This tipsheet provides examples of strategies that Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs can use to support family economic security by helping TANF recipients make intentional and healthy decisions about their families. An unintended pregnancy can make it harder for TANF participants to improve their economic well-being and independence. Family-centered services, such as employment coaching, home visiting, mentoring, and access to family planning services, can support TANF participants in making intentional and healthy choices for their families.

Alex J. Adams, Assistant Secretary for Family Support at the Administration for Children and Families, explains in this City Journal article that a major issue in foster care is a shortage of licensed foster homes relative to the number of children entering care. This shortage leads to children being placed in emergency settings, group facilities, or temporary housing without good long-term fits.

Many families who want to foster face burdens: complicated paperwork, trainings, court involvement, and costs. Streamlining licensing would increase the pool of available foster homes. And by licensing broadly and matching carefully, the system can have “homes waiting for children, not children waiting for homes.”

In this 2021–2026 Strategic Plan for Adult Education and Literacy, the Texas Workforce Commission outlines the guiding principles and vision for adult education and literacy over the five years with a focus on the Texas workforce customer’s experience.

Literacy provides individuals with the confidence to pursue their goals, support their families, and to achieve success and well-being in work and in life. This Adult Literacy and Learning Impact Network study was designed to empower local programs with evidence-based strategies to: 1) more effectively reach and support adults with low literacy, and 2) communicate the value of their work to funders for greater investment and community-level impact.

The need for a tech-savvy, well-prepared workforce continues to rise. This MDRC resource discusses the development of the partnership between NPower and Urban Alliance, which are two national nonprofits working to deliver digital literacy and IT training to high school students. This resource offers lessons for improving cross-organizational partnerships that support youth career pathways. It also describes the two programs developed during the partnership, discusses some of the challenges that the two organizations encountered during the development and implementation of the programs and how they addressed those challenges, and provides additional considerations for future partnerships.

Without enough diapers, children are at risk of serious health problems like rashes and infections, and parents may miss work or school, undermining family stability and economic mobility. Federal programs that help families purchase food and nutrition supports and provide cash assistance in times of need, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), do not cover diapers, requiring parents to pay high out-of-pocket prices. This Urban Institute factsheet sheds light on the widespread and often hidden crisis of diaper insecurity, its impact on family well-being, and the gaps in public support.

Although a variety of employment programs offer adults with justice involvement support after their release, several challenges can limit participants’ ability to fully engage in services. This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation brief provides strategies that human services programs can use to recruit adults with justice involvement and engage them in project activities. The strategies include understanding and addressing participants’ needs, communicating with participants, and building relationships with local justice agencies.

On September 30, 2025, the Administration for Children and Families announced over $100 million in Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood (HMRF) grants to 109 organizations across 38 states nationwide. This investment represents the Trump Administration’s commitment to fostering healthy marriages, stabilizing family structures, and helping fathers build better relationships and be more engaged parents — ultimately creating stronger families nationwide. 

HMRF grantees strengthen families nationwide through initiatives that promote responsible fatherhood, healthy marriages and relationships, and economic stability:

• FORGE Fatherhood (Family, Opportunity, Resilience, Grit, Engagement) grants provide comprehensive services that strengthen fathers’ parenting skills, foster positive father-child engagement, support healthy relationships, and improve economic stability—addressing the full spectrum of challenges fathers face.
• HEART (Helping Every Area of Relationships Thrive) grants support healthy marriage and relationship education, creating stronger foundations for children and families to thrive.
• READY4Life (Relationships, Education, Advancement, Development for Youth for Life) grants prepare young people ages 14-24—including expectant and parenting youth—with relationship skills, parenting knowledge, and financial education that lay the foundation for lifelong family stability and successful adulthood.

For every one child in kinship foster care, there are 19 children in kinship care outside of the formal child welfare system. These families are often referred to as “informal” kinship families because of their outside-of-the-system status and, historically, they have not gotten the same financial or social supports that families in the child welfare system have.

Chapin Hall partnered with Kinnect, an Ohio-based nonprofit, to develop OhioKAN—a responsive kinship and adoption navigator program that supports children, youth, and their families. This resource outlines the development of OhioKAN, from the state’s request for proposals issued in response to the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) to the program’s implementation and the success stories of the families it serves.

While some studies have shown the effectiveness of Family Resource Centers (FRCs) – which provide critical services to families to increase their access to supports for basic needs, support accessing public benefits, and skill-building classes – in individual communities or states, less research has examined services provided by FRCs across states.

To help fill the gap, this Child Trends study aims to gain a better understanding of the services FRCs provide across the country—and particularly of how FRCs work with young parents (under age 25), how they help young parent-led families access public benefits, and whether/how they provide services to young parent-led families involved with the child welfare system.