Resources

Resources Focus on Family Economic Success and Self-Sufficiency

National Center for Children in Poverty Promotes Economically Secure Families
This nonprofit, nonpartisan research and policy organization at Columbia University identifies and promotes strategies that prevent child poverty in the U.S. and improve the lives of low-income children and families. The Center researches policies in three goal areas: economically secure families, children entering school ready to succeed, and stable, nurturing families. The Center's Web site profiles the latest state data and policies.

View Georgia's latest demographics at: http://www.nccp.org/state_detail_demographic_GA.html

View Georgia's economic conditions at: http://www.nccp.org/state_detail_economic_GA.html

View Georgia's state policy news at: http://www.nccp.org/state_detail_policy_GA.html

Report Focuses on Budgetary Needs of Families
Bare Bones Budgets: Measuring the Minimum Income Needed for the Bare Necessities of Families in New Mexico.
What does it really cost to raise a family in New Mexico? What are the basic necessities for a family? The research shows that the cost of providing the basic necessities of a family far exceeds the federal definition of the income associated with poverty. Low income families in New Mexico have budgetary needs of anywhere from 136 percent of the Federal Poverty Level to 247% of the Federal Poverty Level just to meet this new "bare bones" income definition of poverty. www.nmvoices.org/bbb.htm.

Briefs from the Center for Law and Social Policy:

The Intersection between Social Security and Children
Nancy K. Cauthen, acting deputy director of the National Center for Children in Poverty, discusses the impact of Social Security as an insurance program for children whose parents become disabled or die. http://www.clasp.org/publications/mayjun05_update.pdf

Workforce Investment Act Recommendations
The Center for Law and Social Policy has released two documents that provide Workforce Investment Act policy recommendations for the provisions of the law affecting two groups: high risk youth and disadvantaged adults.

View high-risk youth recommendations at: http://clasp.org/publications/2005_wia_youth_comments.pdf

View disadvantaged adults recommendations at: http://clasp.org/publications/wia_recs_040705.pdf

I Can't Give You Anything But Love: Would Poor Couples With Children Be Better Off Economically If They Married?
Policymakers and researchers alike are debating whether marriage might be an anti-poverty strategy for families with children. Some believe if more parents married, there would be a substantial decrease in poverty. Others suggest that increasing the marriage rate among poor and near-poor parents, while not dramatically reducing poverty, would make a significant dent in the poverty rate for families with children. Still others are highly skeptical of these claims. This issue brief summarizes recent research on varying viewpoints. http://clasp.org/publications/marr_brf_5.pdf

The Child Support Program: An Investment that Works
This four-page paper provides data to explain how child support helps children and increases self-sufficiency. It also discusses the federal program's performance and its funding. http://clasp.org/publications/cs_funding_042005.pdf

New Child Trends Research Brief Updates

Model of Welfare Reform's Possible Effects on Child Well-being
How Welfare Reform Might Affect Children: Updating the Conceptual Model
This brief history of welfare reform shares issues, new research findings, and gaps in the existing research. Outcomes for children in low-income families that receive welfare assistance are substantially below outcomes for more advantaged families. Continuing socioeconomic disparities suggest the need to improve conceptual models, measures, and data resources to better identify and sustain stronger public policies, programs, and community supports. http://www.childtrends.org/Files/welfareresbrief.pdf

New Rural Mapping Tool Available
The United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service Web site has a new tool called Profiles of America: Demographic Data and Graphic Builder. This tool creates maps, tables and charts that display information on demographic trends, industrial structure and the economic well-being of rural and urban communities. Users can analyze rural and urban differences at the national, state and county levels.
http://www.ers.usda.gov/Data/ProfilesOfAmerica

New Research on Rural Dental Care
Access to Dental Care for Rural Low Income and Minority Populations
This study examines the relationships between rural residence, income, race/ethnicity, and access to dental care. It confirms rural-urban disparities in access to dental care, finding significant differences by race/ethnicity and income within rural populations in the use of dental care and the ability to afford needed dental care and dental insurance.
http://www.ers.usda.gov/Data/ProfilesOfAmerica

New Rural Early Childhood Center Established
The National Center for Rural Early Childhood Learning Initiatives fosters original and applied research on the quality, accessibility, and replication of early educational intervention services for at-risk young children and families in rural America. Its preliminary focus is the effectiveness of various models for technical assistance to enhance literacy experiences in childcare settings for children, ages 0-4, who are at risk of school failure.
http://www.ruralec.msstate.edu/about.htm

New Reports on Jobs and Workforce Development by Annie E. Casey Foundation
The Road to Good Employment Retention: Three Successful Programs from the Jobs Initiative
Job retention benefits employers and jobseekers, but it is often difficult to achieve. This report examines programs in St. Louis, Mo., and Seattle, Wash., that have succeeded in keeping low-skilled workers in good jobs for more than one year.

Workforce Intermediaries: Powering Regional Economies in the New Century
This report assesses lessons learned from three workforce intermediaries funded by Casey and looks at the characteristics needed to successfully fill the intermediary role.

A Brochure Wheel developed by the Casey Foundation summarizes what communities need to do to train and move low-wage workers into good jobs and careers. The wheel includes case studies and findings from the Foundation's Jobs Initiative and workforce investments.