This report presents key findings from a review of data focusing on child care arrangements among people who have left welfare. Most states have conducted studies of former welfare recipients using administrative data, surveys of welfare leavers, or a combination of the two. Data from these surveys indicate that most people who have left welfare…

This study examines the status of former welfare recipients in the District of Columbia (DC), highlighting families who left Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) in the last quarter of 1997 and of 1998. Researchers used data from the DC Department of Human Services and interviews with people who left in 1998. Between 1997-99, DC's cash…

This 1999 study assessed whether laws protecting low-income people's rights were being followed and whether people on public assistance were receiving appropriate information about child care. Surveys of 92 parents, predominantly women, indicated that most were concerned about being sanctioned if they were unable to work (often because their…

This statistical fact book was developed to help New York State communities and child advocates learn how their county compares with others in the following areas: (1) number of children living in poverty; (2) number of children living in poor households; (3) number of families needing, and number receiving, child care subsidies; (4) number of…

This report examines what factors, besides funding and eligibility, affect whether eligible low-income parents who know they can get a child care subsidy actually use one. Data come from subsidy agency administrators, child care experts and caseworkers, parents, and providers at 17 sites in 12 states in 1999 as part of a case study project. This…

This paper examined the extent to which families faced hardships in moving from welfare to work, highlighting: families who received Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) during the last month of the Survey of Income and Program Participation or the National Survey of American Families; families who received other public assistance in the…

This brief summarizes the report, "Getting and Retaining Child Care Assistance: How Policy and Practice Influence Families' Experiences," examining subsidy policies and practices that affect subsidy utilization, including those that affect every interaction the parent has with the subsidy agency and those that affect the ease of applying…

This 2000 study re-evaluated the type of child care information given to parents on public assistance by caseworkers. It assessed whether laws protecting low-income parents' rights were being followed and whether people on public assistance were receiving appropriate information about child care. The study was a follow up to a 1999 study.…

This report examines the use of child care vouchers in January 1998 by Illinois and Maryland families who were current or former recipients of cash assistance; also examined are changes between January 1997 and January 1998 in voucher use by children who were ever connected to cash assistance. Information was obtained through administrative data…

"Confronting the New Politics of Child and Family Policy in the United States" is an 18-month project designed to help states, local government, and the voluntary sector as they respond to the social policy debates and changes precipitated by the 104th Congress. The project's main vehicle, aside from exploratory and analytic work, is a series of…

Drawing on the major implications for the future of child care across the country due to recent welfare reform, this report examines the many options that policymakers may consider and presents recommendations for policy choices that address both workforce development and child development issues. Key child care issues related to implementing the…

This brief updates an overview of welfare benefits and services in Texas in 1997, when House Bill 1863 and the federal Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 first went into effect. Since 1997, Texas and 12 other states from the Assessing the New Federalism study have implemented many changes in social safety net…

This brief examines changes in Florida's welfare-to-work, child care, and child welfare systems since 1997, presenting information from visits conducted in 1999 and 2000. It profiles Florida's population, economy, and politics, reviewing its income support and social services safety net. Three sections detail current policies and recent changes in…

This brief summarizes information collected during visits to Massachusetts in 1999 and 2000 to document changes and progress since 1997, updating a 1997 report on the state's benefits and services and the economic and political context shaping Massachusetts' agenda for serving low-income families. It profiles Massachusetts' economy and population,…

This brief examines changes in Washington's welfare-to-work, child care, and child welfare systems since 1997, presenting information from visits to Washington in 1999 and 2000. It profiles Washington's demographic, economic, and political conditions, reviewing its income support and social services systems and highlighting recent changes,…