This toolkit is intended to help states create career pathways systems that integrate and expand partnerships between state human service agencies and postsecondary systems and institutions so that more people who want to train for a quality career can do so. Career pathways partnerships can help community colleges and human services work better…

This document discusses a range of policy and practice options that states can undertake to increase college student access to public benefits. The Center for Law and Social Policy, Inc. (CLASP) has leveraged its hands-on policy and cross-issue technical assistance expertise to identify these options. Many states have already implemented one or…

The Minnesota Subsidized and Transitional Employment Demonstration (MSTED) is testing the effectiveness of subsidized employment for individuals enrolled in the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP), Minnesota's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, who were unable to find employment after participating in the state's existing…

Earning a college degree has long been critical to unlocking many high-paying jobs -- and, as a result, to economic mobility and security. Increasingly, however, the traditional "norm" of a college student--one who enrolls straight out of high school, receives some support from their parents, lives on campus, and does not have…

Previous literature documents a strong relationship between food insecurity and mental health, and also examines the impact of safety net programs on food insecurity. However, little is known about the intersection between mental health, safety net participation, and food insecurity. In this research, we use a multi-program safety net calculator…

The Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency (BIAS) project conducted 15 randomized controlled trials of behavioral interventions across eight states, in the domains of work support, child support, and child care. BIAS used a systematic approach called "behavioral diagnosis and design" to develop the interventions and their…

The care and education of young children in the United States is supported by nearly $40 billion yearly from a variety of sources at the federal, state, and local levels. Even so, about a quarter of 4-year-olds and half of 3-year-olds do not attend preschool, and many of those who do attend receive only poor quality services. Some programs are of…

On October 26, the House Ways and Means Committee approved a budget reconciliation bill that includes provisions to reauthorize the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. This bill provides only $500 million in new child care funding over five years, despite estimates by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) staff that keeping…

Federal rules allow states to use Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant funds to help pay for a child care tax credit. States also have the option to count a portion of the cost of a child care tax credit toward their "maintenance of effort" requirements under the TANF program. There is an important limitation on…

This document focuses on how states can use Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds to support early childhood education initiatives. It draws on CLASP's previous report, "Financing Universal Pre-Kindergarten: Possibilities and Technical Issues for States in Using Funds Under the Child Care and Development Fund and Temporary…

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,…

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…