As children’s primary caregivers, parents and families play a fundamental role in promoting children’s early academic and social-emotional development. Research shows that family engagement in education supports children’s cognitive, social, and emotional functioning and is linked to higher self-esteem, increased positive behaviors in school, and reduced behavior problems. Partnerships between parents, schools, and community agencies also offer important opportunities for students to practice positive behaviors and can promote consistency across the different environments that children are exposed to throughout early and middle childhood.

In effort to mazimize the positive impact of social-emotional learning for both parents and children, our team has been working to extend our school-based SEL work into family and community settings. This work includes the development of SECURe Familes, a dual-generation intervention designed to support low-income children and families. As part of the Aspen Institute Ascend Network,our team has also developed a set of resources designed to support intergenerational success and opportunity for low-income children and families. Learn more about our team's dual-generation projects by clicking the links on the left.