Photovoice Captures Student Parents’ Experiences with Georgia’s CAPS 2Generation Program

What does it take for parents to stay in school, work toward a career, and care for their children at the same time? Child Trends used photovoice—a participatory approach that combines photographs, participant-written captions, and group discussion—to learn directly from student parents participating in Georgia’s CAPS 2Generation Program. Their experiences show how affordable childcare, trusted relationships, and connections to other supports can help parents balance education, employment, and family responsibilities.

This resource offers a useful example of why childcare is an important part of employment and economic mobility services. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs often help families prepare for and maintain employment, but parents may struggle to participate in work, education, or training when they do not have reliable childcare. Connecting families to childcare assistance can therefore help address a practical barrier to employment while giving parents greater opportunity to pursue their longer-term goals. The resource also demonstrates how listening directly to participants can help TANF and other human services programs understand barriers that may not be visible through traditional program data, and design services around what families actually need.