This report by the Institute for Family Studies explores how different family structures are associated with child well-being outcomes, highlighting patterns that link stability in the home with stronger developmental outcomes for children. The Family Structure Index helps clarify why family composition is often connected to long-term opportunity and stability. For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs, it can inform broader conversations about prevention and support strategies that aim to strengthen home environments and emphasize the importance of families.

Families caring for relatives’ children often rely on multiple supports, including nutrition assistance. The Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network will host a webinar on May 19, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. to explain how the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program fits into that broader system and how kinship families can access it. For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners, this webinar will clarify how to coordinate benefits and reduce gaps in support for grandfamilies. It is particularly valuable for helping staff guide families through multiple programs without duplication or confusion, improving overall service delivery.

Many Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) participants are balancing care for both children and aging relatives, creating unique financial and emotional pressures. This Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network tipsheet brings attention to that “sandwich generation” and the strain they experience. It helps TANF practitioners recognize a group that may otherwise be overlooked in program design. By understanding these competing responsibilities, staff can better tailor work requirements, referrals, and supportive services, making programs more realistic and responsive to participants’ daily lives.

Kinship care, which is when relatives step in to raise children, often occurs in families served by Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs. It can be difficult for these families to navigate available supports. This Generations United video breaks down how Kinship Navigator programs connect caregivers to resources like financial assistance, legal help, and social services such as TANF. For TANF practitioners, it addresses the gap between identifying kin caregivers and supporting them. It can be used as a quick learning tool for staff or even shared directly with clients to help them understand where to turn for support.

This webpage offers a comprehensive approach to empowering parents and serves as an example of how Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs can think more intentionally about family formation as part of their services. It shows how strengthening relationships, supporting responsible fatherhood, and building parenting skills can contribute to greater financial stability and better outcomes for children. For TANF practitioners, this helps fill a gap where programming may focus on employment alone without addressing the family dynamics that influence long-term success.

The model provides ideas TANF programs can adapt, such as incorporating relationship education, co-parenting support, and father engagement into existing services. These approaches can improve participant engagement by meeting families where they are and recognizing the role both parents can play in stability and self-sufficiency.

For practitioners in the St. Louis area, this program also serves as a direct referral option. Eligible participants can access services at no cost, giving TANF staff a concrete way to connect clients to additional support that strengthens their family structure while they work toward employment and economic goals.

This Child Care Aware of America webpage provides clear, national data on what families are actually paying for childcare and how those costs affect the ability to work and stay employed. The resource offers resources to help pay and budget for childcare, as well as a state-by-state resource map for childcare, financial assistance, and health and social services. For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs, it can strengthen case planning and employment supports by grounding conversations in real childcare costs and reinforcing the importance of childcare access in sustaining work and family stability.

The Opportunity Atlas maps economic mobility across communities, showing how outcomes differ depending on where children grow up. This tool shifts the focus from individual effort alone to the role of place in shaping opportunity. For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners, it can inform planning conversations with families about education, employment pathways, and relocation decisions by grounding them in long-term mobility data rather than short-term outcomes.

The Urban Institute’s Affordability Tracker shows how affordability varies across regions and over time, highlighting pressure points in household budgets. It provides context for understanding why families may struggle even when working by offering updated data on earnings and essential expenses such as housing, health care, child care, energy, and gas. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs can use this tool to strengthen coaching around location-based challenges and to frame family financial planning within real economic conditions.

The Family Resource Simulator shows how earnings, benefits, and expenses interact as circumstances change. It makes “what if” scenarios visible in a way that is difficult to capture through conversation alone. In Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) settings, the simulator can support planning discussions by helping families see how small changes in work hours, income, or benefits affect overall stability.

The National Center for Children in Poverty’s Basic Needs Budget Calculator breaks down what it actually costs to meet essential needs like housing, food, childcare, and transportation. It highlights gaps between wages, benefits, and real household expenses. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners can use it to support budgeting work that feels concrete and locally relevant, helping families understand what stability requires in practical terms.