This report identifies the four components of youth apprenticeship programs and how they fit together to offer a set of principles for adoption that improve program quality. These distinguishing components are 1) structured and paid on-the-job learning under the supervision of skilled mentors, 2) classroom-based or technical instruction aligned to the workplace environment, 3) ongoing assessment, and 4) attainment of portable, industry-recognized credentials. To illustrate these components, the report presents the Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee (Washington State), the Charleston Regional Youth Apprenticeship program (South Carolina), and Early Care & Education Pathways to Success (California).

This issue brief reviews approaches used to engage fathers in human services at the program, organization, and systems level. Program-level approaches to promote father engagement reflect tailored recruitment and intake methods, enhancing service environments, and delivering services aligned with fathers’ goals. Organization-level fatherhood engagement includes demonstrated commitment, developing partnerships with allied organizations, and including father engagement into staff development and supervision. System-level approaches include the identification and breaking down of systemic barriers and ensuring that organizations have sufficient resources and authority needed for engaging fathers.

This research brief presents findings from a fall 2020 survey of parents in Maryland on child care needs, access to child care, continuity of care, and child care costs for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and school-age children during the COVID-19 pandemic. This survey was conducted with families who received child care scholarships and families with children enrolled with a licensed child care provider. The survey defined “continuity of care” for young children as child care with the same provider before and during the COVID-19 pandemic; “continuity of care” has been associated with decreased parental and caregiver stress and stronger family-caregiver relationships.

This set of briefs, organized by region and all 50 states and the District of Columbia, uses Census Household Pulse survey data to illustrate Child Tax Credit (CTC) receipt, payment usage, and changes in food security for families after the CTC payment was received. The survey was conducted between July 21 and August 16, 2021 when the first two CTC payments were deposited into families’ bank accounts.

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation report examines the initial impact of two versions of the Relationships Smarts PLUS program, delivered primarily to 9th graders at two Atlanta-area high schools. The two versions of Relationship Smarts PLUS were either a full 12-lesson 18-hour version, or an 8-lesson 12-hour format (designed specifically for this study). Key questions in the report pertain to the impact of HMRE on students’ relationship skills, attitudes, and knowledge beyond the end of the course and the influence on students of shortening an HMRE program.

This brief illustrates the delivery of Procedural Justice-Informed Alternatives to Contempt (PJAC) services from the perspective of case managers in six child support agencies. Procedural justice, a process-oriented model for dispute resolution, suggests that if people perceive fairness in the process, there will more likely be compliance with the outcome of the process, regardless of whether the outcome is favorable. Integrating this model into six child support agencies across the United States, the PJAC demonstration project supports noncustodial parents who are referred to the legal system for civil contempt of court and have not met child support obligations. PJAC services are used to address the reasons for nonpayment, improve the consistency in making payments, and support positive engagement with the child support agency and the custodial parent.

This report is a formative evaluation of two employment programs targeting young people who are aging out of the foster care system: iFoster Jobs in Los Angeles County and Mentoring Youth to Inspire Meaningful Employment (MY TIME) in Chicago. Key questions addressed in the report include do the programs operate in keeping with their logic models, who do the programs serve, are the program goals attained, what are the programs’ successes and challenges, and do the programs have the potential for future rigorous evaluation.

This toolkit presents a systematic approach for utilizing human-centered design and behavioral science to develop solutions to problems tied to participant engagement and participation at state SNAP E&T programs. The toolkit focuses on addressing four key engagement problems: 1) first contact (getting individuals interested in SNAP E&T when initially contacting the SNAP agency); 2) service matching (reflecting assessment and referrals of SNAP participants to E&T services and providers); 3) handoffs and navigation between agencies; and 4) reverse referrals (engaging potential SNAP participants in eligibility through E&T providers rather than through SNAP agencies). Also included in the toolkit are examples and worksheets to help SNAP agencies and partners utilize this systematic approach.

This brief identifies the strengths and challenges of New Mexico’s TANF system, based on how state and local TANF agencies engage with Hispanic families who apply for TANF cash assistance. The brief draws from a recent survey of TANF program administrators and examines language access, immigration-related issues, and strategies to enhance organizational processes, staffing, and training.

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation brief presents findings from program participant interviews conducted as part of the State TANF Case Studies project between December 2019 to March 2020. These interviews examined participant background and personal history, past and present employment experiences, program experiences, linkages and use of wraparound services, financial stability and support, and perception and assessment of the program covered by the case study. The brief highlights what participants most appreciated about the programs and how the services offered supported their goals.