Blog
Candidates, Listen to Families: Three Recommendations from a Parent
I am a teacher, a student, a mother, and an advisor. I also grew up in poverty. When I joined a two-generation program called JeffCo Prosperity Project (JPP) that supports children from Head Start to graduation, I did it to help other families – but ended up finding myself in the process. I was asked…
WEBINAR: Understanding and Supporting Student Parents
On April 18, Ascend hosted a webinar on two recent publications, “Accelerating Postsecondary success for Parents: Identifying and Addressing Mental Health Needs” and a joint-factsheet with the Institute for Women’s Policy research (IWPR), “Parents in College: By the Numbers”. The webinar, “Understanding and Supporting Student Parents” featured an Ascend Colorado fellow, an Ascend Parent Advisor, working…
WEBINAR: The Father Factor: A Critical Link in Building Family Prosperity
Ascend and the GOOD+ Foundation share a commitment to the prosperity and well- being of children and their parents. In working to build pathways to opportunity for families, we have always supported the dreams of mothers and their children. As our work has evolved, we have come to better understand the need to invest in…
Supporting Fathers to Build Community Resilience
We began the Fatherhood panel by breathing. I closed my eyes and focused solely on the flow of my breath through my body. In, out, in, out. My mind centered on the present moment, ready to dive into a topic rooted deeply in the hearts of every person in the room. The breathing exercise led…
Understanding the Need to Invest in Fathers for Family Prosperity
In fall 2018, Ascend at the Aspen Institute and the GOOD+ Foundation convened fathers, researchers, thought leaders, policymakers, and practitioners to explore “The Father Factor: A Critical Link in Building Family Prosperity.” The convening was born of the recognition that while the important role of fathers in society has been increasingly documented in recent research…
A Good Job Isn’t Just Any Job – Especially for Working Families
What makes a job a good job, or even a great one? Simply being employed is not enough; the health and caregiving priorities of employees and their families must be considered as part of an adequate employment strategy. A recent study across 21 industries identified three factors that working people around the world are looking…