The Department of Labor (DOL) Employment & Training Administration (ETA) released new features and enhancements to its range of online electronic tools (E-tools) to assist individuals in exploring careers, and preparing for and finding employment. ETA's E-tools help individuals explore career opportunities and link to job postings to make informed employment and education choices.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) released a SNAP chartbook. This chartbook highlights some of the key characteristics of the almost 47 million people using the program, as well as the data on program administration and use. It is divided into eight topic specific parts, and is intended to complement a more detailed analysis that the CBPP has released on particular aspects of SNAP.

This video was filmed during the Emphasizing Evidence-Based Programs for Children and Youth Forum which occurred in April 2012 in Washington D.C. It features a presentation from Amy Margolis, Public Health Advisor with the Office of Adolescent Health (OAH), who highlighted evidence-based programs that were found via OAH-funded research. OAH is currently funding grantees to replicate these evidence-based programs across the country.

In this podcast from the National Clearinghouse on Families and Youth, Karl Kallgren, director of the Union City Sustained Youth Development Project, discusses the youth program that has helped teen pregnancy rates drop by 20 percent in a rural Pennsylvania community.

Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago hosted this webcast, which provided information to interested stakeholders on pregnancy prevention efforts within the city of Chicago, as well as available Federal funding for efforts throughout the country. Presenters provided information from policy, programmatic, and research perspectives, and a number of practices that are currently working in the field were shared.

This issue brief authored by Child Trends examines Second Chance Homes, a newer program model, similar to maternity group homes. They serve young, unmarried mothers who can no longer live at home with their own parent. These young women are at high risk for becoming homeless, and the Second Chance Homes offer a supportive environment for raising their child(ren) while encouraging (often requiring) mothers to finish high school or obtain a GED, learn life skills, and develop parenting skills. The Administration for Children and Families provides funding for these homes through the TANF block grant, as well as other funding sources. This type of program could be a relevant referral and potential partner for TANF agencies seeking to better serve teen parents.

This issue brief, authored by the National Conference of State Legislatures, examines the needs surrounding older teens who experience unintended pregnancies. Community colleges see a high dropout rate for women who attend and then become pregnant, highlighting the fact that unplanned pregnancies often derail educational goals. An overview of Federal funding provided to States to prevent and address unplanned pregnancies is provided.

This article appears in an annual report compiled by the Center for Early Childhood Development at the University of Minnesota on coordinating systems for better child outcomes. It highlights a partnership that Ramsey County, Minnesota developed between their TANF program and their existing public health nurse home visiting program. The subsequent program model streamlines the TANF system for teen parents and provides for in-home and school- based services and supports for teen parents as they plan to attend higher education or enter the workforce after graduation or GED completion. The program boasts increased positive birth outcomes and high school/GED completion rates for teens involved in this program versus their uninvolved counterparts.

The Urban Institute recently published an article discussing the Work Support Strategies Initiative. Work Support Strategies (WSS) is a multiyear, multi-State initiative to implement reforms that help eligible low-income families get and keep a full package of work support benefits, including Medicaid, nutrition assistance (SNAP), and child care assistance. This report summarizes the lessons learned from the nine planning grant States (Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina), just one year into a four-year project. The report includes what the States did, how they overcame challenges, and how the planning year changed their strategies and capacities for the future.

The College, Career & Technology Academy Toolkit developed by Jobs for the Future, provides detailed instructions, tools, and other resources for practitioners seeking to prepare off-track, out-of-school youth for postsecondary success.