Insights from Forward With Families
What we’re learning from convenings across the country in 2026
Forward With Families convenings have spanned the country since July, bringing together nearly 500 key changemakers from 23 states and Washington, D.C. Each gathering shared some of the same basic DNA – invite leaders from different sectors to engage in solutions-oriented conversations grounded in Ascend’s Forward With Families focus areas. The key takeaways from each convening have been unique, with important common threads across convenings.
Whether it was a breakout group addressing persistent problems, a perspective from a panelist that challenges convention, or a speaker whose leadership captivated the room, the lessons and learnings from these convenings will fuel action and accelerate solutions.
We're already seeing it happen. Partnerships are emerging and connections are being made, all in an effort to create systems that work for children and families.
We’ve gathered insights, quotes, and images from these groundbreaking series of conversations.
"Minnesota, as imperfect as it’s been, is a place where we seek to operationalize our values in all parts of our community.”
At a time when a void of values-based leadership has decreased trust in leaders and institutions, Minnesota’s ability to transcend fear and authentically support communities has been a source of inspiration. The state’s courageous response to Operation Metro Surge – the massive federal immigration enforcement that drove fear throughout the Twin Cities – led The Nation to nominate Minneapolis for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. No nomination feels more worthy – the response of the city and its people were an embodiment of what Ascend founder and executive director Anne Mosle calls “civic imagination.”
It was the perfect place to kick off the first Forward With Families Forum.
“Too often no one is responsible for seeing the whole family… who’s especially invisible are the children.”
In collaboration and partnership with the John T. Gorman Foundation, we convened leaders from across the state for the Maine Strategy Summit: Moving Forward With Family Housing & Justice Solutions.
Housing Insights
- Maine has unique housing community-public-private partnerships that offer residents the choice to form cooperatives and purchase their mobile home community— and the long-term tools and funding models that enable them to keep those homes affordable while creating new homes for additional residents.
- State and local government and nonprofit programming can work in tandem with the federally operated Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program to help residents build sustainable savings and navigate a realistic pathway towards homeownership, opening up affordable housing units for more families.
Justice Solutions Insights
- It is possible to visits between caregivers who are incarcerated and their children to be centered around joy. That's the model that Ascend Fellow and Kansas Children's Discovery Center President/CEO Dene' Mosier is promoting via Play Free. Play Free supports joyful visits in children's museums - a setting that empowers children, gives caregivers a chance to play and connect with their kids, and creates positive memories. It's an approach that's quickly expanding, too. More than 10 states – including Maine – have either begun adapting Play Free or have plans to in the near future.
- Ascend Fellow and WE GOT US NOW INC Founder/CEO Ebony Underwood talked about the risk that children experiencing parental incarceration become "invisible." There is an opportunity to meet the needs of these brave and vulnerable children and families while facilitating meaningful connections with their parents.
See more insights from our partners at the John T. Gorman Foundation here.
"It was important to remove the stigma, to say this is a public good that families need who are working or going to school.”
Last year, New Mexico became the first state to codify universal, no-cost childcare for families, establishing a national benchmark that’s had states, cities, and counties anxious to learn more. Across the country, eyes are on New Mexico’s implementation journey.
It was fertile ground for a Forward With Families Forum. Ascend invited delegations from two cities, two counties, and four states to participate in focused conversations about childcare.
“The secret sauce is finding a partner that’s willing to be consistent, someone who, when you see there’s a need or a problem, will help you come up with a solution.”
When we offer student parents the childcare support they deserve, we are laying the groundwork to move families forward for generations.
Together with Los Angeles County Office of Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, 2nd District, Ascend convened cross-sector leaders from Los Angeles County, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania in Los Angeles to discuss how we can increase childcare access for parents pursuing postsecondary credentials.
Across two dynamic days, we dove into what is working—and what isn't—for student parents on college campuses. We mapped resources, explored the power of community-public-private partnerships, and built actionable strategies aimed at supporting the economic mobility of parenting students and their families.
Click here to learn how one partnership flourished in Long Beach, California.
"This is implementation time. It’s not one organization, system, or sector, but how they are coming together to make a meaningful and felt difference in the lives of children and families."
In partnership with the Washington State Office of the Governor and WA DSHS Secretary Angela Ramirez and with tremendous support from the Washington Economic Justice Alliance, Ascend gathered with leaders in Washington to unpack the challenges and opportunities facing children and families across the five focus areas of Forward With Families.
Participants rolled up their sleeves to map out the strengths, assets, and relationships needed to drive progress and help Washington families build lasting economic mobility, stability, and security while navigating the implementation of last year’s H.R. 1 reconciliation bill and other aspects of a complex national landscape.
Washington has modeled a strong foundation of family-centered systems-building, and by continuing to center lived experience in policy, practice, and budgets, leaders are ensuring that healthy children and healthy families move forward together across the state.
Stay Tuned for More Insights from Washington, and our final convening of the year in Kentucky!
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