This brief from the Urban Institute reviews four key service systems that serve vulnerable families with young children: Early Head Start; the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children; the child welfare system; and the Part C Early Intervention Program. Authors review data on the demographics of infants and toddlers served by these programs.

The National Center for Children in Poverty is conducting a project called Making “Work Supports” Work. The project is designed to promote policies to support low-wage workers in the workplace. Employment wages supplemented by government work support policies can help support families, and include the Earned Income Tax Credit, child care subsidies, health insurance, food stamps, and housing assistance. This brief provides an overview of the project, and offers data on how work supports can make a difference for low-income families.

This paper is from the Economic Policy Institute and provides an overview of why work supports are needed to sustain working families in the United States. Work support benefits can help low-wage workers close the gap between earnings and expenses to support their families. Researchers provide an overview of existing work support programs and offer recommendations for enhancing such programs.

Researchers at the Department of Human Development, California State University East Bay, conducted this study examining a model of income poverty, material hardship, parenting factors, and child health status to understand how material hardship and parental factors mediate the effects of poverty on child health. Utilizing data from the 2002 National Survey of American Families, researchers found that poverty has an independent effect on health, and its effects are partially explained by material hardship, parental depression and parental behaviors.

In 2006, the number of uninsured Americans rose to 47.0 million, and the number of uninsured children rose to 8.7 million, according to Census data. This policy brief, from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, reviews trends in health insurance and coverage through Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Low-income adults are more likely to be uninsured, as around 25 percent of people with incomes below $25,000 were uninsured in 2006, which is almost triple the rate among people with incomes over $75,000.

Over 70 percent of mothers are now in the labor force, and supporting parents in the workforce is crucial for both employers and families. Authors from the Urban Institute summarize what has been done for mitigating work-family tensions, such as paid parental/family leave, paid sick leave, workplace flexibility, child care assistance, and links to public programs. In conclusion, authors provide how supports can be expanded to support families.

Mental health-related emergency department visits range from two percent to five percent of all hospital emergency department visits for children and youth. This brief is from the National Center for Children in Poverty and outlines mental health services in emergency rooms for children. Authors provide an overview of the challenges with mental health related emergency room visits and offers recommendations for better serving children and youth in this environment.

Lack of employer-sponsored health insurance can affect the productivity of workers and the health of their families. This paper is from the Urban Institute and offers information on access to employer-sponsored health insurance. By evaluating low-income working families, with incomes below 200 percent of the poverty level, the researchers examine patterns of access for health insurance.

This issue brief, authored by Mathematica Policy Research, is the sixth in a series on workers with disabilities and provides information on the Demonstration to Maintain Independence and Employment (DMIE). The DMIE is a program funded through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and provides funds for States to develop, implement, and evaluate interventions to improve health care coverage and employment services for adults with potentially disabling conditions. Authors review the objectives of the DMIE and information on the Demonstration in four States, and conclude with next steps on disseminating the results from projects around the country.

This brief is through the National Center for Children in Poverty and provides research on health disparities for young children. Early health risks can have a variety of long term implications in terms of physical, emotional, and intellectual development as well as health status, disabilities, and educational achievement. In this paper, authors highlight patterns of disparities in terms of risks, outcomes, access, and treatment.