Ascend at the Aspen Institute

Our Senior Program Manager Jennifer Pocai is heading to Atlanta to present at the 2024 UNCF #UNITE2024 Summit for Black Higher Education.

Student parent success is a key driver of enrollment and completion at Tribal Colleges and Universities. Our Jennifer Pocai attended the 33rd Annual TCU Conference to present on promising practices to help parenting students fully engage on campus.

We're proud to partner with Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. to launch Futuro Juntos (Future Together)! This new #2Gen Learning Community will equip participating organizations with the knowledge and resources to increase families’ economic mobility in South Texas. 13 organizations have been selected to receive a structured learning agenda and participate in small-group coaching sessions to deepen their understanding of the 2Gen approach and ultimately strengthen opportunities for families in South Texas and beyond. Learn more about these incredible organizations: https://lnkd.in/gSDSuUGi

It was amazing spending time with Ascend at the Aspen Institute's Postsecondary Leadership Circle Activation Fund (PLCAF) Partners last week during our midpoint convening, which focused on providing Partners with knowledge, connections, and resources to aid in planning and implementing their PLCAF strategies. I am excited for another year working alongside El Paso Community College Long Beach City College Los Angeles Valley College and Montgomery College task forces as they change policy and practice to increase outcomes for student parents and their families. Thank you to Presidents William Serrata Barry Gribbons Dr. Mike Muñoz and Jermaine F. Williams for your commitment to student parent success! Click here to learn more https://lnkd.in/e549xG8Y Thank you to Partner attendees and guest experts Carlos Molina Torres Cassandra La Chica Chavez Kim Diaz Laura C. Lorely Ambriz Lucia Rodriguez Patricia Islas Briceyda M. Christina Barrios Jacqueline Garcia Hernandez Justin Mendez Karina Rubio Leslie Calderon Jennifer Welch Jessica Araujo Maria (Liz) Negrete Michelle Lin Nino Shtromberg Alisha Small Ja'Bette Lozupone, D.O.L., MBA James Hodge John Hamman Suzette Spencer Yoslin A. Susan Warfield Ann Reynolds MA, CRC Michelle Brennan Monica Goldberg Gabriela Salazar Jessica Leveto, Ph.D. Aarin Edwards Marina Abrahamyan Kimberly M.  

Ascend’s Senior Program Manager Jennifer Pocai is heading to Albuquerque to present on our Black and Native Family Futures Fund at tomorrow’s Salish Kootenai College 33rd Annual Tribal Colleges and Universities Conference. The Fund supports Historically Black and Tribal Colleges and Universities committed to improving the success of parenting students and was established with support from Lumina Foundation and Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies. #studentparents #familyprosperity #wellbeing #2Gen #highered

Spotlighted in a new case study by Ascend at the Aspen Institute, Wisconsin human services leaders in state and county governments' successful integration of family-centered policies and practices offers a model for other states to further family well-being and economic mobility.  https://lnkd.in/emV7S-sY

We’re excited to partner with Annie E. Casey Foundation on the release of its 2024 KIDS COUNT Data Book! This yearly report tracks the latest data on child well-being around the country. Download the full report to learn how we can join together to build a brighter future for our nation’s kids: https://lnkd.in/e4C2JDiY

In 2014, Ascend Parent Advisor Ariel Ventura-Lazo made a decision which changed the trajectory of his life — to resume his postsecondary journey after a five-year hiatus. A first-generation father of two, Ariel questioned whether it would be possible to balance his roles as a provider and a student. But, he vowed to finish school for his children. Motivated by his participation in the Generation Hope scholar program and his promise, Ariel successfully graduated from George Mason University with a bachelor’s degree in management and became a fierce advocate for student parents and first-generation students. As a key source for Ascend’s 2023 Chartbook on Student Fathers in Postsecondary Education, Ariel shared, “Fathers want an education, they also want a conducive and feasible route to accomplish such a tremendous goal, but they need a tangible map on how that’s going to happen.” Explore the chartbook here: https://lnkd.in/ePuz9XYE

Understanding brain science can lead to effective policies for children and families, and 2015 #AscendFellow Sarah Enos Watamura has been at the forefront of explaining how. Her first paper with Ascend back in 2015 – Two Open Windows: Infant and Parent Neurobiologic Change –  unpacks the evidence in support of investments in both parents and children during the paired sensitive periods of early life and the transition to parenting.  Since then, the understanding of how brain science can help us understand parenting and caregiving has only grown. As she shared at the 2024 Aspen Forum on Children and Families, “The best and most effective learning happens when two things are present: the child leads, and it's done in relationship.” We’re thankful to have Sarah join us both at AFCF and again in Aspen at VisionXChange last summer! To kickstart your own understanding of brain science, read Two Open Windows here: https://lnkd.in/e8Aems5B

When Ascend Parent Advisor Tameka Henry first joined us at The Aspen Institute at the inaugural ThinkXChange, she shared this inspiring message: “I know how important early childhood education truly is, and I know what it did for my kids. And I hope to one day do that for other children.” For more than a decade since that first trip to Aspen, Tameka has been helping to shape policy and practice for children and families both as a Parent Advisor.   Now the Executive Director of The Obodo Collective, Tameka continues her advocacy as a proud board member of the Region IX and National Head Start Associations, the Southern Nevada Association for the Education of the Young Child, and the Children’s Advocacy Alliances Strong Start Committee. We’re grateful that she was able to join us again – this time as one of more than 100 Parent Advisors – in Aspen last year at our Ascend Parent Advisor Convening. #parentvoice #parentleaders #livedexpertise #leadership