This toolkit on the Earned Income Tax Credit was developed by the Institute for Youth, Education, and Families (YEF Institute) at the National League of Cities in 2004, and has since been updated with the latest information on the EITC. The toolkit includes information to help support municipal leaders in maximizing the potential of the EITC in their localities. Specifically based on research and best practices, NLC’s YEF Institute provides ideas for action, examples from cities, advice for local elected officials, and timelines and materials for EITC campaign activities, as well as other issues relating to youth, education and families.

From the Bendheim-Thoman Center for Research on Child Wellbeing, Princeton University, this Fragile Families Research Brief summarizes the results of papers that use data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to estimate the effect of incarceration on the wages and employment for poor young fathers. Employment and stable wages can play an important role in helping ex-prisoners reenter into their communities and reduce recidivism into criminal behavior.

Nancy Cauthen, Ph.D., Deputy Director, National Center for Children in Poverty, testified before the Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support, House Committee on Ways and Means. Her remarks are included in this testimony speaks of the importance of measuring poverty in a way to best identify who needs assistance and what kinds of assistance. Additionally, in order to address poverty in the United States, income poverty as well as material hardship must be addressed.

Child Trends authored this research brief on food insecurity, which persists in many households across the United States with young children. While food insecurity can cause a number of negative outcomes, overweight is one of the negative consequences for children that experience food insecurity. Utilizing data from the 9-month and 24-month waves of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study – Birth Cohort (ECLS-B), authors examine the indirect links through which food insecurity may affect overweight for infants and toddlers.

This policy brief from the Urban Institute focuses on the issue of prisoner reentry in Cleveland, Ohio. This is the fourth in the series of research briefs, and outlines findings from interviews with stakeholders. Stakeholders included individuals and organizations that were familiar with reentry-related issues such as local government officials, criminal justice practitioners, and civic leaders.

This resource paper is through the Brookings Institution and offers strategies on making markets more affordable for the poor. The author, Matt Fellowes, offers strategies to help reduce the high cost prices in low-income markets such as offering incentives for businesses to enter lower-income markets and investing in tools so low-income consumers can be better informed about financial decisions.

This research, from the National Center for Children in Poverty, looks at the role of trauma long- and short-term for children. Trauma not only can cause physical and emotional health conditions, but can cause difficulties in learning, ongoing behavior problems, impaired relationships, and poor social and emotional competence. Additionally, children exposed to trauma at a younger age are more vulnerable to problems related to brain development than older children.

From the Finance Project, this strategy brief gives information on the use of TANF funds to finance out-of-school programs to improve outcomes for children. Authors provide information on three strategies for out-of-school initiatives for children and innovative programs from states across the country.

This report from the Urban Institute offers an update on affordable rental housing in Louisiana after the devastation caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. It was estimated that 36 percent of homeowner stock and 56 percent of rental stock was damaged or destroyed. Authors offer information on rental housing policy and promising practices for addressing the challenges facing low-income renters returning to their communities.

The Urban Institute conducted this evaluation of the Partners of Fragile Families (PFF) project. The PFF demonstration was funded from 2000 to 2003 by the Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) and the Ford Foundation in nine states across the country. This report provides case study data from eight unmarried, low-income fathers who participated in the demonstration. Among the key outcomes, it was found that the men generally lacked a strong concept of the meaning of fatherhood.