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Two Generation Family Strategies
Census data shows that in the United States almost half of all children live in low-income families. Research suggests a critical connection between parent well-being and the child’s emotional, physical, and economic well-being; as well as, a connection to the child’s educational and workforce success. Despite the crucial connection between parent and child well-being, many services designed to help low-income families target either the parent or the child, leaving someone behind. Two generation family programs coordinate services that aid low-income parents and children simultaneously, putting the whole family on a path to success.

Two generation family services aim to end the inter-generational cycle of poverty by moving families to economic stability and security through education, workforce training, and related support services. Though each two generation program approach is different they all have three intentionally linked components: Education and/or job training for parents that leads to family-supporting employment; high quality early childhood education; and family support services.

Parent Education and Job Training
Two generation family programs aim to get parents to a place of economic stability and security where they can secure employment that enables them to support their family and improve child outcomes. Programs aid parents in getting to economic security through education and job training opportunities. Two generation program educational opportunities typically involve general educational development (GED) courses, and connections to postsecondary education supports, such as, financial aid or access to full-day childcare. In addition to education services, two generation family programs often utilize sector-based workforce development. This type of workforce development targets job training for specific industries that will meet regional workforce needs, increasing the chances that graduates of the program will be able to find work.

High Quality Early Childhood Education
Two generation family programs include high quality early childhood education that nurtures children’s learning and development. Investing in high quality early childhood education that extends from pre-K through third grade improves educational achievement throughout schooling and success in the workforce. Programs can utilize existing early childhood development programs (i.e. Early Start or Head Start) and add two-generation elements such as offering full-day/full-year services to support working parents.

Family Support Services
Two generation family programs offer comprehensive wraparound services to support families. Examples of these support services include access to physical and mental health services for children, career coaches, case managers, family planning, and food assistance. These services aim to help expand family resources and support networks.

Child Care Costs in the United States


Research suggests that child care is a critical component of livable communities for many families in urban, suburban, and rural areas, and that local planning policies can play an important role in ensuring adequate child care. The majority of parents who work depend upon formal, organized out-of-home care.

Studies show that families are paying a significant part of their earnings for child care. Between 2011 and 2012, the cost of child care increased at up to eight times the rate of increases in family income. For a 4-year-old child, center-based care ranges from about $4,300 in Mississippi to $12,350 in Massachusetts. Lower income families have been disproportionately affected by these increases in child care costs. Working families at or near the poverty line did not receive any or enough child care assistance to be able to stay employed and off welfare, and only 12% to 15% of eligible families were served by a Child Care Development Fund subsidy in 1998–1999.

Options for Making Child Care More Accessible
Child care subsidies is an option used in many states to help parents pay for child care. These subsidies aid low-income families with children under age 13 in paying for child care so that parents can work or participate in training or education activities. Parents typically receive subsidies in the form of vouchers that they can use with a provider (e.g. relative, neighbor, child care center, or after-school program.)

Additional government programs aim to make child care more affordable. Medium and low income families receive earned income tax credits to compensate for money they allocated to child care arrangements. Individuals may claim up to $3,000 of expenses paid in a year for one qualifying individual (a dependent child age 12 or younger) or $6,000 for two or more qualifying individuals on their tax return. Benefits from the refundable Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) concentrate on low-income families. In contrast, the dependent exemption and the virtually nonrefundable Child Tax Credit (CTC) benefited higher income families with benefits gradually increasing as a person’s tax liability increased.

Universal child care is another way to make child care more widely accessible. For example, in Sweden public childcare is guaranteed to all parents and it operates on a whole-day basis. Parental fees are directly proportional to parents’ income and inversely proportional to the number of children in a family.

Finally, another viable option is to increase tax credits for low and medium income families. Currently, President Obama has outlined a plan to triple the child tax care credit to $3,000 per young child.