AFDC Welfare work strategies have been implemented to help AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) recipients secure unsubsidized employment. Reviews research on employment programs for AFDC clients and highlights the respective advantages of these programs. Suggests program changes to improve welfare work strategies. (Author/ABB)

Noting the while there may be much support for the principle that families on welfare should have access to 2 years of education and training and then be expected to work, this paper contends that it will be extremely difficult, perhaps impossible, to design a coherent and constructive program within the probable federal budget constraints. In…

Reviews "Losing Ground: American Social Policy, 1950-1980" by Charles Murray. Murray believes federal social welfare programs sap the moral fiber of poor Americans by eliminating a negative incentive for them to work at low paying jobs. Criticizes Murray's position, citing the importance of positive as well as negative incentives for…

Presents the results of a national study examining effectiveness of employment- and education-focused welfare-to-work programs. Considers the implications for community colleges, particularly training for quick employment versus stable jobs that pay a living wage. Concludes that, compared with other institutions, community colleges have the most…

Reports that since the passage of the Welfare Reform Act in 1996, community colleges have invested time and money to create programs that ensure the successful transition of welfare recipients to self-sufficient workers. Cites recent resources on the efforts of educators to improve the status of welfare recipients, particularly in the two-year…

Considers the effects of internal and external constituencies on the role of welfare reform in community colleges. Describes how Modesto Junior College (California) built partnerships with county and state employment, social services, welfare, and other agencies to develop effective job-training programs. (NB)

Discusses community colleges and welfare-to-work programs from a rural perspective, specifically in Illinois. Examines the barriers to rural welfare recipients in terms of job placement, benefits of collaborative efforts, and importance of education and training. (Contains 11 references.) (AUTH/NB)

Focuses on the development and implementation of a customer service call center training program, implemented by Metropolitan Community Colleges (Missouri) to assist welfare recipients overcome the obstacles facing them in the workplace. Discusses components of the program, and its effects on both the consumer and the corporate community. (AUTH/NB)

This brief is one in a series on children and welfare reform that explores how states and communities can achieve the adult-focused goals of welfare reform and enhance the well-being of young children. Arguing that deliberate policy, program, fiscal, and collaborative strategies are needed to strengthen basic supports, promote young children's…

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)

Presents the story of how a New York county and community college collaborated to create a methodology for welfare reform. Describes the program as stressing the need for mental health and substance abuse program integration, as well as a methodology that includes the entire family unit. (NB)

Suggests ways to improve child support enforcement. Getting the child support system out of the courts to the extent possible and providing government guarantees of child support are two types of proposals that must be considered. A final necessity is increasing welfare benefits to a subsistence level. (SLD)

Children's poverty rate in the United States, over 20%, exceeds that of all industrialized nations except Australia. This interdisciplinary book examines the impact of changing public policies on children. Section 1 gives a current and historical overview of children in poverty. Sections 2 through 5 address arenas of possible change from policy…