TANF at 30
Landmark Dates for TANF
Families are Stronger Together
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) announced a new $7 million innovation challenge aimed at helping more children and youth find safe, stable, and permanent homes. The “A Home for Every Child Innovation Challenge” will reward…
When a young person turns 18 in foster care, the system too often just disappears. Extended foster care (EFC) programs exist to bridge that gap, keeping older youth connected to support as they transition into adulthood. But not all extended care…
When a child can't safely stay with their parents, the next best option is almost always a grandparent, aunt, uncle, or close family friend who already knows and loves them. Keeping that connection intact can make a profound difference in a child…
Benefit cliffs can create difficult choices for families as earnings increase and public assistance begins to phase out. The American Public Human Services Association will host a webinar on June 22, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. ET to explore strategies for…
Young people aging out of foster care may face a stark reality. They leave the system at 18 with little financial cushion and few of the family safety nets on which most young adults rely. To address this, federal guidance has been issued by the…
Too often, accessing public benefits requires families to travel to offices during business hours, wait in long lines, and navigate systems that were designed around administrative convenience rather than client need. The San Francisco Human…
Work Innovations
Benefit cliffs can create difficult choices for families as earnings increase and public assistance begins to phase out. The American Public Human Services Association will host a webinar on June 22, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. ET to explore strategies for…
The core mission of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is helping families reach self-sufficiency, but that goal is much harder when a parent is trying to go to school, raise children, and hold a job at the same time, all without…
Many families do not enter the child welfare system all at once; they arrive there after a series of crises that no one stepped in to address early enough. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs can be a part of that early…
WorkforceGPS will host a free webinar on May 28, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. ET focused on how agencies can improve coordination through integrated systems and cross-program collaboration. For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners,…
Tailored for Success: How Two Programs in Los Angeles Customize Employment Services for Young People
This MDRC report explores how two workforce programs in Los Angeles adapted employment services to better meet the needs of young people. For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners serving youth and young parents, this…
As workforce needs continue to change, career and technical education programs are adapting to prepare individuals for new opportunities. This MDRC podcast explores how education and training programs are responding to shifts in the labor market…
Promoting Healthy Marriages and Two-Parent Families
The Opportunity Atlas maps economic mobility across communities, showing how outcomes differ depending on where children grow up. This tool shifts the focus from individual effort alone to the role of place in shaping opportunity. For Temporary…
This Child Care Aware of America webpage provides clear, national data on what families are actually paying for childcare and how those costs affect the ability to work and stay employed. The resource offers resources to help pay and budget for…
This One Key Question® tool introduces a simple but structured way for individuals to reflect on whether they want to become parents and when. The resource creates space for intentional decision-making at moments when family planning…
This curriculum by Making a Difference focuses on helping young people build decision-making skills, understand consequences, and reduce behaviors that increase risk of unintended pregnancy. The resource addresses a key prevention gap by reaching…
The Office of Family Assistance (OFA) will host the National Fatherhood Summit from August 3 to August 5, 2026, providing a forum for stakeholders interested in sharing and discovering ways to support and promote responsible fatherhood. OFA…
The Urban Institute’s Affordability Tracker shows how affordability varies across regions and over time, highlighting pressure points in household budgets. It provides context for understanding why families may struggle even when working by…