The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance (OFA) has posted Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) caseload and application data for the first quarter of FY 2017 (October-December 2017). The data include families receiving assistance through state TANF and maintenance-of-effort (MOE) separate state programs (SSP). In the first quarter of FY 2017, there was a monthly average of 1.45 million families receiving TANF and SSP cash assistance, representing approximately 3.72 million recipients. The monthly average number of TANF applications received in the first quarter of FY 2017 was approximately 242,000.

The Office of Family Assistance has issued guidance that informs states of their revised State Family Assistance Grant (SFAG) amounts for fiscal years 2017 and 2018. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2017 reduced the amount of funds available for states by 0.33 percent in fiscal year 2017 and fiscal year 2018 to set aside funds for research, technical assistance, and evaluation.

Self-regulation skills, which research suggests are important for goal setting, help individuals achieve employment goals. In this report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, the self-regulation skills that have an impact on employment are discussed, as well as the ways in which environmental factors like poverty can hurt development of these skills. The report also includes advice for practitioners on how to build the self-regulation skills of program participants and highlights employment programs that have integrated skill development opportunities into their programming.

Subsidized employment programs create jobs for unemployed individuals using public funds. According to this issue brief by MDRC, these programs are helpful in challenging economic circumstances when individuals are struggling to find work, and they are also helpful to those who have barriers to employment because they allow these individuals to gain workplace experience. The brief discusses benefits of these programs and also discusses a type of subsidized employment, transitional jobs. In transitional jobs programs, individuals are offered a temporary job to build their skills and offered additional support services while they seek permanent work.

Using data from their KIDS COUNT Data Center, this post from the Annie E. Casey Foundation compares the rates of children living in high-poverty communities from 2006-2010 and from 2011-2015. Findings include that the number of children living in concentrated poverty (areas where the poverty rate is 30% or more) has increased by almost 30%. The post links to additional data at the local, state, and national level on children living in high poverty areas, including data broken down by race and ethnicity.

Many middle-skill jobs, which require some postsecondary education but not always a four-year degree, are available in the growing healthcare industry and are excellent opportunities for lower-skilled workers to develop skills and access career pathways. This report from the Urban Institute discusses employer engagement in the development of middle-skill initiatives, such as training programs, from an employer perspective. By looking at this issue from the employer perspective, workforce development programs and funders can better access the proven benefits from employer involvement in building middle-skill programs.

Connecting low-income individuals to available jobs can be a challenge when available training programs are too expensive or do not teach the skills that employers are looking for. In this podcast from MDRC, a sector-focused approach to training is discussed, which can help with these issues by making sure the available labor force receives credentials that will lead to success in the workforce. Engaging employers in the skill-building process is one facet of the WorkAdvance program, and one of the researchers evaluating this program serves as an expert discussant on the podcast.

Self-regulation, which is “the act of managing thoughts and feelings to enable goal-directed actions,” is important for all individuals but may be especially critical for adolescents and young adults. This practice brief from the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation discusses research on self-regulation and how caregivers can help support development of adolescent self-regulation, especially for youth who have been exposed to adversity. The brief also gives guidance to programs on how they can integrate supports for adolescents to assist with developing self-regulation abilities.

Investments in early childhood programs are on the rise due to a growing emphasis on their benefits for supporting childhood development. In this report, the RAND Corporation analyzes the benefits and economic returns of three early childhood interventions in New Hampshire: early home visiting, high-quality child care, and high-quality preschool. The report found that many New Hampshire children are at risk for facing early adversity and future achievement gaps, but the intervention programs studied do offer benefits. Also included are recommendations to guide State investment in early childhood programs.