Parents who work outside the home have always faced challenges finding high-quality, affordable child care that meets their needs. But the COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating consequences for the child care industry and parents’ attachment to the labor force. WorkRise, a research-to-action network on jobs, workers, and mobility hosted by the Urban Institute, held a webinar on July 12, 2022, which covered the following questions: What are the long-term implications of child care challenges for workers, families, and the economy? How have these challenges exacerbated labor market inequalities and barriers to upward mobility? What solutions are needed for families and the economy to thrive, and what role should public policy, employer practices, and advocacy play in providing them?

A growing body of research has begun to change understandings of how toxic environments can affect young people, particularly African American boys and young men. The Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin at Madison hosted a webinar on August 17, 2022, during which professors Noni Gaylord-Harden (Texas A&M University), Jocelyn Smith Lee (University of North Carolina at Greensboro), and Alvin Thomas (University of Wisconsin at Madison) spoke about risk and protective factors for youth exposed to poverty, racism, and violence. The speakers also noted how research, policy, and practice can incorporate these lessons. A video recording of the webinar is available for downloading.

The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration will host a webinar on September 21, 2022 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET which will focus on transforming the public workforce system by using data to support the economic mobility of historically marginalized communities in training, programs, policies, and initiatives. Presenters include representatives from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Policy Development and Research, the city of Phoenix, Arizona, and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

This year’s publication describes how children in America are in the midst of a mental health crisis, struggling with anxiety and depression at unprecedented levels. It presents national and state data across four domains — economic well-being, education, health and family and community — and ranks states in overall child well-being. The report includes pre-pandemic figures as well as more recent statistics, and shares the latest information of its kind available.

The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Office of Workforce Investment held a webinar on August 11, 2022 to support the workforce system’s understanding of the complex issues around substance use disorder and help them reach and assist individuals and businesses impacted by opioid addiction. Guest speakers from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services shared an overview of "Strategies for Serving Individuals Impacted by Opioid Use Disorder: A Toolkit for Ohio’s Public Workforce System." The Toolkit is designed to guide and support Workforce Boards and workforce development professionals as they implement policies, processes, and services. It is built around the following key pillars of success: Strong Local Partnerships; Holistic Care Management; Steps to Success; Recovery-Friendly Workplaces; and Knowledgeable Staff. Transcripts of the webinar and the Toolkit are available for downloading.

Frontline workers recently rated job growth and learning opportunities in the top three things they want in a job. Many workers, however, receive little, if any, training from their employers. This lack of investment in workers’ skills impedes workers’ opportunities for advancement, trapping many in a cycle of dead-end, low-quality jobs where women and people of color make up a disproportionate number of workers. Businesses that invest in workers’ skills development and design jobs with work-based learning (WBL) opportunities, however, offer a more promising path.

When designed well, work-based learning provides a number of benefits to workers and businesses. WBL approaches such as apprenticeship, on-the-job training, and other forms of employer-sponsored training can offer workers the opportunity for upward mobility and the chance to earn and learn at the same time while employers gain a more engaged and skilled workforce. The Aspen Institute will host a webinar on September 14, 2022 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. ET, during which presenters will discuss the following questions: How can businesses design jobs that include quality work-based learning that improves opportunity for workers and business outcomes? What barriers and opportunities do employers face in creating apprenticeship and other work-based learning models, particularly for front-line workers? What can we do to equitably expand work-based learning to workers who need it the most?

Supporting healthy development begins in early childhood. To support their children and optimize family well-being, parents need access to high-quality early care and education (ECE) services, as well as support for broader family needs, such as nutrition, home visiting, parenting skills, or employment. ACF sponsored the Assessing Models of Coordinated Services (AMCS) study to deepen understanding of programs, groups, agencies, or organizations that coordinate ECE with other health and human services (referred to in this report as coordinated services approaches). This report describes the study’s qualitative data collection, presents models of coordinated services at the state and local level, and reports findings about state and local coordinated services approaches.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the way many human services agencies operated. The stress, trauma, and grief caused by the pandemic prompted agencies to rethink how they engaged with and supported their clients. It also forced agencies to experiment with new approaches to address persistent stress and trauma experienced by their own staff. This Mathematica podcast brings together research experts and leaders of human services programs to discuss trends that have emerged in human services agencies during the pandemic.

Student loan forgiveness is one way to recognize the important work of the human services workforce and to motivate individuals to join or remain in public service professions. Employees of a federal, state, or local tribal government agency or a non-profit are eligible for federal loan forgiveness after making 120 payments. The 15-year-old U.S. Department of Education’s Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF) has been overhauled to expand eligibility and make it easier to navigate. This important fix allows more federal student loan borrowers to easily access PSLF and obtain the relief the program promised. These changes are time limited. Some borrowers will need to consolidate their federal loans and/or submit a PSLF form by October 31, 2022 to take advantage of this opportunity.

ACF has created the PSLF landing page that includes resources with information on eligibility and tools for getting the word out. The page includes a recording of the March 31 webinar hosted by the Office of Early Childhood Development in partnership with the Department of Education, attended by over 17,000 early educators. This recording, as well as PDFs and Frequently Asked Questions, are also housed on the site. 

Many fatherhood programs aim to or are required to include programming that supports healthy coparenting and romantic relationships through skill building and other services. However, despite the importance of supporting these healthy relationships, it can be difficult to do so in practice. This brief identifies three barriers fatherhood programs often face when addressing healthy relationships with fathers: engaging fathers in romantic relationship content, determining and implementing approaches for coparent engagement in relationship education, and providing support for fathers navigating legal systems and agencies that can affect their coparenting relationships. It also provides three resources that offer strategies fatherhood programs can use to address these barriers and better support fathers’ healthy relationships.