The share of low-income single mothers disconnected from work and TANF ranges from 20 to 25 percent. Most disconnected low-income single mothers experience barriers to work and most of their families live in poverty. This brief reviews what we know about the numbers and characteristics of disconnected mothers, their economic well-being, their living arrangements, and the length of time that they tend to be disconnected. The brief draws lessons for policy, including efforts for keep TANF recipients in great need from losing TANF benefits and becoming disconnected and to improve employment prospects for those with serious challenges to work. (author abstract)

In 2004, Casey Family Services underwent an organizational change to help establish permanency for children and youth with special needs in foster care called “Move to Greater Permanence” (MGP). This report details the planning, implementation, agency processes, and outcomes as a result of the organizational change. Authors provide lessons learned to help child welfare providers and human service organizations utilize when conducting similar organizational change.

This report was authored by the Brookings Institution and Urban Institute, with funding from the Annie E. Casey Foundation and First Focus. Authors review historical and current funding trends of 100 Federal programs, including TANF, Supplemental Security Income, Food Stamps, Section 8 Low-Income Housing Assistance and Low Income Home Energy Assistance, Medicaid, and Children’s Health Insurance Program. Specifically, Federal expenditures totaled $3.5 trillion in 2010, of which 11 percent ($374 billion) was devoted to children.

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Emergency Fund, which was established under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), provided funding for States to create or expand subsidized employment programs. As a result of the funding, more than 250,000 people were placed in subsidized employment. The Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services sponsored the Subsidized and Transitional Employment Demonstration (STED) project in order to evaluate subsidized employment programs, and this report presents the first phase of the evaluation. Authors provide a review of subsidized employment programs based on telephone interviews, site visits and reports.

The Economic Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture released a report to Congress stating that limited access to affordable and nutritious food is considered a contributor to obesity and disease throughout the United States. The report examines access to food throughout the United States, characteristics and causes for access levels, and effects of limited access, and suggests recommendations for increased access to food throughout the United States. The report also provides a literature review, assessment of access to supermarkets and grocery stores, and an analysis of economic and health effects related to access levels.

This Institute of Education Sciences (IES) issue brief compares demographic characteristics, 10th grade achievement levels, and plans for postsecondary education between GED recipients, high school graduates, and high school dropouts without a GED. The IES also reveals GED recipients’ reported reasons for leaving high school and their motivation to obtain a GED.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation released the 22nd annual Kids Count Data Book, which profiles the status of children on a national and State basis and provides rankings of States on 10 measures of well-being. The 10 measures include low birth weight babies, infant mortality, child deaths, teen deaths, teen births, teens not in school, teens not in school or not working, children in single parent homes, children in homes below the poverty line, and children in homes with parents who do not have full-time employment.

One of every 45 American children, about 1.6 million children total, is homeless every year. This amounts to 4,400 homeless children per day and 30,000 homeless children per week. The National Center on Family Homelessness has updated its previous reports documenting child homelessness; this 2010 report outlines the definition of homelessness and provides each State’s ranking of child homelessness, child well-being, child’s risk of homelessness, and the State’s policy and planning efforts. Homelessness greatly affects children’s health, education levels, and education opportunities. After providing a profile of each State’s rankings, the report provides a call to action for the United States.

GED diplomas account for about 12 percent of high school degrees earned in the United States. More than half of GED test credential recipients cite postsecondary education as the motivation for passing the GED test. However, less than 15 percent of GED test credential recipients complete postsecondary education. In order to uncover factors impacting GED test credential recipients’ decision to pursue, or not pursue, postsecondary education, the American Council on Education (ACE) released its preliminary report, Perceptions and Pathways. This report presents themes and patterns of ACE’s examination of the experiences, motivations, and developed perceptions that have influenced post-secondary achievement among 2005-2006 GED test credential recipients.

From the Carsey Institute, this issue brief provides a comprehensive picture of child poverty using Census data from 1980, 1990 and 2000, coupled with American Community Survey data from 2005 and 2009. Data reveal that child poverty is persistent in nearly twice as many U.S. counties as those that report high persistent poverty across all age groups. Rural areas are disproportionately likely to have persistent high child poverty as 26 percent of rural children reside in counties with high poverty rates, as compared to 12 percent of urban children.