The Annie E. Casey Foundation launched the Generation Work initiative in 2016 to connect more of America’s young adults—especially those of color from low-income families—with meaningful employment by changing the way public and private systems prepare them for and support them in jobs. Generation Work asked grantees to form partnerships of organizations in workforce development systems (such as training programs, government agencies, funders, employers, and trade unions) to better serve young people ages 18 to 29 years. The first phase of the initiative was implemented in five cities: Cleveland, Hartford, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, and Seattle. MDRC was selected by the Casey Foundation to study the Generation Work initiative and investigate how it unfolded, uncover challenges, and identify best practices. This Issue Focus explores some of the ways Generation Work partnerships sought to change their local workforce development systems and previews some of the study’s findings.

Due in part to structural socioeconomic inequality, children from families with lower incomes may be at particularly high risk of abuse, neglect, and behavioral problems during infancy, toddlerhood, and early childhood. Research has found that home visiting programs for families with young children can improve children’s development and strengthen caregivers’ and families’ well-being. However, the COVID-19 pandemic created numerous challenges for home visiting programs, forcing them to deliver services online or in a hybrid format and to adapt their program models’ content to respond to pandemic-related challenges. One evidence-based home visiting program, Child First, provides a psychotherapeutic, parent-child intervention embedded in a coordinated system of care. This working paper highlights the 12-month impacts found in a study of Child First implemented in Connecticut and North Carolina.

There is a growing recognition of the importance of healthy social-emotional development and the behavioral and mental health of young children, as well as the critical nature of early relationships with parents and other caregivers. Addressing the social and emotional development of infants and toddlers with and at-risk for developmental delays and disabilities is a requirement of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This briefing paper examines an array of infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH) policies and practices that state early intervention (IDEA, Part C) programs may consider implementing to effectively support the social-emotional development and mental health needs of eligible children as the policies and programs reflect the importance of nurturing early relationships for a child's social emotional wellbeing. An appendix includes state spotlights in Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Michigan, Rhode Island and Wisconsin.

Code for America’s Safety Net Innovation Lab (the Lab), funded by $100 million through philanthropic support, partners with government agencies and community organizations to reimagine the delivery of government services that are equitable, easy-to-use, and built for the digital age. The Lab will work with 15 states (five states per cohort) over seven years to reach 13 million people and unlock $30 billion in benefits in the areas of food assistance, health care, and other basic needs. California, Colorado, Connecticut, and Louisiana have committed to partnering with the Lab to transform how social safety net services are delivered. These four states will focus on three primary areas: improving SNAP service delivery, increasing WIC participation, and developing and improving single, integrated benefits applications.

The Fathers and Continuous Learning in Child Welfare (FCL) project sought to improve placement stability and permanency outcomes for children by engaging their fathers and paternal relatives. FCL implemented a methodology known as the Breakthrough Series Collaborative (BSC), a continuous learning methodology. The first of a three-part series, this podcast discusses strategies implemented in one agency participating in the BSC in Hartford, Connecticut to create a culture in their child welfare system that prioritizes thinking about and engaging fathers and paternal relatives. The podcast covers the benefits of including community partners and fatherhood advocates in Connecticut’s improvement team.

The Hartford, Connecticut Generation Work local partnership aims to elevate the importance of positive youth development as a strategy for employment and training organizations across sectors to better support young people’s employment readiness and success. This brief examines how the Hartford Generation Work partnership adapted its efforts to engage young adults more authentically by establishing a youth advisory council called the Young Legends to help shape its work. The brief also focuses on the benefits and challenges of the partnership’s efforts, offers examples of ways in which Young Legends has elevated young people’s voices, and describes how the Young Legends’ input has influenced action and change.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA) conducted the 2021 National TANF Directors’ Meeting from September 20 - 24, 2021. During this concurrent workshop, a presentation examined how Connecticut’s Welfare to Work program responded to COVID-19 by shifting to a virtual service delivery system while building staff capacity to deliver services remotely statewide. Discussion covered how Connecticut’s initiative kept participants connected and engaged with their Employment Services program during COVID. Lessons learned also included a review of how COVID will impact future program operations, including the implementation of virtual orientation sessions.

The Rehabilitation Services Administration funds the Disability Innovation Fund-Subminimum Wage to Competitive Integrated Employment (SWTCIE) projects designed to decrease subminimum wage employment and increase competitive integrated employment for people with disabilities currently employed in or contemplating subminimum wage employment. This Mathematica practice brief explores how SWTCIE staff promote their projects to potential participants and employers. It summarizes interviews with four SWTCIE projects from agencies in Connecticut, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Texas. The brief shares promising practices including (1) meeting people where they are and proactively addressing their concerns, (2) engaging a wide network in their communities, (3) consulting external resources such as communications firms to shape their branding, and (4) promoting success stories and using family and peer mentors. The lessons learned could help vocational rehabilitation agencies and other organizations interested in implementing aspects of their programs.

On July 8, 2024, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) announced $3 million in new awards to six tribal entities as part of the Tribal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program, which develops and strengthens tribal capacity to support and promote the health and well-being of expectant families and families with young children in American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) communities. This ACF announcement highlights the six tribal entities, which will build new capacity to provide critical early childhood home visiting services to AIAN families and children in communities where these services do not currently exist. The new grant recipients are: Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium, Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation (Connecticut), Jicarilla Apache Nation (New Mexico), Seneca Nation of Indians (New York), Future Generations Collaborative (Oregon), and Oglala Sioux Tribe (South Dakota).

As part of the Building Evidence on Employment Strategies project, researchers conducted virtual interviews from November 2021 to April 2022 with staff members at ten workforce programs to learn how they were using technology to adapt their services during the pandemic. Most of the organizations used a hybrid model to blend in-person and virtual service delivery. This MDRC publication examines five key adaptations of the programs made to accommodate the new hiring context.