Category: Two-Gen/Families

Interactive parenting practices among parents of young children vary with income

Researchers at the Rural and Minority Health Research Center at the University of South Carolina have released their analysis of the National Survey of Children’s Health in which they explore the prevalence of three interactive caregiving activities—reading, storytelling/singing, and sharing meals—among children under age 5, with attention to differences across the income spectrum. The authors … Read more

OPRE report identifies elements of successful coordinated services partnership models

A new research brief takes stock of efforts to coordinate early childhood education systems with other kinds of family services including income supports and parent-focused services, often with a two-generation lens. These “coordinated service models” are not yet common, so the researchers interviewed 18 leaders of such efforts around the country, aiming to identify promising … Read more

Low-income mothers need access to comprehensive and flexible services, not just siloed programs operating during traditional hours

This Urban Institute released a report describing how mothers of young children coped during the pandemic, focusing on how those with few economic resources cared for their children, maintained economic stability, and ensured their own wellbeing. The exploratory study interviewed 20 mothers and found mothers prioritized their children’s needs first and utilized a creative patchwork … Read more

Family risk and low-income fathers’ engagement with children

A new paper published in the Journal of Family Issues uses the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing dataset to examine whether fathers experiencing individual and family risk (e.g., drug and alcohol abuse, incarceration, unemployment) in their children’s first few years of life were less likely to be engaged with those children at age 9. Findings … Read more

U.S. Census Bureau describes living arrangements of young parents

According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2018 Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), about half of young parents (ages 15-22) lived with their spouse or unmarried partner. While 22.7 percent of young parents live with a spouse, 30.2 percent live with an unmarried partner and the other half report living with no spouse or … Read more

Fed summarizes research linking income and wage increases with better long-term child and family outcomes

To identify links between income increases and long-term family outcomes, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston reviewed a set of quasi-experimental efforts (“natural experiments”) that increased wages and income for low-income people. The review finds that policy interventions that increase income– whether through a higher minimum wage or enhanced transfer payments–have a causal relationship with … Read more

Forgiving PLUS Debt for Low-Income Parent College Borrowers

In a recent blog post from the Urban Institute, authors posit that policymakers looking to ease the burden of student debt should not overlook parent loans. By forgiving federal education loans made to parents who have virtually no chance of being able to repay, policymakers would relieve pressure on thousands of low-income households, with Black … Read more