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Reach Up Annual Report 2018 4 Examples of Work Being Done in Reach Up to Promote 2-Gen: • Measuring the outcomes of both children and parents • Providing opportunities such as the Post-Secondary Education (PSE) Program and increasing referrals to job training programs such as Strengthening Working Families Initiative • Strengthening the substance use/mental health program, which provides direct connection to needed services for Reach Up participants • Financial empowerment pilots and integration of Your Money, Your Goals into the Reach Up program • Collecting family feedback through focus groups and surveys • Strengthening connections with children’s services such as Children’s Integrated Services (CIS), home visiting programs, and Head Start • Home visiting pilot program in Newport

Integrating Financial Empowerment into the Reach Up Program Reach Up continues the effort to integrate financial capability into the Reach Up program in partnership with the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO). In July, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) sent a trainer to Vermont for the second phase of teaching front-line staff how to use the financial tool kit “Your Money, Your Goals” with Reach Up participants. This tool kit helps staff facilitate financial comprehension and planning with participants and assists participants in making budgeting and spending decisions to help them reach their goals. “Your Money, Your Goals” covers topics such as credit, financial products, debt, income and bills, budgeting, and bank accounts. The Reach Up program views this as an important way to complement the recent increase in the Reach Up asset limit, and to help participants build habits of saving.

The Reach Up program and OEO developed the Financial Empowerment Project that brings intensive financial coaching to Post-Secondary Education (PSE) students and Reach Ahead and Reach Up participants in four Economic Services Division (ESD) districts - Barre, Burlington, Morrisville, and St. Albans. Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (Burlington and St. Albans) and Capstone Community Action (Barre and Morrisville) provide financial coaching and facilitate participant-driven goal setting. Through this coaching, when participants reach their goals, they receive incentives. For example, a participant may choose a $50 incentive to open a bank account, or a matched-savings incentive to save a certain amount of money each month. The program improves the financial capability of participants and supports them in attaining financial stability.

Participant Feedback – Focus Groups Over the last year Reach Up Central Office hosted ten participant focus groups around the state and will host two additional groups in the remaining AHS districts this Spring. Participation in these groups is voluntary and open to all Reach Up participants. Feedback from participants on what they feel works well in the program and about services and/or requirements they feel are less beneficial is encouraged. This process is used to continuously improve the Reach Up Program. Typical discussion topics include childcare, housing, post-secondary education (PSE), support services, and program requirements. Hearing directly from current Reach Up participants has been an incredibly insightful experience that Reach Up Central Office intends to continue annually.

Professional Development On October 13, 2017, the Reach Up Central Office Team held it’s second “All Staff Day” for Reach Up staff state-wide. The event brought everyone together for a day of networking, collaboration, and learning.