Project Life: Life Skills Curriculum

Record Description

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs often serve young people who are expected to move toward independence while still developing basic skills needed for adulthood, such as managing money, maintaining housing, or making informed health and education decisions. This curriculum by the Virginia Department of Social Services offers a structured way to support that work through practical, ready-to-use workshops organized around key life domains like career preparation, money management, housing, education, health and nutrition, and risk prevention.

For TANF practitioners, the value is in the curriculum’s usability. Each topic includes multiple workshops with facilitator guides and supporting materials, which reduces the burden on staff to design programming from scratch. It can be used flexibly across settings: case management, group workshops, or partner-led programming.

Instead of relying on informal coaching or uneven program content, staff can use a shared curriculum that supports repeatable instruction across participants and sites. This helps create more continuity in services, especially for youth who need reinforcement over time rather than single-touch interventions.

Record Type
Combined Date
2026-05-01T00:00:00
Source
OFA Initiatives
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2026-05-01

Life Skills Toolkit

Record Description

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners often need a clear way to identify what a participant can already do independently and where support is still needed, especially when working with youth and young adults. This Casey Family Programs toolkit provides that structure in a straightforward way for use in everyday case management. It helps translate broad goals like “become self-sufficient” into specific skill areas such as budgeting, communication, and managing daily responsibilities. The value for TANF work is that it creates a shared language between staff and participants, making progress easier to see and track. It also helps engage clients by turning abstract expectations into visible, achievable steps.

Record Type
Combined Date
2026-04-01T00:00:00
Source
OFA Initiatives
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2022-01-25

FosterClub: Transition Toolkit

Record Description

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs frequently serve youth who are moving into adulthood without stable family support; basic planning around housing, money, and daily decision-making can determine whether they stabilize or cycle through crisis. This FosterClub toolkit gives TANF practitioners something concrete to use in those moments. It turns “transition planning” into practical activities that can be used directly in coaching sessions, rather than requiring staff to design their own materials. This toolkit addresses how young people are expected to navigate independence without structured, hands-on preparation. Practitioners can use it to make conversations more actionable and to help participants build real-world readiness step by step.

Record Type
Combined Date
2026-05-01T00:00:00
Source
OFA Initiatives
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2026-05-01

State Strategies for TANF Child-Only Grants and Related Assistance

Record Description

This Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network tipsheet focuses on how Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs can support children living with relatives or caregivers who are not receiving full family benefits. It fills a key gap for kinship families who often step in without financial preparation. TANF practitioners can use these strategies to design or improve child-only grants, ensuring support reaches the child without creating unnecessary barriers for caregivers. It also helps staff think through policy and implementation choices that better reflect the realities of kinship care.

Record Type
Combined Date
2026-05-01T00:00:00
Source
OFA Initiatives
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2025-06-01

Navigating Youth Emotions

Record Description

The National Youth Employment Coalition will host a webinar on May 14, 2026 at 2:30 p.m. to assist workforce development professionals with better understanding and responding to the emotional experiences of young people. For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners working with youth and young adults, especially those facing instability or major life transitions, emotional regulation and communication can directly affect engagement in employment and supportive services. This webinar will provide practical evidence-based strategies staff can use to build trust, improve communication, and create more supportive interactions with youth participants.

Record Type
Combined Date
2026-05-14T14:30:00
Source
OFA Initiatives
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2026-05-14

Navigating the Tide: Connecting Our Child, Youth and Family-Serving Systems for a Stronger Future

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs often depend on strong partnerships with child welfare, education, and other family-serving systems, but those connections can be difficult to build and sustain. UC Davis will host an event on June 10-12, 2026 in Garden Grove, California to offer a practical opportunity to strengthen coordination. This event will bring together professionals across sectors to focus on how services can work together more effectively.

The sessions are designed to share strategies for improving collaboration, engaging families more meaningfully, and aligning services so participants experience a more connected system. This can help reduce gaps that families often face when navigating multiple programs, making it easier for them to access consistent support. Whether you are working on program design, case management, or partnerships, this event will offer both ideas and relationships that can strengthen how TANF services are delivered.

There is a registration fee for participation.

Record Type
Posting Date
Combined Date
Sponsor
UC Davis
Location
Hyatt Regency Orange County
11999 Harbor Blvd
Garden Grove, CA
92840
Event Date
-

Lost Boys: The Digital Revolution, the Retreat from Marriage, and the Decline of Men

Record Description

From the Wheatley Institute at BYU, this report examines how economic shifts, education gaps, and digital engagement patterns are influencing men’s participation in work, relationships, and family life. The resource connects broader structural trends to challenges in marriage formation and father engagement. For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs, it provides context for understanding barriers men face in employment and family roles, and it informs efforts to strengthen fatherhood supports, workforce engagement, and family stability strategies.

Record Type
Combined Date
2026-03-26T00:00:00
Source
OFA Initiatives
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2026-03-26

Couples Around the World Who Met In Real Life Are Happier Than Those Who Met Online

Record Description

This research from the Institute for Family Studies highlights differences in reported relationship satisfaction depending on how couples meet, suggesting that in-person connections may be associated with stronger long-term outcomes. It adds nuance to how relationship formation pathways can shape family experiences. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs can use it to support discussions about healthy relationship development and the factors that contribute to stable partnerships and families over time.

Record Type
Combined Date
2025-10-13T00:00:00
Source
OFA Initiatives
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2025-10-13

Online Dating is Mainstream—But What Are the Consequences?

Record Description

This resource from the Institute for Family Studies explores how online dating is changing the way relationships begin and the potential implications for commitment and long-term family formation. It raises questions about how modern relationship patterns influence stability and partner selection. In Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) settings, it can be used to inform relationship education discussions that focus on intentionality, communication, and the broader context shaping the successful development of families today.

Record Type
Combined Date
2026-02-20T00:00:00
Source
OFA Initiatives
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2026-02-20