Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for low-income disabled children are back in the news. Unfortunately, the program is being subject to some sharp criticism that is based on misunderstanding of key issues related to SSI for poor children with disabilities. Discussion and debates concerning this program should be rooted in facts and data; therefore, the Center on Budget Policy and Priorities presents in this report basic facts about the program and try to clear up some significant misunderstandings.

Mathematica's family support experts recently completed the Building Strong Families (BSF) evaluation. Sponsored by the Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the project used a random assignment research design to test eight voluntary programs that offer relationship skills education and other support services to unwed couples who are expecting or have just had a baby. After three years, the study showed that BSF had no effect on the quality of couples' relationships and did not make them more likely to stay together or get married.

WorkforceOne held a Webinar presentation walking through the CareerOneStop online center. CareerOneStop is a suite of tools to help job seekers explore careers, investigate salary and benefit information, research education and training opportunities, plan a job search and browse job sites, write and improve resumes and cover letters, prepare for a job interview, and search for jobs. In addition, the CareerOneStop Web site provides links to workforce and labor market information Web sites that contain local information resources and tools.

This toolkit is a step-by-step guide to designing and implementing employee learning and career advancement projects for frontline workers. Created by Jobs for the Future, the toolkit is a guidebook for job-site practitioners of workforce development: human resources managers, staff developers, and others responsible for employee learning through union-based programs, community colleges, technical schools, and community-based organizations. The toolkit is organized to serve newcomers to work-based earning and those with prior experience but seeking to learn more. It is also a resource for those seeking effective models on specific topics, such as designing curricula based on work objectives or training supervisors to coach or mentor frontline workers. While these resources and examples originate in health care, they are readily adaptable to other work settings and occupations.

The United States Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Defense's Office of Diversity Management and Equal Opportunity, launched the 2013 Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) database, a recruitment resource for employers seeking a diverse workforce that includes employees with disabilities. The database contains profiles of postsecondary students and recent graduates with disabilities, including veterans, representing a wide variety of academic backgrounds and degree levels. More than 20 federal government agencies regularly utilize the WRP as a recruiting source, with more than 6,500 students obtaining federal employment since 1995.

J. Michael Collins, director of the Center for Financial Security, explains some of the efforts behind getting more low-income people to save money and talks about the challenges in developing good policy and helpful financial products for the under-banked population.

A Pew Research Center Report issued on November 5, 2012, found that young adults set records for high-school and college degrees. Record shares of young adults ages 25 to 29 in 2012 have completed a high-school education and obtained a four-year college degree, in part as a result of the weak job market during and since the recent recession. College completion rates have also risen to record levels among key demographic groups, including men, women, blacks, whites, Hispanics, immigrants, and native-born Americans.

The "Annual Statistical Report on Children in Foster Homes and Children in Families Receiving Payments in Excess of the Poverty Income Level from a State Program (Funded Under Part A of Title IV of the Social Security Act)" is now available for fiscal year 2012 through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families' Office of Family Assistance. This information can be identified by State and/or territory. This report is required annually of all State agencies administering or supervising administration of TANF and child welfare programs.

The federal child-care subsidy program represents one of the government’s largest investments in early care and education, but little is known about whether it increases low-income children’s access to higher quality child care. This study used newly available nationally representative data on 4-year-old children (N = 750) to investigate whether subsidy receipt elevates child-care quality. Results indicate that subsidy recipients use higher quality care compared to nonrecipients who use no other publicly funded care, but lower quality care compared to nonrecipients who instead use Head Start or public pre-k. Findings suggest that subsidies may have the potential to enhance care quality but that parents who use subsidies are not accessing the highest quality care available to low-income families. (author abstract)