Families with young children are financially stable
30% of local families with children live in households with low income
A 2-Gen (or 2-Generation) approach to social services serves parents and children simultaneously and leads to better financial outcomes for both generations.
The 2-Gen Coalition is a network of child and family advocates committed to strengthening and expanding 2-Gen services and resources for Austin-area families. Driven by a community-wide roadmap, the first community-wide strategic plan for 2-Gen in the nation, the 2-Gen Coalition works to create an ecosystem of programs and services that support intergenerational economic opportunity for families with low income.
The 2-Gen Coalition is convened by United Way for Greater Austin as part of our collective impact work to break economic barriers and build opportunity for all.
We formed Link Up Austin, a group of young parents that co-designs our strategies and programs. Together, we’re making the programs and services of local nonprofits more effective.
If you work for an organization looking for ways to implement a 2-Gen approach, check out our 2-Gen Toolkit.
$810,000
invested in local 2-Gen approaches, through our Community Investment Grants
$150,000
supports local families with young children
$140,000
supports parenting students
$21,000
supports local 2-Gen initiatives
United Way runs these proven programs to ensure all families with children are financially stable.
Parenting students work hard every day to pursue their goals, juggling caregiving, course work, and sometimes multiple jobs to build a better life for their families. Because of the obstacles they face, parenting students are nearly twice as likely to leave school for preventable reasons: lack of child care, conflicting course and work schedules, and even convenient transportation. They begin education pathways to living wage employment, but under pressure to support their families, exit as soon as they can make slightly more money – often after only the first course.
Removing the barriers parenting students face helps them continue on education pathways to living wage employment, which changes their lives as well as their children’s lives. In fact, a $3,000 difference in parents’ income while a child is young leads to a 17% increase in that child’s future earnings.
That’s why United Way for Greater Austin partners with Austin Community College to provide parenting students, ages 18-29, with incentives to accelerate their post-secondary education.
Students in our program receive:
-$500 monthly stipend
-Peer networking/engagement
-Leadership and advocacy opportunities
-Academic counseling
-Child care scholarships
-Other wrap-around services
The Parenting Students Project is spearheaded by Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Expanding Opportunities for Young Families initiative, and is supported by Advance Together, and American Rescue Plan Act funds from the City of Austin.
families served in 2-Gen approaches
of clients with children under 12 obtained employment
of clients earn higher incomes after programming
By Becca Bice, Director of Economic Advancement “When we first reached out to United Way for support, our only thought was increasing child care options for young parents trying to re-engage with education. Becoming involved with United Way’s 2-...
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Parenting students work hard every day to pursue their goals, juggling caregiving, course work, and sometimes multiple jobs to build a better life for their families. Because of the obstacles they face, parenting students are nearly twice as likely t...
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Austin nursing student and mother of two Deja was working hard to complete her degree, but still struggled to make ends meet while staying focused on her rigorous program. That all changed when she began participating in United Way for Greater Austin...
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