As part of its Family-Centered Community Change work, the Annie E. Casey Foundation is partnering with community development initiatives in three cities to integrate disconnected services for kids and adults. With an end goal of strengthening families, this approach focuses on enhancing both the quality of schools for children as well as job and parenting skills for adults. The interview below is with Caitlin Lenihan, who serves as the director ofBuffalo Promise Neighborhood's Two-Generation Programs.

Casey: What does family-centered practice mean to you?
Caitlin Lenihan: When I think about family-centered practice, three ideas come to mind: 1) considering the goals of the whole family; 2) providing the tools that the whole family will need to achieve those goals; and 3) presenting those tools in an integrated and thoughtful manner for the whole family, versus individuals within the family.

Casey: How has your view of this work evolved over time?
Lenihan: It's become more expansive over time. We started with a focus on one-on-one coaching, financial education and high-quality early childhood education. We learned more from the families about barriers to goal achievement we hadn't yet considered, such as housing crises and undiagnosed early developmental delays.

Read the full article about family-centered work at The Annie E. Casey Foundation.