This brief examines state-level data on social, economic, and child well-being measures at the outset of welfare reform, highlighting 13 states being studied in-depth. The National Survey of America's Families (NSAF) reveals that social and economic conditions relevant to welfare reform are quite diverse among the 13 states. State differences in…

This brief summarizes information collected during visits to Hennepin County (Minnesota's largest urban county) in 1999 and 2000 to document changes and progress since 1997. It updates a 1997 report that reviewed the benefits and services in the state and described the economic and political context shaping Minnesota's agenda for serving…

Presents interim findings from an impact analysis of Ohio's Learning, Earning, and Parenting (LEAP) Program. LEAP is a statewide program designed to encourage school attendance among pregnant and parenting teens on welfare. Suggests that LEAP has succeeded in its primary short-term goal of increasing the school enrollment and attendance of teen…

Summarizes Children's Defense Fund report: 84 of the 100 poorest counties for children are in the South; 79 of those are rural. Discusses racial differences in child poverty; child hunger; lack of health insurance; harsh state welfare policies; the working poor; lower southern educational levels; estimated costs of child poverty; and needs for…

This longitudinal study examined the California Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN) program, which mandated that recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) work, prepare for work, or attend school after their youngest child reached 6 years of age. Interviews with 255 single AFDC mothers with one or more children under the age…

This testimony, from welfare reform hearings in New York City, was given before the Senate Subcommittee on Social Security and Family Policy. The hearings were held to gather information for new regulations regarding public monies for child support. The Senate is considering whether to reform the present welfare system or to replace it with a new…

Contents of this volume of studies analyzing the causes of the alarming growth in illegitimacy, families lacking a father, and welfare caseloads, include the following studies: "The Family, Poverty, and Welfare Programs: An Introductory Essay on Problems of Analysis and Policy," Robert I. Lerman; "The Impact of Welfare Payment…

The report discusses how effective the Work Incentive Program (WIN), has been in breaking the cycle of poverty for public assistance recipients. Following a discussion of shortcomings the author states that the basically sound program may still accomplish its original objectives if problem areas are rectified by Congressional action. (Author)

The issue brief describes the research base for the National Center for Children in Poverty's (NCCP's) framework to assess welfare changes from a children's perspective and points to lessons from current and past welfare-to-work evaluations. Many changes are now implemented in welfare policies due to new legislation titled the Personal…

Low-income mothers and fathers often share a desire to support their children, but current government policies may pit parents against each other, often to the detriment of their children. This report sets out a shared public policy agenda for newly elected leaders at all levels of U.S. government as part of the Common Ground Project, designed to…

Examines stresses on the early childhood service system due to the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. Discusses elimination of Aid to Families with Dependent Children; creation of state block grants, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and Child Care and Development Fund; and restructuring of the Child…

This report summarizes the findings and recommendations from the Children's Policy Project, which examined the child welfare system in Illinois. The report: (1) outlines the project's findings about the difficulties faced by existing child welfare services; (2) proposes ways to improve existing arrangements; (3) examines the fundamental problems…

This publication is the text of the House of Representatives bill, H.R. 5600 introduced to the U.S. Congress and titled "Children's Initiative." This legislation is designed to promote family preservation and the prevention of foster care with emphasis on families where abuse of alcohol or drugs is present, to improve the quality and…

Drawing on census and survey data from 1940 to 1990, this book offers an overview of the dramatic transformations in American childhood over the past 50 years and presents the case for overhauling national child welfare policies. The first chapter examines the life course of children and provides an introduction to the remainder of the book.…

This study analyzes the day care-related perceptions of a group of low-income women who voluntarily enrolled their children in group day care in order to obtain or maintain employment, and explores the employment experiences of these women. Face-to-face unstructured interviews were conducted by trained black or Hispanic interviewers with 157 New…