Modern digital technology, coupled with user-friendly and human-centered design and application, positively impacts delivery of critical and essential social supports to low-income families especially during COVID-19. This blog post details how the private sector has responded to the COVID crisis with technological solutions to help Federal, state, and local governments meet the needs of their most vulnerable populations. Nonprofit organizations have designed and made available to public-serving institutions technology to help low-income families access SNAP assistance, WIC supplements, energy saving programs, TANF funds, and other public safety benefits. While these tech-enabled processes and associated IT systems have streamlined the delivery process, there are still flaws in the existing system and gaps in the delivery mechanisms associated with accessing safety net programs that complicate access.

The National Association of Counties will host a webinar on August 6, 2020 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET to cover how county governments are using Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds to deliver services to county employees impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This webinar covers how funds have been used to support sustainable employment and training of frontline county workers.

The two-generation (2Gen) approach to building stronger families is gaining momentum in several states, including Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Minnesota, Tennessee, and Washington. In these states, a 2Gen coordinator has been identified to work with frontline staff, families, community partners, and across statewide departments to advance 2Gen strategies. On July 28, 2020 at 3:00 p.m. ET, Ascend, an Aspen Institute initiative, will host a webinar which will cover how these states are working toward systems change to help families experience more equitable and positive outcomes.

Traditional TANF benefits are typically provided every month for up to 60 months to support family economic stability, while fostering workforce participation. However, TANF also allows states and tribes to help families without providing such ongoing assistance. Instead, they can design their TANF programs to provide non-recurrent short-term benefits (NRSTs) for families experiencing individual crises that require one-time or brief, targeted aid. State and tribal TANF programs provide NRSTs without a national crisis but relied on them broadly in responding to the 2008 financial crisis, use them to help in the face of natural disasters such as the Northern California wildfires, and now, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020, the Office of Family Assistance (OFA) published guidance on flexibilities in the TANF law and regulations that states and tribes might use in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the provision of NRSTs to support economically vulnerable families during the pandemic. State and tribal TANF programs are currently providing NRSTs, which are not subject to the TANF requirements associated with "assistance" such as work requirements, to support families who have experienced specific hardships due to the COVID-19 emergency and to help those families continue progress toward economic independence.

In this facilitated webinar on July 28, 2020, presenters provided an overview of NRST benefits and explained how they can be used in the COVID-19 era. Additionally, state representatives shared how they have used NRST benefits in the field to support individuals and families affected by the pandemic. Panelists answered audience questions to assist other state and tribal programs in developing their own TANF responses to COVID-19. 

This issue brief analyzes characteristics of the early care and education (ECE) workforce in Arkansas and identifies research on the correlation between high-quality ECE and child development, as well as ECE providers’ emotional well-being. The brief focuses on variance of the ECE workforce by region or in terms of rural versus urban relative to teachers’ and caregivers’ self-reports of well-being, economic pressures, and education levels. Also highlighted are the factors that stakeholders identify as contributing to the variation of these characteristics across the state.

This blogpost highlights discussions with representatives of 13 schools, districts, and program intermediaries that provide work-based learning opportunities. Representatives discuss the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on onsite opportunities, such as apprenticeships, internships, career mentoring, and job shadowing. Opportunities and adaptions for virtual workplace learning created as a result of the pandemic and the potential for long-term benefits to participants are also discussed.

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation report covers the 2015 cohort of Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood (HMRF) grantees, which were awarded five-year grants in September 2015. The report examines grantees’ operations from July 2016 to March 2019, including how these programs recruited and served participants and how the grantees staffed their respective programs. The report also reviews HMRF program participants’ characteristics and identifies changes in their characteristics during this review period.

Access to quality maternal and child health care services remains a challenge for low-income women in many areas of the country. In this webinar scheduled for July 22, 2020 from 12 noon to 1:00 p.m. ET, a panel of health experts will discuss improving care for mothers and babies through the formation of state or multistate collaborative initiatives, hospital-based quality improvement efforts which support optimal infant nutrition, and the formation of strategic alliances with the private health sector to strengthen the quality of neonatal and child health services. Speakers include representatives of the Health Resources & Services Administration, the Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute, and Abt Associates.

The National Association of Workforce Development Professionals will conduct a webinar on July 21, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. ET to cover job development techniques, interviewing skills, and client preparation for returning citizens to enter employment. Presentations will address how to better serve reentry clients and develop partnerships with employers and how to prepare these individuals to qualify for job opportunities. There will also be discussion about employment readiness, work experience and skill gaps, and how to find resources for returning citizens. A registration fee is charged for participation in this webinar.

The Office of Family Assistance hosted a free webinar on understanding how to assess and build executive functioning skills in TANF participants. Executive function and self-regulation skills are the mental processes that enable us to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks successfully. Trouble with executive function can make it hard for individuals to navigate life, including obtaining and retaining employment. TANF case managers with an understanding of executive functioning can better support TANF participants on their pathway to self-sufficiency.

A panel of practitioners and researchers outlined the key principles of executive functioning, provided their perspectives on training caseworkers on executive functioning, and discussed how they are building executive functioning skills in TANF participants. Speakers included Dorothy Hall, Utah Department of Workforce Services; Melanie d'Almada Remedios, Washington State Regional WorkFirst Coordinator; Jessie Hancox, Colorado Works Program Administrator; and Kristen Joyce, Mathematica. They were joined by Jessica R. Kendall and Joe Raymond of ICF.
A video recording is available for viewing.