Update: Learning Community on Family Economic Well-Being Research
What a pleasure it was to host an in-person gathering of top researchers of economic impacts on family well-being from across the country. As we shared last spring, the Colorado Lab convened this research learning community on behalf of the Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC), supported by Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention funds. Over the past 8 months, the research learning community identified and discussed relevant research to inform policy approaches to mitigate and reduce income volatility and its negative effects for Colorado families with low income.
“This day-and-a-half session was really amazing. The energy was palpable with this group of highly knowledgeable researchers appreciating the all-too-rare opportunity to come together in person to look at the research holistically, and collectively think through the complexities,” said Dr. Kristin Klopfenstein, Colorado Lab Executive Director. “Hand-in-hand with the research, the group thoughtfully considered community needs, budget constraints, and recommendations that are actionable. Their work will help decision makers understand which policy approaches have compelling evidence and which areas would benefit from additional research investment.”
The Colorado Lab is now synthesizing the prioritized evidence-based policy approaches and working with CDEC to convene a second learning community made up of policy leaders who will identify feasible, no-cost approaches that offer the most benefit to families.
For more information on the Family Economic Well-Being efforts, please contact Dr. Kristin Klopfenstein.
