Kean Takes Multi-generational Approach to Breaking the Cycle of Poverty with $1 Million in Federal Funding

Kean University’s Generation 2 Generation Family University program is working with middle and high school students from underserved and low-resourced urban communities and their caregivers to break the cycle of poverty through higher education.

G2G Family University was launched in February with $1 million in federal funding over the next two years. A partnership between Kean’s John S. Watson Institute for Urban Policy and Research and the University’s Division of Entrepreneurial Education Initiatives, the program is built on decades of research that shows the benefit of involving a student’s entire family in their education. 

“This is an opportunity to break down systemic barriers for families, tied to Kean’s equity and social-justice orientation,” said Joseph Youngblood II, Ph.D, senior vice president for transformational learning and external affairs at Kean. 

G2G Family University serves 450 students and their families currently enrolled in three Kean pre-college programs: Kean Scholar Academy, Kean University Upward Bound Program, and Project Adelante. U.S. Representative Donald Payne Jr., from New Jersey's 10th Congressional District, sponsored the federal funding bill.

“I am proud to have secured this money to help Kean University’s G2G program and resource center,” Payne said. “I know this initiative will be a great benefit to the university and our entire community as it connects families to resources to help students succeed and transform their lives through higher education."

The program provides resources, support and mentoring for the students and their caregivers, looking beyond the nuclear family to include grandparents, aunts and siblings, and at times working directly with an emancipated minor as circumstances require.

“The philosophy around Gen 2 Gen is when we put the safety net around the student and around the entire family, we disrupt the cycle of poverty for generations to come. The project is very broad in its scope, but the intention is very simple – improve the well-being and stability of the family unit and everyone in the household advances,” said Sancha K. Gray, Ed.D., who serves as project lead for G2G Family University, Kean’s senior vice president for entrepreneurial education initiatives and acting dean of the College of Education. 

Data indicates that the two-generation approach improves household economic stability and leads to greater success rates for students, said Gray, who noted that prior research focused on immigrant families and early childhood education.

Youngblood emphasized the longitudinal data illustrating the model's effectiveness and the impact of Kean's focus on older students. 

“The distinctiveness of Kean’s approach lies in its expansion of the model, integrating it into our social justice framework to address cycles of poverty and enhance student-learning outcomes through intentional engagement with adolescents in our current pipeline initiatives and their families.”

A dual-enrollment program, Kean Scholar Academy offers qualified high school students the opportunity to earn college credits and participate in pre-college mentorships, internships and other enrichment activities. The Upward Bound program is a free, federally funded program designed to assist eligible high school students in East Orange and Elizabeth to complete high school and prepare for success and enroll in college. Project Adelante, one of Kean’s pre-college programs, is an alliance between Kean and the Passaic, Perth Amboy and Plainfield school districts and is designed to reduce high school dropout rates of Latino students, increase their academic skills, and encourage them to pursue higher education.

Caregivers are enrolled in the G2G Family University throughout their child’s time in the Kean-affiliated programs, extended through college if the student enrolls in a degree-seeking program at Kean. Through partner organizations, they will have the opportunity to earn micro-credentials needed for work opportunities, job skills training for in-demand fields, and preparation for enrollment in formal higher education programs. Financial literacy and parenting classes will also be offered.

The project aligns with Kean’s strategic role as New Jersey’s urban research university and the institution’s pursuit of Carnegie R2 designation for high research activity.

“This is the type of applied research we want to be known for as a regional anchor institution and urban research university,” Youngblood said. “We anticipate having a strong research evaluation component to measure the impact on the students and their families. This will allow us to create a pathway for replicating the program elsewhere.”