Brief
The decline in fathers’ employment during the Great Recession may have created conditions where families forego paid child care and instead rely on fathers to care for children not only to save money, but also because these fathers now have fewer work commitments. This brief adds to our understanding about men’s changing roles that resulted from their job losses during the Great Recession. (Author abstract)
The first evaluation report of OCSE's Child Support Noncustodial Parent Employment Demonstration (CSPED) documents CSPED's planning year and first year of implementation, offering insights into recruitment, engagement, collaborative partnerships, and service delivery strategies for anyone thinking about or actually implementing employment programs for noncustodial parents who are unable to pay their child support. (Author abstract modified)
As America recovers from the Great Recession, many of our fellow citizens remain mired in poverty. Economic trends, cultural changes, and changes in family and marriage patterns are combining in new ways that make it harder for those born on the bottom rungs of the economic ladder to lift themselves up. One ray of hope is that Republicans and Democrats are increasingly talking about the intertwined problems of poverty and opportunity. Experts on both sides of the political aisle understand that poverty is changing, and policy responses must change, too. This comprehensive report is the result…
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Journal Article Two-generation programs provide education and training services for parents while their children attend early childhood education programs. This study examines the rates of persistence and certification of parents in one of the only two-generation interventions in the country under study, CareerAdvance®, which offers training in the healthcare sector to parents while their children attend Head Start (n = 92). Results indicate that 16 months after enrolling in CareerAdvance®, 76% of participants attained at least one workforce-applicable certificate of the program and 59% were still in the…
In this testimony before the District of Columbia City Council on adult literacy programs, Caroline Ratcliffe shares her findings on childhood poverty, how it relates to adult success, and the importance of parents’ educational attainment. (Author abstract)
Supported by The Heinz Endowments, the Urban Institute has examined the structural barriers that contribute to differences in African American and white men’s access to economic opportunities in Pittsburgh, specifically in employment and entrepreneurship. This action plan outlines recommendations for community leaders in Pittsburgh to help reduce or eliminate these barriers and enable African American men to improve their economic position. The study findings are summarized in a separate report, Structural Barriers to Racial Equity in Pittsburgh: Expanding Economic Opportunity for African…
This study of Pittsburgh, supported by The Heinz Endowments, focuses on structural barriers that contribute to differences in African American and white men’s access to economic opportunities, specifically in employment and entrepreneurship. Structural barriers are obstacles that disproportionately affect a certain racial or ethnic group and perpetuate or maintain stark disparities in outcomes. This report summarizes findings from statistical analysis, focus groups, and individual interviews with stakeholders and African American men in Pittsburgh. A separate document, Barriers and Bridges:…
Economics has its roots in the Greek word oikonomia, which means the “management of the household.” Yet economists across the ideological spectrum have paid little attention to the links between household family structure and the macroeconomic outcomes of nations, states, and societies. This is a major oversight because, as this report shows, shifts in marriage and family structure are important factors in states’ economic performance, including their economic growth, economic mobility, child poverty, and median family income. (Author abstract)
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Journal Article Marriage between two parents, compared with other family living arrangements, appears, on average, to enhance children's wellbeing and development. Some of the positive association between marriage and children's wellbeing comes from positive associations between marriage and other things that also contribute to children's wellbeing. David Ribar first sets up a standard economic rational-choice model to show that, all else equal, marriage should produce advantages that can improve children’s wellbeing, such as better coordination between parents and economies of scale that make limited…
New economic realities have focused attention on how to best design workforce development strategies to help low-wage and low-skill workers succeed. Lack of child care is one important barrier that can make it difficult for low-income parents to successfully participate in education and training programs. This report provides an overview of the child care and workforce development systems, and discusses the issues that lie at the intersection of these two worlds. It concludes with a description of next steps for policymakers and practitioners in each domain, and important questions that still…
