This collection of selected reminiscences of a volunteer teacher in the Pennsylvania prison system recounts her experiences teaching illiterate and near-illiterate prisoners (and others) how to read. The collection describes several different individuals (in and out of prison), their diverse reactions to reading, and their understanding and use of…

This paper synthesizes what is currently known about providing education and training after an individual is employed and provides suggestions on models and strategies that can be effective in promoting occupational mobility and career advancement for welfare recipients. Among the rationales for considering education and training after an…

H.R. 4678, the Child Support Distribution Act of 2000, was scheduled for debate and a vote in the House of Representatives in September 2000. This bill would help poor children escape poverty, strengthen families, and build on and enhance welfare reform. The support changes in this bill would allow more of the child support collected from…

Examines how welfare workers in one county view separation of services in the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program in a public welfare agency. Analyzes how workers perceive the quality of their interactions with clients and the clients' satisfaction with services. (Author)

Describes the Living in Family Environments (LIFE) program in Michigan, which is designed to improve the socioeconomic status of families receiving welfare while offering children with developmental disabilities the chance to lead more normal lives in a home environment. (BB)

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 establishes mandatory work requirements. This review article describes the child care provisions of the welfare reform act, addressing some of the issues related to these provisions and highlighting selected state initiatives in this area. (Author)

For nineteen years, Mercy Learning Center, a community-based literacy organization, has provided basic literacy instruction to low-income women in Bridgeport, Connecticut. During that time it has grown from three students and two tutors to 450 students, 155 tutors, and five full-time teachers. This growth has been affected by changes in welfare…

This document focuses on how states can use Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds to support early childhood education initiatives. It draws on CLASP's previous report, "Financing Universal Pre-Kindergarten: Possibilities and Technical Issues for States in Using Funds Under the Child Care and Development Fund and Temporary…

The Recycling Fund Concept was conceptualized as a special allocation of money for the purpose of expanding child care services for preschool children of low-income parents who were or had been recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. In 1985, North Carolina's Child Care Resources Incorporated…

This hearing before the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources focuses on poverty in the 1980s. The goal was to explore innovative methods to improve the nation's poverty situation. The historical background, including the War on Poverty of the 1960s, was discussed. Much of the testimony centered around Michael Harrington's book, "The Other…

This 1976 annual report on the Work Incentive Program (WIN), a federally funded program directed to assisting the transition of individuals from welfare to self-sufficiency and economic independence, includes both discussion of the 1976 activities and presentation of a broader perspective including background, change, and future prospects of the…

This brief presents an overview of the well-being of children within the child welfare system using data from the 1997 and 1999 National Survey of America's Families. Both surveys included economic, health, and social characteristics of more over 44,000 households. This analysis used information on children under 18 years of age. Researchers…

This report describes a 1998 consultation conducted to examine the impact of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 on legal immigrants and refugees in Rhode Island. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act restricted access of documented immigrants to a wide range of government programs such as…

This report offers strategies to prevent unintended pregnancy in an era when the nation's welfare program has a changed mission, more money, and greater reach. The report discusses types of links between welfare offices and family planning services being developed in California, Georgia, and Washington, identifying barriers and challenges to…

In Wise County, Virginia, the If I Had a Hammer Housing Construction and Rehabilitation Program teaches the construction trades to local men and women receiving county housing assistance, while rehabilitating local housing. Trainees work for minimum wage, attend classes eight hours per week without pay, and receive support services and high school…