Struggling To Get Out Of Poverty: The 'Two Generation' Approach

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Tiffany Contreras gives a presentation in a nutrition class at Tulsa Community College. She's pursuing a degree in nursing as part of the Career Advance program. John W. Poole/NPR hide caption

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John W. Poole/NPR

Tiffany Contreras gives a presentation in a nutrition class at Tulsa Community College. She's pursuing a degree in nursing as part of the Career Advance program.

John W. Poole/NPR

Policy makers and thinkers have long debated how best to help low-income families break the cycle of generational poverty. A lot of people think one key is high-quality early childhood education. Others say equally important is support parents with job training and education, to get them into stable, decent paying jobs.

In Tulsa, Okla., an experimental program is trying to do both. Career Advance gives vulnerable mothers access to high-quality preschool as well as to life coaching, financial incentives and intensive job training in in-demand fields like nursing and health care.

You can meet two mothers trying to make their way through Career Advance, and hear more about how they're faring, here.