The National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse released this Driver’s Guide for Young Dads to engage teenage fathers and young adult fathers and support them as they strive to be good dads, adopt healthy lifestyles, and establish effective parenting practices. Young fathers often face more and different challenges than older or experienced fathers in preparing for their new role as fathers. Not only are they still growing emotionally and intellectually as they transition into adulthood, but they also need to learn the ropes of parenting while weighing educational and employment options.

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014 amended the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and significantly shifted how state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies offered services to youths with disabilities, particularly to students. WIOA requires state VR agencies to offer preemployment transition services (pre-ETS) to students with disabilities and to reserve at least 15 percent of their federal program funds for that purpose. This Social Security Administration resource describes the extent to which WIOA and pre-ETS access affected employment-related outcomes for youths with disabilities who receive Supplemental Security Income payments.

The Resilient Families Hub is a new initiative of the Office of Family Assistance (OFA) and exists to understand the role of direct cash transfers in advancing economic stability and mobility in the United States. This initiative works with federal, state, and local governments and community-based organizations to provide subject matter expertise, research findings and evidence-based policies and practices around the targeted use of direct cash. Resilient Families’ publications and learning series will be published on this OFA webpage as they become available.

The National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse released a toolkit which presents a compilation of resources that highlight the challenges and key issues associated with launching and sustaining a successful fatherhood program. This toolkit reflects the commitment of the Office of Family Assistance to improving outcomes for fathers, children, and families by providing strategic guidance to organizations that offer responsible fatherhood services.

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation infographic discusses how various potential downsides to increasing earnings play out in the likelihood that recipients of TANF would accept a higher-paying job. The infographic touches on benefit loss and benefit cliffs, job stability, and the burden of reapplying for benefits.

This Office of Family Assistance resource answers these questions: May a state use TANF funds to provide a payment to an expectant parent before the birth of a child to cover costs associated with the preparing for a new child? Could the state have a similar allowance but after the child is born? If allowable, must the family meet a financial eligibility standard to qualify for such a payment?

The Native Wellness Institute is hosting a virtual training on February 5 and 6, 2025 to highlight lessons learned over the decades of best practices in working with Native youth and there will be opportunities to learn from peers. Topics include: 

• Building Trust and Relationship; 
• Living in Balance; 
• Healing and Harmony; 
• Healthy Relationships; 
• Engaging with Youth; 
• Social Media; 
• Culture and Belonging; and 
• Vision. 

This training is intended for anyone who works with Native youth in any capacity. There is a fee for participation.

The Environment Protection Agency developed this curriculum, Lead Awareness in Indian Country: Keeping our Children Healthy!, by collaborating with over 200 tribal partners. The curriculum creates a starting point to hold informed conversations within communities to teach parents and caregivers about lead. It also is a robust set of educational tools that provide practical, on-the-ground, community-based resources to reduce childhood lead exposure in communities.

Lead exposure for children can lead to lower IQ, slowed or stunted growth, and hearing problems or other long-lasting health effects. The United States’ Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is partnering with communities across the country to host a series of free educational sessions on the dangers of lead and how to reduce and prevent lead exposure. Upcoming awareness sessions will provide:
• Important information about lead exposure and its impacts on health;
• Specific actions to protect children and communities from lead exposure;
• Practical resources in English and Spanish; and
• Opportunity to network with other community leaders and members with shared interests.

The Office in Planning, Research and Evaluation released eight infographics, which describe the experiences of families with children enrolled in Head Start FACES programs during the 2021-2022 program year, with a focus on how the COVID-19 pandemic played a role in family health and well-being. The data in the infographics provide a window into the experiences of a sample of Head Start parents who were able to respond to the survey during this time.