2019 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 17b - Social Services
Chapter 319s - Financial Assistance
Section 17b-112l - Initiative for two-generational service delivery to encourage educational, health and workforce readiness and self-sufficiency.

(a) There is established an initiative to foster family economic self-sufficiency in low-income households through a comprehensive two-generational service delivery approach. The initiative shall promote systemic change to create conditions across local and state public sector agencies and the private sector to support early childhood care and education, health and workforce readiness and self-sufficiency across two generations in the same household. Households may include, but need not be limited to, mothers, fathers, noncustodial parents and other primary caregivers.

(b) The Office of Early Childhood shall serve as the two-generational initiative’s coordinating agency for the executive branch. The initiative may review and consider the following, within available appropriations:

(1) Improvements to the coordination and delivery of early learning programs, adult education, child care, housing, job training, transportation, financial literacy and other related support services, including, but not limited to, health and mental health services, offered at one location, wherever possible;

(2) Alignment of existing state and local support systems around the household, including how to leverage Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant funds, and services to equip such households with the tools and skills needed to overcome obstacles and engage opportunities;

(3) Development of a long-term plan to coordinate, align and optimize service delivery of relevant programs state wide. Such plan may include, but need not be limited to, (A) the targeted use of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant funds, to the extent permissible under federal law, to support two-generational programming; (B) state incentives for private entities that develop such two-generational programming; (C) streamlined resource, practice and data sharing among and between agencies that serve families involved in the initiative in order to best serve such families; and (D) the development and assessment of two-generational programming outcomes; and

(4) Partnerships between state and national philanthropic organizations, as available, to provide support, technical assistance, guidance and best practices to the participating communities in the initiative and the advisory council established pursuant to subsection (d) of this section.

(c) The initiative shall foster the comprehensive two-generational service delivery approach for early care and education and workforce readiness in learning communities that may include, but need not be limited to, New Haven, Hartford, East Hartford, West Hartford, Norwalk, Meriden, Windham, Enfield, Waterbury and Bridgeport. The initiative shall be informed by members of low-income households within these communities and foster a peer-to-peer exchange and technical assistance in best practices that shall be shared with the advisory council established pursuant to subsection (d) of this section. The staff of the Commission on Women, Children and Seniors shall serve as the organizing and administrative staff to the learning communities.

(d) A Two-Generational Advisory Council shall be established as part of the initiative to advise the state on how to foster family economic self-sufficiency in low-income households through a comprehensive two-generational service delivery approach for early care and education and workforce readiness. The council shall consist of one member of the General Assembly appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, who shall serve as a cochairperson; one member of the Senate appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, who shall serve as a cochairperson; one member representing the interests of business or trade organizations appointed by the majority leader of the Senate; one member with expertise on issues concerning health and mental health appointed by the majority leader of the House of Representatives; one member on issues concerning children and families appointed by the minority leader of the Senate; one member of the General Assembly appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives; a member of a low-income household selected by the Commission on Women, Children and Seniors; representatives of nonprofit and philanthropic organizations and scholars who are experts in two-generational programs and policies; and other business and academic professionals as needed to achieve goals for two-generational systems planning, evaluations and outcomes selected by the cochairpersons. The Commissioners of Social Services, Early Childhood, Education, Housing, Transportation, Public Health and Correction and the Labor Commissioner, or each commissioner’s designee; and the Chief Court Administrator, or the Chief Court Administrator’s designee, shall serve as ex-officio members of the advisory council. The staff of the Commission on Women, Children and Seniors shall serve as the organizing and administrative staff of the advisory council.

(e) Not later than December 31, 2018, the advisory council shall submit a report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education, housing, human services, public health, transportation and appropriations and the budgets of state agencies that includes: (1) The challenges and opportunities in working with a parent and child concurrently in a two-generational service delivery model; (2) recommendations to improve systems, policy, culture, program, budget or communications issues among agencies and service providers on the local and state levels to achieve two-generational outcomes; and (3) recommendations on the elimination of barriers to promote two-generational success.

(June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5, S. 401; P.A. 16-79, S. 1; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 16-3, S. 153; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 17-2, S. 141.)

History: June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5 effective July 1, 2015; P.A. 16-79 amended Subsec. (a) to add provision re persons who may be included in households, add provision re pilot sites to be informed by members of low-income households and peer-to-peer exchange and add provision defining “Greater Hartford”, amended Subsec. (b)(1) to add “, including, but not limited to, health and mental health services,”, amended Subsec. (c) to add provisions re member representing interests of business or trade organizations, member with expertise on issues concerning children and families, member of transportation committee, member of education committee and not more than 6 members of low-income households, amended Subsec. (e) to add references to education, housing, public health and transportation committees, delete former Subdivs. (1) to (4) re report to detail numbers of families served, adults who have obtained jobs, children who have improved academically and adults who have received and completed job training and enrolled and obtained certificates or degrees in educational courses, add new Subdivs. (1) to (5) re statements in report and redesignate existing Subdivs. (5) and (6) re cost of program and recommendations to expand program, respectively, as Subdivs. (6) and (7), and made technical changes, effective June 1, 2016; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 16-3 amended Subsec. (c) by making a technical change and replacing “Commission on Children” with “Commission on Women, Children and Seniors”, effective July 1, 2016; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 17-2 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting provisions re pilot program, adding reference to initiative, replacing reference to academic and job readiness support services with provisions re two-generational service delivery approach, and promotion of systemic change, substantially amended Subsec. (b) including by adding provisions re Office of Early Childhood to serve as two-generational initiative’s coordinating agency and matters for initiative’s review and consideration, deleted provisions re workforce liaison, deleted former Subsecs. (c) and (d) re interagency working group and coordinators of two-generational programs, respectively, added new Subsec. (c) re initiative to foster comprehensive two-generational service delivery approach for early care and education and workforce readiness in learning communities, added new Subsec. (d) re Two-Generational Advisory Council, amended Subsec. (e) by replacing provisions re information to be included in report with provisions re same, and made technical and conforming changes, effective October 31, 2017.