The Annie E. Casey Foundation launched Family-Centered Community Change™ (FCCC) in 2012 to support three local partnerships seeking to help parents and children in high-poverty neighborhoods succeed together. These partnerships, located in Buffalo, New York; Columbus, Ohio; and San Antonio, Texas, were each developing a more integrated set of services, including housing assistance, high-quality education, and job training.

The theory behind the demonstration was that “two-generation approaches,” or high-quality programs and services that coordinate children’s and parents’ programs and service needs, could help break intergenerational poverty and move low-income families toward greater economic independence.

The Urban Institute evaluated each initiative’s design, implementation, and outcomes for families from 2013 through the end of grant-funded programming in 2019. This series of reports is based on what we have learned from six years of observations from our research.

Publications:

Community-Engaged Approaches to Evaluating a Collective Impact Effort - This report describes the experience of applying community-engaged methods in the evaluation of Family-Centered Community Change.

The Costs of Coordinating Two-Generation Programs: Estimated Labor Costs of Family Services and Cross-Generation Coordination for Two-Generation Partnerships in Buffalo, Columbus, and San Antonio – This report estimates the labor costs of staffing the two-generation effort in each community.

Developing Two-Generation Approaches in Communities: Final Report from Family-Centered Community Change – This is the final FCCC evaluation report, summarizing the seven-year effort and sharing lessons for the field.

Developing Place-Based Two-Generation Partnerships
This report discusses takeaways for strong partnerships in two-generation community change initiatives.

Incorporating Two-Generation Approaches in Community Change
Any community seeking to create a new two-generation community change initiative needs to prepare for large, contextual challenges and shifts.

Fostering Racial and Ethnic Equity and Inclusion (REEI): Lessons from Three Comprehensive Community Initiatives in Buffalo, Columbus, and San Antonio
This brief begins with Casey’s focus on equity and inclusion and then explores the FCCC communities’ reflections on the REEI trainings they received.

Blog Posts:

Four Keys to a Successful Two-Generation Initiative
Nine Ways to Strengthen Program Evaluations by Centering Community Voice
Four Lessons on Building 2Gen Partnerships in Schools
How San Antonio Is Boosting Its Supply of Quality Early Child Care and Education
Tackling Systemic Barriers in Northeast Buffalo to Help Break Cycles of Poverty