New Federal Opportunities to Advance Two-Generation Approaches to Improving the Lives of Children and Parents

Because of recent legislation passed in February and March of this year, the federal government will be providing significant new funding to state and local governments in 2018 and future years through an array of programs serving low-income children and parents. These new funding streams, and the legislations’ increased focus on improving outcomes using evidence-based approaches, create a remarkable opportunity for path-breaking governors and local leaders to transform how government tackles intergenerational poverty. By weaving together new and existing funding streams, they can pursue aggressive two-generation (2Gen) system reforms that create more efficient ways to improve economic security, education, health, and well-being for low-income parents and children.