MDRC’s brief revisits the ongoing debate about whether TANF recipients are better served in the long term by finding work quickly or by first obtaining education and training to improve job prospects.  Hamilton and Michalopoulos present findings from three sites who take part in the National Evaluation of Welfare-to-Work Strategies (NEWWS), which randomly assigns participants to labor force attachment (LFA) programs or human capital development (HCD) programs to study the effects they have on participant employment.  Researchers followed up with participants for several years after program completion, comparing wages at years 1-2, years 3-5, and years 10-15.  In the short term, results show that LFA participants had higher earnings than HCD participants.  In the long run, HCD participants eventually surpassed LFA participants, but not in amounts that were statistically significant.  While both programs imporved the earnings of participants, advocates and policy makers should carefully consider their costs in association with their short and long term benefits when considering which programs to promote and fund. 

Read the full report here.

KEY FINDINGS

Implementation Findings
• There was substantial variation in placement rates by program. Among On-the-Job Training (OJT) program group members, 42 percent were placed in a subsidized employment position; 80 percent of Paid Work Experience (PWE) participants were placed.
• The PWE and OJT groups also differed in terms of time to placement and duration of placements. Initial placement took longer for the OJT group compared to PWE – averages of 58.5 days and 46.8 days, respectively.
• PWE participants remained in their subsidized jobs for an average of 150 days; OJT participants stayed in their positions for an average of 106 days. Overall, 91 percent of PWE placements and 64 percent of OJT placements continued beyond the second month, the point at which OJT participants were to transition onto the employer’s payroll.
• Members of the control group were almost as likely as those in the program groups to receive some type of welfare-to-work services (other than subsidized employment). The control group was more likely than either of the program groups to be involved in education-related activities.

Impact Findings
• Overall, impacts on participation and service receipt beyond the subsidized job were modest, reflecting the continued services available to the control group through DPSS and other services available in the community.
• In the first year after random assignment, both PWE and OJT group members were more likely to work, worked more quarters on average, and had higher average earnings than control group members; these differences were larger among sample members that had not been employed in the year prior to random assignment and declined as people left subsidized jobs.
• In the year following random assignment, there were few differences in the rate of TANF receipt between the PWE, OJT, and control group members, but PWE and OJT group members had slightly lower total TANF amounts.
• Using data from the in-program survey (around five months after random assignment) when many people were still in subsidized jobs, both PWE and OJT group members were more likely than control group members to report being financially better off than they were one year prior. There were few other statistically significant differences in well-being between PWE, OJT, and control group members during this early follow-up period.
• Around one year after random assignment, there were few statistically significant differences in measures of well-being between program group members and control group members.

• FOC participants face significant obstacles to financial security, including low educational attainment, high unemployment, poor credit histories, and few assets.
• FOCs improved participant’s use of employment and financial services.
• After two years, FOC participants did not have higher incomes that the comparison group.
• FOC participants made strides towards building a healthy credit history, however there was no impact on prime credit scores after two years.
• Improvements in employment and credit were highest among FOC participants who were highly engaged in financial and employment counseling.
• Participant’s net worth was not significantly affected, however debt unrelated to asset accumulation was reduced.

First Steps on the Road to Financial Well-Being

Maternal depression is wide-spread among low-income families. One in nine babies in poverty has a mother suffering from depression. New provisions under the Affordable Care Act, recent federal decisions and guidance, and state and local innovations have provide unique opportunities to address this issue. Improving depression outcomes for low-income mothers has implications for the health of the mothers and their children, and for their chances of escaping poverty. This brief from CLASP pulls from interviews with various stakeholders in the areas of child care and early education, health, and mental health to provide ideas for state and federal action.

Read here

In order to qualify for participation in CPI, participants must be a custodial parent, have qualified as TANF eligible, and be at 250% or less of the poverty level. Many are TEA (Transitional Employment Assistance) clients, who are low-income enough that they qualify for cash assistance.

CollegeCounts conducted an evaluation of the Career Pathways Initiative by matching CPI participants with non-participants of similar education and/or economic backgrounds. They found CPI participants were more likely to graduate with a degree or certificate and earn more than their peers.

Arkansas Career Pathways Site

CollegeCounts Evaluation of Career Pathways

Specifically, this report uses preliminary data to describe observed differences — and possible reasons for the differences — in the participation, outcomes, and experiences of two types of HPOG participants:

• Those receiving TANF benefits when they begin an HPOG program, and
• Those not receiving TANF when they begin an HPOG program

The report then addresses why TANF recipient participation levels vary across HPOG programs and identifies strategies programs used to engage the TANF population and work cooperatively with local TANF agencies.

Training TANF Recipients for Careers in Healthcare: The Experience of the Heath Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) Program
For more information about HPOG click here

Key Findings:

• The four programs most frequently funded in states by MIECHV were:
  1.  Early Head Start – Home Based Program Option
  2. Healthy Families America
  3. Nurse-Family Partnership and
  4. Parents as Teachers.
• Mother served by MIECHV-funded programs have many and various needs
  • 92% were receiving some form of public assistance
  • 30% had symptoms of depression
  • Almost 20% had health problems that limited their activities
  • More than 75% had no more than a high school diploma
  • 10% reported being the victim of intimate partner violence

Research Snapshot
Executive Summary
Full Report to Congress

Early childhood home visiting programs typically target pregnant women and mothers of young children, but some programs have begun including fathers as well. The study aimed to understand how home visiting programs engage fathers, what fathers’ experiences are in those programs, and the perceived benefits of fathers’ participation. Qualitative interviews were conducted with home visiting program administrators, staff members, and participating fathers and mothers in five programs implementing strategies to engage fathers in home visiting services.

Brief: Engaging Low-Income Fathers in Home Visiting
Full Report: Approaches to Father Engagement and Fathers’ Experiences in Home Visiting Programs

This fact sheet on non-standard hours uses data from the NSECE to describe the flexibility of available ECE in the U.S., providing nationally representative estimates of the percentage of ECE providers serving young children (aged birth through 5 years) who offer services during non-standard hours as well as those who permit parents flexibility in scheduling and payment for services. Estimates are presented separately for center- and home-based providers.

Fact Sheet – Provision of Early Care and Education during Non-Standard Hours
Additional reports and analyses of the NSECE are available here