This Resources for Welfare Decisions highlights publications that offer guidance on developing youth systems under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA). An introductory section discusses the changes WIA made to youth services; the opportunities and challenges these changes created for Youth Councils and youth service providers; states' role…

This publication is designed to help TANF [Temporary Assistance for Needy Families] agencies create specific program interventions to serve TANF recipients in place-based (in particular, housing-based) programs that help welfare recipients find and keep jobs. TANF programs increasingly serve welfare recipients with multiple barriers to steady…

West Virginia's state welfare reform plan was in effect by the end of 1997. In 1999, over 175 interviews were conducted with past and present welfare recipients to bring their experiences and concerns to the attention of the public and policymakers. Nearly all interviewees were women and were taking part in work activities. In general, welfare…

Addresses the failure of America's systems of support for homeless families, the impact of this failure on the nature of poverty across the country, and common sense options for turning failure into success. Programs must not focus on dependence today but on education to create independence for tomorrow. (SLD)

Advocates welfare reform due to unrealistic expectations placed on tribal colleges by the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program. (YKH)

The studies and policies of the U.S. Children's Bureau in the era of Progressive education benefited many children, but its emphasis on the middle-class family ideals and relative disinterest in poverty issues left a legacy with policy implications in today's climate of welfare reform. (SLD)

Single mothers' participation rates in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) in rural Mississippi were influenced by community-level characteristics: educational attainment, racial composition, employment structure, civic engagement, and spatial concentration of poverty. Particularly, TANF participation rates were higher in the Delta and…

Argues that academic skills, in addition to job skills, are crucial for taking people off the welfare rolls. Discusses postsecondary training programs and services for welfare recipients at the Community College of Aurora in Colorado. (NB)

Child care is a prevalent service need among parents of young children and a major employment option for women. Low compensation for child care teachers/providers contributes to the cycle of poverty because poor women have little access to training, education, and other avenues of career advancement. Mandatory employment for welfare recipients…

The third in a series of workshops on child care for low-income families (July 24, 1995) conceptualized directions for future research. The effect of child care on children's development was discussed in terms of: (1) child care as an intervention in the lives of low-income children; (2) the importance of capturing the dynamics of children's child…

This guide is second in a series that provides basic information about programs affecting Ohio's children; it provides a summary of key data on child care in Ohio, especially with regard to recent welfare reform. Recommendations for improvement in child care services are given in the following areas: (1) "Children Learning," including…

It is racism that has undermined the War on Poverty declared by Lyndon Johnson, and the country must come to terms with its history of racism if there is to be any hope of accomplishing welfare reform today. American social policy has continually foundered on issues of race. The antipoverty efforts begun by the Johnson administration were never…

This issue brief examines strategies that states can use to help welfare recipients with learning disabilities move toward self-sufficiency within the context of welfare reform. It defines a learning disability, explains approaches to identifying and assessing undiagnosed learning disabilities, and suggests ways to secure accommodations for…

This policy brief of the Southeastern Regional Vision for Education (SERVE) provides information for policymakers, educators, parents, and citizens on the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. The brief discusses potential effects of welfare reform on children, describes research on welfare recipients and their children,…

Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN), California's welfare reform program, provides education, job services, and support services to welfare recipients to promote self-sufficiency and eliminate welfare dependency. In 1989, a survey was conducted of all California community colleges to gather information on GAIN participants, services, and…