Theory Meets Practice: A Report on Six Small-Scale Two-Generation Service Projects.

This report details the experiences of six two-generation intervention projects in New York City supported by grants from the Foundation for Child Development. The two-generation projects help low-income families gain access to employment-related services for parents, and developmental services such as quality child care and health care for children. Although programs varied, all included voluntary services, used counseling, and had a moderate level of openness to parent input and decision making. Chapter 1 of the report describes recent changes in the welfare system and efforts to develop two-generation programs and incorporate management information systems. Chapter 2, "The Six Sites: An Overview," profiles the sites and their parent agencies. Chapter 3, "The Challenge of Engaging Parents," focuses on how sites defined the target group of parents and the approaches used to sustain parents' involvement. Chapter 4, "Making Connections," discusses how sites linked their services to others within their agencies and with other systems and agencies. Chapter 5, "Tracking Activities and Outcomes," reports on the use of automated systems for tracking participation patterns, use of services, and outcomes. Chapter 6, "Conclusions," provides checkpoints for two-generation projects to help them maintain a focus on the goals of promoting family economic self-sufficiency and child well-being. Four major challenges that emerged from the projects' experiences include: (1) engaging parents in voluntary interventions; (2) maintaining the integrity of the model; (3) making service connections outside the agency; and (4) keeping track of program processes and outcomes. (Appendices describe grant-making interests for new projects, grant periods, and available technical assistance to sites. Contains 14 references.) (KB)