Two-Generations: Socio-Economic Empowerment thru Democracy

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SEED Development Group has joined innovative educators and disadvantaged-community development pioneers that are promoting a holistic concept known as the Two-Generations Approach.   In furtherance of this goal, SEED Development Group partners with a new two-generations services provider known as Wisdom to Youth Intergenerational Centers for Development & Support, Inc., aka, WTY-IC.  Information on WTY-IC's intergenerational child-and-senior care can be found on the Wisdom to Youth Childcare page on this site, and WTY-ICDS can be viewed on its website at: 

https://wisdomtoyouth.org  

Additionally, WTY-IC can be contacted by email at

 intergeneration-operations@wisdomtoyouth.org. 

SDG’s Two-Generation Approach follows the continuum model introduced by the Aspen Institute.

The adjacent graphic illustrates the starting point (parent-caregiver or child) and Whole-family approaches focus equally and intentionally on services and opportunities for the child and the adults in their lives. They articulate and track outcomes for both children and adults simultaneously. 

Child focused approaches focus first or primarily on the child but move toward a two-generation approach and include services and opportunities for the parent-caregivers. 

Parent-Caregiver focused approaches focus first or primarily on the parent-caregiver but move toward a two-generation approach and include services and opportunities for children. 

The early pacesetters, such as the Aspen Institute, The Annie E. Casey Foundation, The Center for Law & Social Policy, and the National Human Services Assembly have studied and written about problems facing the disadvantaged, both individually and collectively. 

They soon recognized the following: 

The needs of both the children and the caretaker adults in these children’s lives needed to be addressed, simultaneously.  

As a result, corresponding research data and corresponding policies became an essential component of the emerging two-generation approach to development. 

In addition to the continuum, there are 5 Key Components of the Two-Generation Approach: 

1. Postsecondary Education and Employment Pathways; 
2. Early Childhood Education and Development; 
3. Economic Assets; 
4. Health and Well-Being; and 
5. Social Capital. 

Postsecondary and Employment Pathways and Early Childhood Development:

• Investments in high-quality early education yield a 7-10 percent per year return on investment based on increased school and career achievement as well as reduced social costs.
• At the same time, parents who complete a college degree double their incomes. A parent’s level of educational attainment is also a strong predictor of a child’s success.
• 2Gen education programs and policies include postsecondary education and employment pathways; early childhood development programs, like child care, Head Start, and home visiting; family literacy; and K-12 education.  

Economic Assets:

• A $3,000 difference in parents’ income when their child is young is associated with a 17 percent increase in the child’s future earnings. A relatively small increase in household income can have a significant, lasting positive impact on the life of a child.
• Nevertheless, almost half of all children in the United States belong to families with low incomes. Almost three-fourths of single-mother families with children are low-income. Poverty alleviation is dependent on families’ abilities to successfully manage financial setbacks and build economic security. Children with as little as $499 in an account designated for college are more likely to enroll and graduate. Even small dollar amounts help children see a college education as a possibility.
• Economic assets include housing, transportation, financial education and asset building, tax credits, student financial aid, nutrition assistance, and more. 

Health and Well-Being: 

• If a child is unwell, it can affect attendance and learning in school, and a parent’s illness can impact ability to earn or perform at work. Physical health and mental health, a component of the two-generation approach, have a major impact on a family’s ability to thrive. 
• Childhood trauma, for instance, has lasting health and social consequences. Similarly, economic supports, such as housing, and social capital, such as connections to one’s neighborhood and community, are important social determinants of health. The dynamics of federal and state health care access policies through Medicaid are critical factors in identifying barriers and opportunities for increasing the health and well-being of children and their parents.

Social Capital:

• Social capital is a key success factor of the two-generation approach. Many years of research has shown that social capital manifests as peer support; contact with family, friends, and neighbors; participation in community and faith-based organizations; school and workplace contacts; leadership and empowerment programs; use of case managers or career coaches; social networks, such as cohort models and learning communities; and mental health services.
• Social capital builds on the strength and resilience of families, bolstering the aspirations parents have for their children and for themselves. It is a powerful component in programs that help move families beyond poverty.