The recent overhaul of the federal welfare system gives states new flexibility to set child care policies, develop child care programs, and fund new initiatives. The Child Care Action Campaign (CCAC) conducted an audioconference on July 31, 1997, to examine key elements of new state plans and to take a close look at how one state, Illinois, made…

Work requirements for welfare recipients will pressure state agencies to create employment opportunities for parents and arrangements for child care while parents work. This report examines the topic of recruiting welfare mothers to care for children of other recipients. The report highlights research outlining barriers to work in child care and…

This document is comprised of the three 2000 issues of "News & Issues," a newsletter from the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) devoted to identifying and promoting strategies to reduce the young child poverty rate and to improve the life chances of children still living in poverty. The winter issue includes the following articles:…

Access to affordable, quality child care is a major barrier to successful employment for many families. About one-fifth of families return to welfare within a few months of leaving, with lack of accessible child care and transportation being the most frequently cited reasons. These issues are likely to be compounded in the rural South. Information…

This issue of "The Future of Children" examines whether programs implemented by the federal welfare reform law accomplished the goal of reducing the number of children growing up in poor, single-parent families and whether these programs benefited children. This examination coincides with debates in Congress on the reauthorization of the…

Part of a series from the Child Care Law Center, this issue of "Working for Change" discusses the need for quality, affordable child care as a support for working parents trying to break out of welfare dependency. This report details the current realities of poor parents who struggle to find and pay for child care while they work and…

The issue of unspent Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds has become increasingly important with the progression of welfare reform. Some support reserving the funds for an eventual economic downturn, whereas others urge investing the funds in services for hard-to-serve welfare recipients and broader low-income participation. States…