This brief summarizes potential federal funding sources and programs that can be used to address barriers facing young parents and families, such as unemployment, disruption to education, financial instability, and lack of child care access, parenting experience, or family supports. Programs listed include, but are not limited to, TANF, SNAP, SSBG, Medicaid/Children’s Health Insurance Program, Child Care Development Block Grant, WIOA, and the Family First Prevention Services Act Prevention Funds.

The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (ETA) will host a webinar on January 8, 2021 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET which will discuss their process for exploring vendor capacity to develop a state level holistic case management system across Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) partner programs. WIOA requires that American Job Center (AJC) partners support aligning technology and data systems to improve service delivery. Stakeholders, including workforce practitioners, local and state government representatives, ETA program operations professionals, and information technology professionals from AJC partners, are invited to participate in the discussion and ask questions. Presenters will include the Administrator and the Enterprise Program Advisor of the Office of Workforce Investment at the ETA.

The Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin at Madison hosted a webinar on December 2, 2020, which covered father-specific parenting programs targeting expectant and new fathers and young, low-income, and unmarried fathers. Presenters highlighted peer-to-peer programming for new fathers led by the African American Breastfeeding Network; a Dads Matters effort that brings fathers into perinatal home visiting programs; and the work of the Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative that offers father-focused legal, health, and education services and parenting support.

This Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) publication includes the agency’s “National Guidelines for Behavioral Health Crisis Care: Best Practice Toolkit” as well as papers covering crisis services. The toolkit highlights clinical and health services research, an assessment of program practices nationally, and best practice approaches. The accompanying papers cover a range of issues pertaining to crisis services, including overall service delivery, behavioral health crisis care for homeless populations, the use of technology addressing substance use, legal issues impacting crisis services, financing crisis services, diverse populations, improving child and adolescent crisis systems, crisis services in rural communities, and the role of law enforcement.

The U.S. Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education published a Request for Information (RFI) on Expanding Work-Based Learning Opportunities for Youth. This RFI supported efforts to implement the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 and the amended Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V). The RFI solicited information on approaches to expand work-based learning, including paid internships, work study, cooperative education, apprenticeships, and pre-apprenticeships. The input received was useful to support lessening the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on youth employment. Input can be provided by states, tribes, state and local educational agencies, community-based and other nonprofit organizations, employers, industry associations, philanthropic organizations, faith-based organizations, researchers, and other engaged stakeholders. Responses to the RFI were due by January 13, 2021.

REDF will host a free virtual Lab for Employment Social Enterprise Leaders from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. PT on December 11, 2020, January 15, 2021, and February 19, 2021 (participants will have an opportunity to sign up for one of these three event dates). Geared toward leaders of employment social enterprises, this lab will offer an overview of REDF’s Accelerator program and will help participants assess their interest in applying for this program when the application cycle resumes in February 2021. The lab will also provide leaders with networking opportunities and will support them in setting goals and identifying stakeholder needs.

This report offers key considerations on how to develop and evaluate direct cash transfer programs (DCTP) for youth experiencing homelessness. In designing a DCTP program in New York City, these considerations include centering on youth, boosting housing stability, flexibility in the implementation of delivery of payment and support systems, and identifying barriers to program success. This report’s findings are based on a literature review of DCTPs; focus groups with youth experiencing homelessness and a range of other stakeholders beyond affected youth; and a co-interpretation workshop with stakeholders, including young people, government agency representatives, funders, and advocates.

This issue brief explores the need for expanding the early care and education workforce. The brief highlights the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Initiative in 20 states, which provides scholarships to teachers and child care providers interested in improving their formal professional credentials. The brief also discusses approaches to increase the wages and benefits that early care and education providers can offer their staff. There is also a section on improving working conditions in the field that includes coaching and professional development for teachers. In addition, the brief offers support to providers in sustaining their child care businesses with curricula on fiscal management, marketing, and personnel management.

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation report, a summary of the Job Search Assistance (JSA) Strategies Evaluation, compares the effectiveness of different approaches for finding and keeping jobs among individuals applying for or receiving assistance under TANF. The report reviews findings from three sites: Genesee and Wayne Counties in Michigan; New York City; and Sacramento County, California. In each of these sites, TANF applicants or recipients were randomly assigned to one of two programs that provided employment-related services. The study measured outcome differences (in public benefit receipt, employment, and earnings) between people assigned to each of the two programs in each site. The report’s findings address three key questions regarding the frequency, mode, and content of the employment-related services for the TANF recipients in the two programs; the two programs’ impacts on employment and earnings; and the effects on receipt of TANF and SNAP due to participation in the two programs.

This new webinar series entitled Moving Upstream: Transforming Systems to Advance Well-Being will examine structural barriers to and opportunities for moving to a coordinated system of services to support and strengthen families. The first webinar in the series will occur on January 14, 2021 from 1:15 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. ET. The webinar will examine how housing and economic mobility programs can coordinate to promote child and family well-being. Presenters will include representatives from Mercy Housing, Casey Family Services, Compass Working Capital, and Abt Associates.