The “Success Sequence” is a proven formula to help young adults succeed in America. The three steps are

1. get at least a high school degree; then
2. get a full-time job; and lastly,
3. get married before having children.

Research shows that 97% of young people who follow all three steps are not poor as adults. This Institute for Family Studies webpage explores the three steps of the “Success Sequence” and explains how it alleviates poverty among young adults.

In 2023, the National Marriage Project conducted research and found that couples who went on frequent date nights had happier marriages, lower likelihood of divorce, and more stable relationships. This phone application, LoveTrack, was developed in partnership by the National Alliance for Relationship & Marriage Foundation. The app is designed to be a tool that can strengthen relationships by making date nights fun and keeping couples connected. LoveTrack is research-backed and designed to support lasting relationships. 

The app features:

• Date Night Planner
• Daily Couples Questions
• Anniversary Reminders
• Relationship Counter
• Things to Remember
• Milestone Tracker
• Random Acts of Romance

Married-couple households are more affluent, less likely to be poor, and experience fewer hardships than other types of households, such as single-parent families or people living on their own. This Institute for Family Studies research brief explores why, focusing on differences across household types in income, non-income resources such as wealth, and demographic and socioeconomic characteristics such as age and education.

This HeadStart.gov webpage discusses the benefits of support groups and activities for fathers to build parenting skills and connect with other fathers. It provides tips for organizing support groups and offers a practice scenario.

The National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse (NRFC) publishes and sends a newsletter to their listserv monthly. For those who would like to review a particular topic, this NRFC webpage lists each newsletter distributed in 2025.

This Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation webpage provides games, a glossary, and resources to teach people of all ages about money and increase financial literacy. It contains additional resources and tools on how to build a financial future, build and maintain good credit, and manage debt.

The Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency-Next Generation (BIAS-NG) project aims to make human services programs work better for the people receiving services by reshaping program processes using lessons from behavioral science. The BIAS-NG team worked with the Department of Social and Health Services to design and test an intervention aimed at increasing engagement in work activities among clients who were approved to receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation report investigates whether providing staff materials and training to improve client engagement in selecting a work activity and support clients in developing a purposeful and realistic plan to attend an orientation meeting can increase clients’ engagement in TANF work activities.

Under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), the Governor of each state must submit a workforce State Plan to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor and the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education that outlines a four-year strategy for the state’s workforce development system. The State Plan serves as the state’s strategic workforce development plan and provides analyses of the state’s economic conditions, workforce characteristics, and workforce development activities.

The State Strategic Vision, Goals and Strategies for 2024-2027 were developed by modifying the previous State Plan’s Vision, Goals and Strategies in consultation with workforce program administrators, the Governor’s Workforce Development Board (GWDB), the Minnesota Association of Workforce Boards (MAWB), and the National Governors Association (NGA). The shift in Vision, Goals and Strategies represents a new strategic direction for workforce development in the state, one that is focused on breaking down silos across workforce partners and being more intentional and proactive about the delivery of programs and services to Minnesotans. These resources highlight One Minnesota Workforce Development’s WIOA strategic vision as well as state plan goals and strategies.

On July 10, 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a significant policy shift to restore compliance with federal law and ensure that taxpayer-funded program benefits, intended for the American people, are not diverted to subsidize illegal aliens. HHS has formally rescinded a 1998 interpretation of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA), which had extended certain federal public benefits to illegal aliens. This new policy applies PRWORA’s plain-language definition of “Federal public benefit,” reverses outdated exclusions, affirms that programs serving individuals, households, or families are subject to eligibility restrictions, and clarifies that no HHS programs have been formally exempted under PRWORA’s limited exceptions.

The revised list newly includes all programs now classified as “Federal public benefits” under PRWORA:

• Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics
• Community Mental Health Services Block Grant
• Community Services Block Grant (CSBG)
• Head Start
• Health Center Program
• Health Workforce Programs not otherwise previously covered (including grants, loans, scholarships, payments, and loan repayments)
• Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Treatment, Prevention, and Recovery Support Services Programs administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
• Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness Grant Program
• Substance Use Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Services Block Grant
• Title IV-E Educational and Training Voucher Program
• Title IV-E Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program
• Title IV-E Prevention Services Program
• Title X Family Planning Program

The above list is not exhaustive. Any additional programs determined to be Federal public benefits will be announced in program specific guidance.

Maryland’s Combined Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) State Plan partners worked collaboratively to bolster the workforce system. There are multiple entry points to services, and Maryland subscribes to a “no wrong door” philosophy for customer access to services. Weekly orientations, walk-ins, partner referrals, the Reemployment Opportunities Workshop, and the Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment program are typical entry points for new customers. As Maryland seeks to strengthen and enhance its practices through the implementation of this revised State Plan, success will require a commitment to innovation and collaboration, and a cohesive approach among partners. In 2022, Maryland added the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Employment and Training (SNAP E&T) program as a Core Partner. Recognizing that no single entity can exclusively provide all services to a customer, this more inclusive approach will diversify services and invest in new, integrated practices that surpass the traditional expectations of a workforce system.