Working Together for Working Families

Alfonso Nicholas is six months into his new role as Regional Administrator for Region 2 with the Administration for Children and Families. Region 2 serves New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For this episode we discuss a region of vast differences where families and children are experiencing vastly different challenges. Listen as Administrator Nicholas tells us how he and his team are working hard for th...

Please join us for a conversation around the importance of collaboration as part of the Whole Family Approach. Our research demonstrates findings that show the collaborative approach played a major role in positive outcomes for families served. We will highlight the partnerships the agencies have formed to benefit the families they work with.

For this episode of Working Together for Working Families, we welcome Elena Ragusa, Presid...

Homelessness continues to be a serious problem plaguing our nation. The recent pandemic has exacerbated the issue, making it more challenging than ever for individuals and families to find adequate housing. For this episode we welcome Katie Lord, Associate Director of HABcore, Inc., based in Red Bank, NJ. HABcore provides permanent housing and individualized support to families, veterans and those with special needs, allowin...

As we celebrate fathers this month, join us for our podcast episode, Fatherhood: Supporting Fathers to be Good Dads. We welcome John Fuqua of Stronger families in Bridgeton, NJ and Jeff Johnson of Father Time in Keansburg, NJ. These men have been at the forefront of two amazing programs that support and empower fathers. Both programs maintain the notion that when men succeed families succeed and when families succeed communities fl...

Please join us as we welcome Soco Hernández-Serrano, Carla Villacis, and Debbie Panek for a conversation on how the resilience of some immigrant families using the Whole Family Approach helped them to not only get through the pandemic but to thrive during it.

Soco Hernández-Serrano is currently the Program Coordinator at Qualitas of Life Foundation. She is an alumnus of the Immigrant Civic Leadership Program of New York Coro Leader...

A lack of transportation in the mostly rural regions of Southern New Jersey has been a barrier for many working-class and low-income residents. Many people have expressed frustration in their inability to retain employment or access necessary resources simply because they are unable to get there. Through its funding of community shuttles, the Pascale Sykes Foundation developed a public/private partnership that provides transportati...

For Part 2 of the series, Public Policy in Action, we will share how a Whole Family Approach has been embraced and expanded within social service agencies at the federal government.

Join us as we welcome Carlis Williams, Regional Administrator for the Department of Health and Human Services/Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Region 4 and Acting Regional Administrator, Region 2. Ms. Williams oversees 60+ c...

In honor of Black History month, we are talking about the Equitable Small Business Initiative, a lending program focusing on Black Business Enterprises and minority owned businesses in New Jersey. The initiative was founded in part through a donation by the Pascale Sykes Foundation.

In the episode we welcome Phillip D. Woolfolk, Chief Operations Officer of the African American Chamber of Commerce of NJ, and Bydeia Harmon, Community...

For Part 1 of the series titled Public Policy in Action we welcome the New Jersey Commissioner of the Department of Children and Families, Christine Norbut Beyer. Since 2018 Commissioner Beyer has been redefining the agency as a prevention-focused, child and family serving department, with a vision to help keep all New Jerseyans safe, healthy and connected. Listen as she discusses how adding family voices to the table has cr...

In this episode we welcome Reverend Darrell Armstrong, Rabbi Pam Frydman, and Dr. Raina Awaad for a rich conversation on the intersection of faith and family. Listen as our guests share interesting perspectives, grounded in their faith traditions, on how religion and spirituality play an important role in the context of family development.

Reverend Darrell Armstrong

Rev. Armstrong holds degrees from Stan...

This episode highlights the 2-Gen/Whole Family Approach evolution since its inception several decades ago.

Marjorie Sims, Managing Director of Ascend at the Aspen Institute in Washington, D.C. and Leslie Perkul, President and CEO of the William J. and Dorothy K. O’Neill Foundation headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio share why this approach to family empowerment works and why resources allocated toward these...

According to the American Psychological Association, money continues to be a significant source of stress in the lives of American adults. This can negatively affect their children’s sense of wellbeing. One of the primary goals expressed by families is the need for professional guidance on how they can better manage their finances, which they know can lead to increased economic opportunities, home ownership, increased savings and r...

School is open. How can the Whole Family Approach make a difference in this new school year as we navigate learning amid Covid-19?

Dr. Jesicca Greenawalt, Executive Director and licensed Clinical Social Worker at The Arthur Project based in New York City and Josh Echeverria, Director of New City Kids’ Families for Literacy in Jersey City, NJ will join us to discuss the various ways the Whole Family Approach has enhanced their abili...

Working Together for Working Families is a limited series podcast co-hosted by Jackie Edwards and Richelle Todd-Yamoah. They will be joined each month for engaging discussions about the Whole Family Approach by guests who utilize the many applications of the Approach in their work with families, in education, non-profits and other human service sectors.

Tune in to hear how the Whole Family Approach is making a difference in so many...