A study examined the use of, and the need for, the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act funding reserves for sex equity programs and programs for displaced homemakers, single parents, and single pregnant women. Of 34 local program operators interviewed, 17 received sex equity grants, and 22 received displaced homemaker,…

A study conducted a questionnaire survey of 70 refugee women in Illinois and 2 service provider focus groups to assess the effects of welfare changes on refugee women and to identify barriers to workforce participation. Survey findings were that refugee women in the workforce are concentrated in low-wage jobs and do not earn enough income to move…

Rising maternal employment, welfare reform, and increased preschool enrollment contribute to accelerating family demand for child care in California, and federal and state governments have responded by doubling support for child care and preschool programs between 1996 and 1999. However, there is little information available on how child care…

Riverside Community College (RCC), in Riverside, California, launched New Visions in 1999, a program designed to help welfare recipients prepare for college and move to better jobs. The program is a partnership between RCC and the Riverside Department of Public Social Services (DPSS). New Visions provides a 24-week program of academic instruction…

Current debates about welfare reform center on the upcoming reauthorization of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) legislation. The provisions of TANF include the elimination of the entitlement to cash assistance, block grant funding to the states, mandatory work requirements, sanctions, a 5-year limit on cash assistance, and…

Connecticut's Jobs First program, which began operating in January 1996, combines a time limit on welfare receipt with generous financial work incentives and requires recipients to participate in employment-related services targeted toward rapid job placement. The impacts of the Jobs First program were examined by following several thousand…

San Francisco Works (SFWorks) is a collaborative welfare-to-work project conducted by a coalition of large San Francisco-area employers, the city's Chamber of Commerce, and the United Way of the Bay Area. The project was piloted beginning in March 1998 by contracting with five community-based organizations (CBOs) to provide a comprehensive range…

This report focuses on key findings, recommendations, and cross-site analysis of a study of vocational education practices that support welfare reform by preparing individuals for workforce entry. An introduction describes study methodology. Chapter 2 provides an overview of differences between vocational education under the Carl D. Perkins…

This report focuses on total welfare enrollments in two-year colleges and the enrollments in four new WorkFirst training programs that started in fall 1998. The new programs initiate a wage and skill progression strategy that gets WorkFirst students started in better jobs than they could find without training and helps them to advance in…

The General Accounting Office (GAO) examined worksite-based activities currently in place to help recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) develop the skills required for successful transition to unsubsidized employment. Data were collected from the following sources: (1) data reported by states to the Department of Health and…

This report examines implementation and impacts of Ramsey County's Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP), a "work first" program. Chapter 1 lists key findings, provides an overview of the Ramsey County variant (MFIP-R) evaluation, and policy relevance of MFIP-R. Chapter 2 describes key features of MFIP-R and compares them with…

This packet, which was developed as part of the Earned Income Credit Campaign 2000, contains an information booklet, a guide to outreach strategies, and accompanying materials to raise low-income workers' awareness of the Earned Income Credit (EIC) and other tax credits available to low-income taxpayers. The following are among the topics…

The paper addresses the impact of welfare reform on the community college and discusses how community colleges are responding to this important social and economic issue. One of the main tenants of the 1996 Welfare Reform Bill is to shift the responsibility for welfare to the states, requiring that half of all able-bodied recipients find work by…

This report presents findings about emerging approaches to enhance the well-being of young children and families in the context of welfare reform. Information on programs and initiatives was obtained from nomination forms sent to over 300 key informants, including child care officials, Head Start collaboration directors, governors' early childhood…

Claims that children of color are disproportionately represented in the child welfare system and links this condition to the Flemming Rule implemented during the Eisenhower administration. Suggests that the Flemming Rule, although intended to be constructive, was negatively implemented, leading to long-term serious consequences for African…