Jan 28 2026

Aspen Forum on Children and Families

Ascend at the Aspen Institute

Virtual

“Look back only for as long as you must, then go forward into the history you will make.” – Alberto Ríos

Families are the foundation of our nation and the key to its future. And that future will be so much brighter when we ensure all families are flourishing. At Ascend, we are not looking back. We are joining with our network of 1000+ strong in a national call to move Forward With Families.

Across the Ascend Community, changemakers are demonstrating what's possible. They are expanding access to quality, affordable child care, ensuring stable income and housing, and building systems that open doors instead of closing them. This year’s theme, Forward With Families, is also the name of Ascend’s bold new strategy to scale these solutions and more to make life affordable, opportunity accessible, and security attainable for every family in America.

At a time when so much focus is on what’s broken, Ascend strives to create places of hope and action. The Aspen Forum on Children and Families offers a rare opportunity to reframe and begin the new year with renewed energy, clarity, and connection. Together, we’ll lift up what’s already working in states throughout the country, spark new collaborations, and chart a course forward for families nationwide.

This is your chance to join a national movement to advance solutions that work – and to shape the future for families everywhere.

Start the new year in a space built for renewal and forward motion. End the day with fresh ideas, new allies, and the optimism to move into the history we will make as we move Forward With Families, together.

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