The Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) uses a two‐generation approach to guide all of the services. The two-gen approach encourages CDHS programs to serve children and their caregivers together, to harness the family’s full potential, to put the entire family on a path to permanent economic security, and health.
When programs and policies are designed with the whole family’s educational and economic future in mind, and families are assisted to reach the social networks and resources they need to be successful in life, opportunity becomes a family tradition. Fragmented approaches to serving families that separately address the needs of children and their caregivers can leave either the child or the caregiver behind, reducing the likelihood of success for all members of the family, and effect the mental health of all family members. The two-gen approach brings all family members along together, assesses all family members together and provides all family members with opportunities, together, to be successful.
The Colorado Guide to 2Gen provides a roadmap for the next phase of the state’s efforts to ensure that all Colorado families and children are valued, healthy, and thriving. As the guide sets out, if 2Gen is successful, families will:
- Have their basic needs reliably met so they can focus on improving their lives;
- Achieve economic security and a path out of poverty through meaningful work;
- Prepare for educational success, from pre-K to postsecondary learning;
- Build family supports and social/community networks;
- Cultivate child development from age 0-18 and;
- Achieve safety, health, and well-being.
Population: Everyone
Links:
- Read the full report on the 2Generation Opportunities pilot program.
- Learn more about the two-generation approach.
- Acccess the full guide the Colorado Guide to 2Gen.
Date: 2020