Based on provisions in the Affordable Care Act, approximately 180,000 youth who have aged out of the foster care system are eligible for extended health care coverage through age 26. However, only 13 states have made Medicaid coverage available to all former foster youth residing in that state. This brief from the National Center for Children in Poverty explores the health needs of youth in and aging out of foster care, restrictions applied by states, and recommendations that may help legislators remove barriers to access.

The Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing study suggests that fathers are more likely to struggle with depression when they do not have full-time employment, live apart from their children, have children with two or more women, or have been incarcerated. This tip sheet from the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse helps fatherhood programs best serve fathers who may be dealing with depression.

This paper from Two Dollars a Day examines the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) and other sources of data, including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) records, school reports of homeless children, and utilization of charitable emergency food programs. These data sources have been consistently showing a decline in conditions for America’s poorest families.

This paper from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Library examines the potential of work-based learning programs. These programs may provide a bridge into careers, and their benefits are especially notable for youth at risk, or those most likely to face obstacles in accessing jobs and educational opportunities. This paper highlights tools to help attract employers to work-based learning programs, with an emphasis on youth at risk.

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) Grantee Products is a virtual resource center designed to support the needs of workforce development practitioners. It is a curated collection of specialized products and materials that were developed from a wide range of ETA-funded sources.

This collection of resources from the Annie E. Casey Foundation focuses on the millions of youth aged 16-24 who are out of school and not working. The resources can help policymakers and practitioners serve this population, often referred to as disconnected youth.

This infographic from MDRC highlights their Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency (BIAS) project. The BIAS project demonstrated the importance and usefulness of applying behavioral insights to improve the efficiency of human services programs. Some of these insights included social influence, deadlines, loss aversion, and personalization.

The Youth Summer Jobs Community of Practice from WorkforceGPS provides an online platform for workforce professionals, employers, and other stakeholders to learn and share information about summer employment experiences and opportunities. The website includes blog posts, discussions, and a resource library.

This tool from the Annie E. Casey Foundation provides an assessment and planning resources to help nonprofits evaluate their parent engagement efforts and create stronger partnerships with parents and caregivers.

This brief, published in November 2015, is one of a series in the Heartland Alliance’s National Initiatives on Poverty and Economic Opportunity’s WIOA Planning and Implementation Toolkit. WIOA prioritizes services to older and out-of-school youth, as these youth will likely face additional barriers to employment and have different services needs as compared to younger and in-school youth. As TANF agencies consider their role in summer jobs programming and other opportunities for youth, this brief provides lessons learned around practical program design and recommendations for serving this priority population in the context of WIOA.