Project Index

Learn how the SIRF project is using rapid cycle evaluation to strengthen Responsible Fatherhood programs.

Learn about this study of coaching practices as implemented in Head Start and center-based and family child care settings.

The Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) is undertaking a descriptive study to document the approaches and strategies utilized by tribal organizations awarded cooperative agreements under the Coordination of Tribal TANF and Child Welfare...

The purpose of this project, awarded to The National Academy of Sciences, is to establish a panel of independent experts to develop a study of the nation's Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) workforce...

The Study of Screening and Assessment in TANF/Welfare to Work (WtW) project highlighted and discussed critical issues in the development and use of screening and assessment tools designed to identify TANF and/or WtW recipients who experience barriers...

In the context of a larger study examining welfare reform, this project provided an analysis of the implementation of family formation and pregnancy prevention policies in 26 counties within 18 States...

In response to a requirement in the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-134), ACF initiated this project in 2008 to develop a report on limited English proficient (LEP) children and their families participating in Head Start...

Explore OPRE's projects for reports and more information on self-sufficiency, welfare and employment.

This project will enhance the analytic capacity and support the optimal use of data collected through the National Survey of Early Care and Education, through provision of restricted-use data access to researchers, enhancements to public-use and restricted-use data files, technical assistance to researchers using the NSECE data, and, analyses of data on questions of high priority to ACF.

Explore a project supporting ACF in increasing the number of evidence-supported interventions for the child welfare population by conducting rigorous evaluations and supporting the field in moving toward rigorous evaluations. The project, known as the Child Welfare Strengthening Team (CWEST), is conducting evaluations of three child welfare programs—Family Unification Program, Project Connect, and Life Set.

The purpose of this project is to advance understanding of how home visiting programs funded by the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) and Tribal MIECHV Programs can and do support family economic well-being.   Family economic well-being is key to families’ long-term stability and is linked to positive outcomes in other areas targeted by home visiting programs, such as parenting.

The Supporting Healthy Marriage in Step-Families project: (1) summarized and synthesized the existing literature concerning the characteristics of stepfamilies, (2) catalogued and documented existing marriage support and education programs focused...

The Supporting Healthy Marriage study, led by MDRC, is an impact and implementation evaluation of healthy marriage education and related services for lower-income married couples with children provided by eight programs across the country....

OPRE's Project SPARK provides research and evaluation technical assistance to state, tribal, and local TANF and other workforce development agencies to advance innovation in delivery of programs for families with low-incomes.

The Language Minority Roundtable was a working meeting where invited participants engaged in critical dialogue regarding how research can support efforts of policymakers and practitioners to serve the language and literacy needs of young language...

In 2007, the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation within the Administration for Children and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services funded a research project, Supporting Quality in Home-Based Child Care, to...

Explore the Supporting and Strengthening the Home Visiting Workforce page for reports and practitioner resources on professional well-being and reflective supervision.

The Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) observation tool is a reliable and valid research-based observational tool that measures the quality of interactions between infants and toddlers...

Ever since the inception of Early Head Start, research has been an integral part of the program. At the same time the first Early Head Start programs began operating, the Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF) initiated an evaluation...

The Teenage Parent Demonstration and Evaluation project was designed to test the effectiveness of a mandatory program for first-time teen parents entering the welfare rolls. The program included requirements to attend school or an alternative education...

This study, TANF Caseload Composition and Leavers Synthesis Report, summarized current knowledge on two questions concerning the TANF caseload and those leaving TANF (i.e. leavers): 1) How do the characteristics of the TANF caseload compare with the...

Explore OPRE's research projects for reports, tips and more information on the use of data from TANF and related human services program.

The purpose of the TANF and CCDF Research Synthesis Project was to inform research planning and support evidence-based decision making related to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) programs...

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a tremendous impact on State, Tribal, and Local TANF and child support programs. While some efforts have been made to understand these impacts, there are significant gaps in our knowledge of how these programs were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.  In 2021, OPRE launched a project to document the changes these programs made during the pandemic, what lessons were learned, and what changes have been incorporated into ongoing program operations. 

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families: Two Parent Families Study is a descriptive study that will collect information about two parent families who receive or are eligible to receive TANF. This study will document: 1) the characteristics of...

Numerous studies have identified substantial overlap in families and individuals served by the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs. Over the past decade, as the TANF program has developed...

The introduction of Federal time limits on the receipt of cash assistance under the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program was a central and major part of welfare reform. The purpose of this study was to conduct a follow-up to an...

The Terminating the Parental Rights of Older Children (TPR) project provided for a descriptive study of the effects of the termination of parental rights on older foster youths' foster care and adoptive experiences...

The Testing Identified Elements for Success in Fatherhood Programs (Fatherhood TIES) project aims to answer the question: what are the elements of fatherhood programs that lead to better outcomes for the fathers who take part in them?  

The 2021-2022 Study of Family and Staff Experiences in American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey Programs.

The 2021-2022 Study of Family and Staff Well-Being in Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey Programs.

Effect sizes are increasingly applied to describe the magnitude of findings about program effectiveness across a range of policy contexts. Though more researchers are recognizing the importance of including effect sizes in manuscripts, at times these...

The Community Healthy Marriage Initiatives (CHMI) Evaluation, led by RTI, includes: (1) implementation evaluations of family strengthening demonstrations authorized by the Office of Child Support Enforcement and (2) an implementation...

The Effects of Welfare Reform on Special Populations project provided information regarding the extent to which program policy and implementation at different levels influenced the access to, and use of, government assistance programs by immigrant...

The Fatherhood Research and Practice Network (FRPN) was a cooperative agreement awarded to Temple University with a subcontract to the Center for Policy Research in Denver, CO. The FRPN pursued three main goals...

The key provisions of Iowa Family Investment Program (FIP) were: (1) recipients were required to help develop a social contract, the Family Investment Agreement (FIA), which established activities and a time frame for achieving self-sufficiency...

Discover the Pathways to Work Evidence Clearinghouse and its work to provide a comprehensive source of information about the interventions that aim to improve employment outcomes, reduce employment challenges, support self-sufficiency, and/or advance education and training for populations with a low income.