Resource Library

Healthy families help children thrive, but many families experience instability and parental absence. Since 2005, Congress has funded $150 million each year in healthy marriage (HM) and responsible fatherhood (RF) grants to support the long-term success of children and families. The Office of Family Assistance (OFA) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has awarded...

The Tribal HPOG 2.0 program supports demonstration projects that provide TANF recipients and other low-income individuals with the opportunity to obtain education and training for occupations in the healthcare field that pay well and are expected to either experience labor shortages or be in high demand. NORC at the University of Chicago is leading a comprehensive implementation and outcome evaluation of the Tribal HPOG 2.0 Program...

This report describes the implementation and impact study findings from an evaluation of the relative effectiveness of two approaches to assist cash assistance applicants and recipients in finding and keeping jobs. Conducted from 2016 to 2018 in two counties in Michigan, the study compares: (1) an enhancement to the state’s existing Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program that provides goal-oriented coaching...

Recognizing the importance of stable, supportive families for the healthy development of children, the federal government has supported healthy marriage and relationship education (HMRE) programs for more than two decades. Many questions remain about how best to serve participants in these programs. The Office of Family Assistance (OFA) and the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE), both within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF)...

Recognizing the importance of fathers to their families, as well as the difficulties that many low-income fathers face supporting their children, the federal government has supported responsible fatherhood (RF) programs for more than a decade. However, many questions remain about how to best serve fathers and their families. The Office of Family Assistance (OFA) and the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE), both within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF)...

This brief highlights evidence on the impacts of the Teen Choice curriculum for youth in alternative schools in and around New York City. Because alternative schools provide supplemental services to address the specific needs of youth, these schools often find it difficult to fit pregnancy prevention programming into the regular school day. The result is that youth enrolled in these schools often have limited opportunities to receive sexual health education. To help expand...

Fathers’ parenting engagement (that is, the ways in which fathers interact with their children) is linked to many aspects of children’s well-being, from health outcomes to academic and social outcomes. However, nonresident fathers with low incomes often face barriers to being fully engaged. By improving fathers’ engagement with their children, RF programs could ultimately benefit children.

In the U.S. in 2012, public funding of early care and education (ECE) could come from a variety of programs and levels of government (federal, state, local). This analysis of data from the 2012 National Survey of Early Care and Education uses household reports to estimate percentages of children under 5 years who enrolled in 2012 in two types of publicly funded ECE: center-based and paid home-based care...

Efforts to support and promote responsible fatherhood have increased in recent decades, spurred by research that shows a link between supportive fathering and positive child outcomes. The Strengthening Families Evidence Review (SFER) identified and reviewed studies of family strengthening programs, including studies that describe and analyze responsible fatherhood programs for fathers with low income.

In the past few decades, research showing the advantages to children of being raised by both parents in healthy, stable relationships has led to an increase in couple-based programs designed to enhance relationship or co-parenting skills. The Strengthening Families Evidence Review (SFER) identified and reviewed studies of family strengthening programs. This catalog contains summaries of studies that describe and analyze marriage and relationship education or other programs for couples...