIOA Help?

1. Increases the focus on serving the most vulnerable workers.

2. Expands education and training options.3. Helps disadvantaged and unemployed adults and youth

“earn while they learn.”4. Aligns planning and accountability across core programs.

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Tackling Three Opportunities at Once….

• Early childhood/ child care programs that support parent and child. (CCDBG reauthorization)

• Home visiting (MIECHV/ ACA)• Career pathways/ workforce strategies that

support parents (WIOA reauthorization)

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4. Work Schedules and Leave• Paid family leave

Enacted in 3 states (CA, NJ, RI) FAMILY Act

• Paid sick leave: 21 jurisdictions have enacted paid sick leave – 15 since the beginning of 2014 Healthy Families Act

• Job scheduling: High level of media interest About a dozen jurisdictions have introduced fair scheduling legislation since the

beginning of 2014 (2 enacted) Schedules That Work Act

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5. Seizing the Moment to Reach Familiesand Youth of Color

• Youth of color Moment of thought leader attention What are the most important policy opportunities?

• Education, employment, health/ mental health (“preventing incarceration”)

• Criminal justice system reform• Using data to tell the story

• Immigrant (including mixed status) families White House Task Force Report on Integration DACA (and potentially DAPA ) Outreach and linkage opportunities at the state level

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Principles for Success

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Top Five Obstacles

1. Agency missions don’t include both generations.2. Funding streams, performance measures, and incentives

pull generations apart.3. Delivery systems are separate.4. Staff don’t have skills/ knowledge for both generations.5. Total dollars are insufficient – so serving some families two-

generationally leaves others out.

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Principles for Success

1. Pick priorities.2. Reduce harm – a great place to start. 3. Seize the moment for change.4. Be visionary AND nimble.5. Stretch, don’t break, agency missions.6. Show all partners how their outcomes fit.7. No over-promising.8. Create a culture of learning.

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Sample Resources from CLASP

• Overview of Two-Generational Strategies– http://www.clasp.org/resources-and-publications/publication-1/Two-

Gen-Brief-FINAL.pdf– http://www.clasp.org/resources-and-publications/publication-1/IOM-

Parenting-Committee-Comments.pdf• Health Care

– http://www.clasp.org/resources-and-publications/publication-1/Maternal-Depression-and-Poverty-Brief-1.pdf

– http://www.clasp.org/issues/work-support-strategies

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Sample Resources from CLASP, continued• Child care and WIOA

– http://www.clasp.org/resources-and-publications/publication-1/ccdbg-guide-for-states-final.pdf

– http://www.clasp.org/resources-and-publications/publication-1/KeyProvisionsofWIOA-Final.pdf

– http://www.clasp.org/issues/postsecondary/wioa-game-plan

• Improving the Quality of Low-Wage Work– http://www.clasp.org/resources-and-publications/publication-1/2014-03-27-Scrambling-

for-Stability-The-Challenges-of-Job-Schedule-Volat-.pdf– http://www.clasp.org/resources-and-publications/publication-1/Job-Hours-and-

Schedules.pdf

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Two-Gen in Connecticut: Possibilities, Opportunities

and Challenges

Roderick L. Bremby Commissioner

State of ConnecticutDepartment of Social Services

June 8, 2015'The Eyes of the Future are looking back at usand they are praying for us

to see beyond our own time.‘ - Terry Tempest Williams

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Simulating the Effect of the ‘Great Recession’ on PovertyEmily Monea and Isabel Sawhill, of the Brookings Institution9/16/2010

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Simulating the Effect ofthe ‘Great Recession’ on PovertyEmily Monea and Isabel Sawhill, of the Brookings Institution9/16/2010

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Adverse experiences common among poor children include:

Living in poverty exposes children to many adverse experiences

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• Income instability• Substandard and unstable housing• Caretaker disruptions• Excessive exposure to violence

• High levels of family stress• High levels of depression and other

mental health disorders• Exposure to environmental toxins• Sustained food insecurity

LaDonna Pavetti, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 9/24/2014

Why Poverty Matters

75LaDonna Pavetti, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 9/24/2014

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Brain Architecture is not fixed:Interventions can make a positive difference

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Connecticut Two Generation Framework• R1 – Create policies that equip

parents and children with the income, tools and skills for success

Earned Income Tax Credit to 27.5% of the federal EITC

1st State to Raise the Minimum Wage to $10.10

1st State to Mandate Paid Sick Leave

1st State to expand Medicaid coverage under the ACA. Successful launch of a state based insurance exchange.

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Connecticut Two Generation Framework• R2 – Make government

policies and programs more family friendly.

Establishment of Office of Early Childhood

Legislation to develop a two-generation learning plan that will address intergenerational barriers to school readiness and workforce readiness.

Adoption of “no wrong door” integrated eligibility approach via ACA funding opportunities.

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• .

Connecticut Two Generation Framework

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• R3 – Use existing child, adult and neighborhood programs and platforms to build evidence for practical pathways out of poverty for entire families. Pay for Performance – Medicaid

OB&GYN Initiative

Fatherhood Initiative

TANF – Temporary Assistance for Families, RESET

The New Haven Mental Health Outreach for MotherS (MOMS) Partnership