Children of low-income families face a myriad of risks that interfere with healthy development. Mothers of these children experience a high rate of depression. The Hassenfeld Institute measures the impacts of maternal depression prevention programs on parents and children, and assists community organizations with the integration of effective, culturally appropriate depression prevention programs. Scaling and spreading effective parental depression prevention programs throughout Rhode Island offers the possibility to foster optimal health among both mothers and children, and to break the intergenerational cycle of disadvantage.