Families are experts in their own experiences, and their perspectives can help improve programs. This Office for Planning, Research and Evaluation toolkit provides practical strategies, tools, and resources for gathering and using family feedback to strengthen Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and child support services. TANF program leaders, frontline staff, and partners can use these resources to meaningfully engage families, improve service delivery, and ensure programs better reflect the needs and priorities of the communities they serve.

This Office of Family Assistance webpage is a directory of free resources available for Temporary Assistance for Needy (TANF) block grant programs and other federal workforce development programs. This 2025 edition of the Catalog includes 24 identified toolkits that were published by federal agencies, state agencies, research organizations, and workforce stakeholders. Each featured resource aligns with ACF priorities and uplifts the presidential administration’s streamlining of fragmented workforce development programs that have been historically too disconnected from propelling workers into secure, well-paying, and high-need American jobs. They include information on collaborating with employers, strengthening registered apprenticeship programs, linking community college or job training into sequential credentials, starting a Career Pathways initiative, and engaging state, local, and county partners.

This case study from the American Institutes for Research looks at how Indiana is using intermediaries – organizations that connect employers, schools, and other partners – to expand access to high-quality work-based learning. The study addresses a common challenge: schools and employers may both support work-based learning, but often lack the staff, time, relationships, or infrastructure needed to coordinate opportunities at scale.

For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs, Indiana’s experience offers a practical model for thinking about who can play the “connector” role between participants and employers. Intermediaries can reduce the burden on individual organizations, coordinate employer relationships, provide shared tools and supports, and help translate policy into day-to-day practice. These lessons may be useful for TANF programs seeking stronger work-based learning, apprenticeship, or employer partnerships without having to build every piece of the system themselves.

Technology jobs can offer strong opportunities for career growth, but training alone does not guarantee that participants will find and keep employment. This MDRC report examines strategies for helping people from underserved communities enter technology careers, including the supports and partnerships needed to make these pathways work.

For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners, the resource offers ideas for connecting participants to growing fields while navigating the barriers that can make technology careers difficult to access. It can help practitioners think about training alongside career coaching, employer connections, and other supports that help participants move from learning new skills to securing employment. The findings can also inform partnerships with workforce programs and employers seeking to create more accessible pathways into technology careers.

Career-Connected Learning in Maryland helps students understand how what they learn in school connects to future education, training, and careers. This webpage can provide knowledge about apprenticeships and career-connected learning experiences available in Maryland and how the state supports industry-led experiences that prepare young people for the workforce. There is also guidance on planning for education and life after high school, as well as how students can earn industry-recognized credentials that open doors to competitive careers.

For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners, this resource can support conversations with young parents and families about education, training, and career planning. Information about apprenticeships, industry-recognized credentials, and career-connected learning can help TANF practitioners make more targeted referrals and connect families with opportunities that lead to competitive careers. It can also help TANF programs and their workforce partners strengthen relationships with schools, employers, and training providers so young people receive support as they prepare for life after high school.

The newly renovated Career Pathways: Catalog of Toolkits webpage offers an improved user experience and makes it easier to find workforce development resources. Developed by the Office of Family Assistance, the 2025 catalog features 24 toolkits from federal and state agencies, research organizations, and workforce stakeholders. Each resource supports career pathways and aligns with Administration for Children and Families priorities, including efforts to streamline fragmented workforce programs and connect workers with secure, well-paying jobs in high-need fields.

For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners and workforce partners, the catalog provides practical guidance on collaborating with employers, strengthening registered apprenticeships, connecting community college and job training to sequential credentials, launching career pathways initiatives, and engaging state, local, and county partners. The updated webpage helps users quickly identify tools that fit their TANF program goals, participant needs, and local workforce opportunities.

Skills-based hiring is intended to help employers focus more on what people can actually do and less on traditional requirements such as degrees or years of experience. But making that approach work requires a clear understanding of which skills are needed for a job. This resource from the American Institutes for Research looks at how four states are working to define job-related skills in a consistent, evidence-based way. The effort focuses on public benefits specialist roles, making the lessons especially relevant to government agencies.

The resource is especially useful because it moves beyond the idea of “skills-based” hiring and looks at the foundational work needed to make it practical. By defining skills based on how jobs are performed, states can create more consistent approaches to hiring, career development, and workforce planning. For TANF agencies, these lessons can support both stronger internal workforces and more informed conversations with participants about the skills they can build and demonstrate in the labor market.

Access to education and training does not automatically translate into a good job. People also need help figuring out which opportunities make sense for their goals, how to pay for training, what credentials employers value, and what steps can lead to a sustainable career. This National Skills Coalition factsheet focuses on career navigation as an important part of making Workforce Pell work for students and workers. It highlights the role states can play in connecting people with information and support as they move through education and workforce systems.

Career navigation can make workforce referrals more useful by helping people move beyond simply identifying a training program to understanding how that program fits into a longer-term career pathway. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners can use the resource to think about stronger partnerships with workforce agencies, education providers, and employers, as well as the supports participants may need before, during, and after training. The broader lesson is important for TANF: connecting someone to a program is only the beginning; helping them understand where that opportunity can lead can make the pathway to employment much more meaningful.

States across the country are finding new ways to connect child support participants with employment opportunities. This federal webpage highlights child support-led employment programs operating across the country and the services they provide to help parents find and keep jobs. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs can use these examples to identify promising practices, strengthen partnerships with child support agencies, and expand employment supports for families.

Steady employment benefits both parents and children. This National Conference of State Legislatures resource highlights how child support agencies are partnering with workforce programs to connect parents with employment services that can improve earnings and increase their ability to support their families. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners can use these examples to strengthen partnerships with child support and workforce agencies while helping participants access employment opportunities that promote long-term financial stability.