Studies show that low-income families are more likely to be unbanked and “underbanked” than families with higher earnings. Lacking a bank account or depending on alternative financial services leads to significant financial barriers for low-income families that hinder economic growth and social mobility. This session will evaluate strategies that local and state human services agencies are testing to equip TANF recipients with the financial knowledge and resources they need to overcome barriers to financial security, including ACF’s Asset Initiative Partnership. Gretchen Lehman (Administration for Children and Families) will moderate this session.

• Financial Counseling and Financial Access for the Financially Vulnerable

Kasey Wiedrich (Corporation for Enterprise Development)

The presentation examines financial management strategies among low-income families.  Two research studies are described: Children's HealthWatch and Witnesses to Hunger.

• Building Economic Self-Sufficiency of TANF Clients Through Financial Education and Matched Savings

Kate Griffin (Corporation for Enterprise Development)

The presentation describes data from a financial education program for TANF recipients that provides training in budgeting and credit management.  The pilot was started in July 2013 with the Utah Department of Workforce Services.

• Financial Management Strategies of TANF and SNAP Recipients: Lessons for Policy Makers and Administrators

Mariana Chilton (Drexel University)

The presentation describes a completed research project that looks at the impact of the AFCO financial counseling program for families leaving TANF and entering into a work-ready context.

These presentations were given at the 2014 Welfare Research and Evaluation Conference (WREC).

Emerging research from psychology and neuroscience suggests that healthy executive functioning is critical for behaviors such as goal-setting, self-regulation, planning, and problem-solving. This plenary session will address the implications of executive functioning research for human services programs and examine how emerging insights can strengthen programs designed to help families achieve self-sufficiency. LaDonna Pavetti (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities) will moderate this session. Panelists are:

• Elisabeth Babcock (Crittenton Women’s Union)

• Adele Diamond (The University of British Columbia)

• John Padilla (New Paradigms Consulting, LLC) (conference program description)

This presentation was given at the 2014 Welfare Research and Evaluation Conference (WREC).

Head Start CARES (Classroom-based Approaches and Resources for Emotion and Social skill Promotion) is a national demonstration that tests the effectiveness of three program enhancements designed to improve preschool children's social-emotional competence. The project also examines the support systems (e.g., professional development model, technical assistance, monitoring) that are needed to implement the enhancements as designed within diverse Head Start classrooms across the country. This report describes impacts of the CARES demonstration, focusing on outcomes during the spring of the preschool year in: (1) teacher practices; (2) classroom climate; (3) children’s behavior regulation, executive function, emotion knowledge, and social problem-solving skills; and (4) children’s learning behaviors and social behaviors. The report also explores possible impacts on pre-academic skills during preschool and social-emotional and academic outcomes during the Kindergarten year. All three enhancements had positive impacts on teacher practice and on children’s social-emotional outcomes during the preschool year, although in varying degrees and not necessarily in the expected ways. (author abstract) 

The Wilson Foundation released a report that summarizes findings from the Service and Housing Interventions for Families in Transition (SHIFT) Longitudinal Study. The SHIFT study examined the effectiveness of different housing and service models in helping families who are experiencing homelessness establish and maintain residential stability and self-sufficiency. The characteristics, experiences, and challenges of the families are presented, followed by the outcomes including housing stability, economic independence, maternal mental health, maternal substance abuse, and child functioning. Characteristics of successful family members as well as those who met challenges in establishing and maintaining residential stability are also explored. The findings are intended to inform policies that address housing stability and self-sufficiency among families.