The I+I Fellowship program is designed to advance human-centered solutions that make government services more accessible and equitable for those who need them most. Fellows are senior subject matter experts and practitioners in the fields of data, design, technology, and policy who join the Beeck Center team to publish research, document best practices, share lessons learned, and push the field forward with cutting-edge ideas. 

I+I Fellowships span 12–24 months, providing the Beeck Center with a dedicated capacity to explore, experiment, and advance the ever-evolving field.

Current I+I Projects

Family Benefits Lab

Led by I+I Fellow Maya Mechenbier, the Family Benefits Lab conducts research on implementing human-centered design to support teen and young mothers in accessing health care services, meeting their educational goals, pursuing family-sustaining career pathways, building economic security, and caring for their children.

While teen pregnancy and parenthood has been on the decline in the U.S. for many decades, there are signs that this progress is plateauing or even reversing. Part of this challenge is the lack of data on young parents. The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) collects data on teen pregnancy from ages 15-19, but there is no data on births occurring for mothers younger than 15–yet these very young mothers likely need the most support. Further, federal data collection and reporting is delayed by several years, making it difficult for policy and program leaders to understand and be responsive to the current challenges facing many families. 

The FBL seeks to learn more about this population, through qualitative research methods, and translate those research insights into actionable, practical policy and program interventions. Providing better support to young mothers, and intervening sooner in their educational trajectories, could have broad positive ripple effects on their long-term health and socioeconomic outcomes of their families. 

In this 12-month project, the Beeck Center will collaborate with state and local government agencies and community institutions to develop new insights about promising and scalable interventions. This could include integrated interventions for improving access to women’s health and nutrition benefits, reducing poverty and building wealth, preparing parents for educational attainment and family-sustaining career pathways, and providing social and emotional support for achieving their goals. This project aims to build new knowledge and help government agencies and community institutions deploy more innovative strategies and programs that support and empower young parents and their children.

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