This report from the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation describes the implementation of the Tribal Home Visiting Program, which utilizes an evidence-based, two-generation approach. The report includes information about the technical assistance provided to support grantees, recommendations for legislative or administrative action to improve services, and more aspects of the program.

In the United States, there are 1.2 million American Indian and Alaska Native individuals under age 25. This website from the National Congress of American Indians highlights their year-round, ongoing programs for Native Youth.

This brief from Health Affairs discusses opportunities through Medicaid to address supportive housing needs. In addition, the brief highlights other tools provided by the Affordable Care Act that can support individuals with disabilities living in community settings.

This report documents the implementation infrastructure of Personal Responsibility Education Program evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention programs in four states--California, Maine, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina. Analysis of the programs implementation infrastructure showed that the four states differed in size; the role grantees took in supporting implementation, resources, and the settings in which the program operated. Despite that, states had similarities in how they:

• worked with providers before and in the early stages of implementation;
• formed a pool of qualified trainers to train program facilitators and provide ongoing technical assistance;
• went beyond federal performance measures requirements; and
• established communication and feedback loops to facilitate data gathering, data sharing, and identification of lessons learned. (author abstract)

The Arkansas Career Pathways Initiative (CPI) uses TANF funds to provide support services to over 30,000 qualifying students enrolled in occupational programs at Arkansas community and technical colleges. This issue brief from the National Skills Coalition highlights key elements of the successful model, as well as challenges that may impact these types of career pathways programs.

Ramsey County, Minnesota’s welfare counselors draft long-term employment plans for their clients. Instead of pushing clients into getting the first available job, they create plans that are broken down into manageable steps. This article from Governing Magazine highlights this innovative approach and its benefits.

This five-minute video from the Urban Institute briefly discusses important facts related to child poverty. For instance, poverty affects children of all races, but in terms of persistent poverty, the racial gap is more apparent. The video concludes by providing strategies to break the cycle of poverty among children.

With a total of 2.2 million incarcerated people in the United States, a collateral cost seems to be low levels of educational attainment. Among state prisoners, the average level of education is 10.4 years of schooling; similarly, over two-thirds of this population lack a high school diploma. This report from CLASP presents suggestions to improve training during and after incarceration that aim to increase educational and employment opportunities of reentering citizens.

Health services have been a priority for Head Start since its inception and remain a core need for the more than 1 million children enrolled in Head Start and Early Head Start programs each year.

Drawing on survey data from 73% of Head Start and Early Head Start program health managers, the 2012-2013 Head Start Health Manager Descriptive Study explores the context and delivery of health-related activities and programming for Head Start and Early Head Start programs. This is the first study to look at the role of the health manager in nearly 20 years.

The report also reveals the insights and needs of staff who implement health components. Health managers are well-credentialed, with two-thirds holding at least a bachelor's degree and 86% reporting a health-related educational background. They describe their work as demanding but fulfilling, requiring coordination with program staff and community stakeholders, as well as the trust of Head Start families. Most cite a need for ongoing training and professional development in evidence-based health services and more streamlined access to standards and resources. These and other insights should help inform program managers to better support these front-line professionals. (author abstract)

This report presents findings from the Systems Change Analysis of the 27 non-tribal HPOG grantees funded in 2010, which operated 49 programs. This study addresses the major research question: What changes to the service delivery system are associated with program implementation? This report considers the following topics:

•  Inclusion of partners and stakeholders in HPOG networks;

•  Roles and responsibilities of partners and stakeholders;

•  Changes in collaboration within HPOG networks during the grant period;

•  HPOG networks, local labor markets, and employer perspectives;

•  Effectiveness and sustainability of programs and network relationships; and

•  Lessons and policy implications.

The Systems Change Analysis represents one of the first efforts to evaluate comprehensively the systems that can support career-pathways-based training programs for low-income adults. While this analysis is exploratory, it takes an initial step toward understanding systems change for training programs and offers some key lessons for future efforts as well as policy implications. (Author abstract)