Brief II: The Effects of a Two-Generation Human Capital Program on Children’s Outcomes in Head Start

CareerAdvance, developed and run by the Community Action Project of Tulsa County (CAP Tulsa), is a model two-generation intervention that pairs early childhood education for children with career pathway training in the healthcare sector for parents. CareerAdvance recruits parents from high quality Head Start centers and offers career certification programs in the healthcare field at no cost to families. Additional program elements include career coaching, weekly peer learning groups, financial incentives/in-kind assistance, and wraparound child care. Notably, the study found that parent participation in the CareerAdvance program was associated with positive short-term effects for two groups of children: children whose parents were more college ready and children who were less school ready.