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Family Economic Mobility Toolkit

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Family and Child Outcomes

PFCE Framework with emphasis on the blue family outcomes column.Family economic mobility is a key ingredient to supporting positive family and child outcomes. When Head Start programs prioritize family economic mobility throughout program foundations and program impact areas, they are better able to support progress toward family and child outcomes.

Family Outcomes: Family Well-being

Families that feel safe, healthy, and financially secure have a better chance of thriving and reaching their goals. Partnering with families to support family economic well-being is a critical way to support a family’s overall sense of well-being. A family’s ability to afford food, safe housing, and daily expenses significantly impacts their mental health, physical health, and general quality of life. Additionally, access to educational and career opportunities supports families in controlling their economic situation and planning for the future.[28] Head Start professionals can contribute to family well-being by planning parent, family, and community engagement activities that support family economic mobility.

To learn more about strategies to support family well-being, take a look at Understanding Family Engagement Outcomes: Research to Practice Series.

Child Outcomes: Success in School and Life

The combination of high-quality early learning, health, and parent, family, and community engagement services support a child’s ability to succeed in school and in life. A family’s economic well-being influences a child’s social and emotional development, physical health, and educational outcomes, so focusing on family economic mobility is an important way to also support positive child outcomes. Families who are struggling to make ends meet are very resilient and able to provide a safe and loving environment for their child. However, supporting family economic mobility may reduce family stress and open more opportunities for children to thrive. Focusing on family economic mobility across program services not only impacts parents and caregivers, but also contributes to children’s well-being.

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,  Family Support and Well-being