Jodie Levin-Epstein: Publications
- Apr 02, 2013 | Jodie Levin-Epstein Getting Down to Business Newsletter - April 2013 Getting Down to Business is a CLASP monthly update on the latest news about business and paid leave. Read Online
- Mar 27, 2013 | Jodie Levin Epstein and Dr. Eileen Appelbaum Interview Protocol for MA Business Interviews on Earned Paid Sick Time Download PDF
- Mar 26, 2013 | Andrea Lindemann Gilliam and Liz Ben-Ishai Implementing Earned Sick Day Laws: First Out of the Gate: San Francisco's Sick Days Law Implementing a new law is always a complex process. But what happens when you are the first jurisdiction in the country to pass such a law? This was the unique challenge facing San Francisco when it passed the nation's first earned sick days law in 2006. The City and County government took on the challenge admirably, employing a variety of creative strategies to conduct outreach to the public, write meaningful rules, and ensure the law would be properly enforced. Download PDF
- Mar 20, 2013 | Jodie Levin-Epstein Business Voices: Implementation of Sick Days Laws is Straightforward Around the nation, city councils and state legislatures are increasingly considering legislation to establish a sick days' law. Employers, particularly those who are not familiar with sick days' policy, are leery of administering it. For some, this worry leads them to oppose passage of legislation. However, in locations where laws are already implemented, many businesses have stepped forward to acknowledge that administering sick days' policy is actually pretty simple. Download PDF
- Mar 19, 2013 | Jodie Levin-Epstein Workplace Safety and Earned Sick Days: Intersections and Opportunities for Advocacy This national audio conference discusses the intersections between worker safety issues and earned sick days policies. Read Online | Download Audio | Additional PDF
- Feb 07, 2013 | Jodie Levin-Epstein Employer and Employee Experiences of FMLA: Implications of the New Federal Surveys The Department of Labor (DOL) recently released the results of two new surveys on the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). These are the first surveys conducted by the DOL on the FMLA in over a decade. Released just in time for the 20th anniversary of the passage of the FMLA, the results give us significant insight into both employer and employee experiences with this pivotal legislation. Read Online
- Jan 28, 2013 | CLASP, Families USA and the University of California Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education Health Reform: Implications for Part-Time Work By 2014 millions of Americans will be able to access affordable health care for the first time. ObamaCare is historic legislation that will help workers who could not get affordable care through their employers or were unable to bear the costs of self-insurance. While there is a lot to celebrate, advocates, low wage workers and others are concerned that the law's focus on coverage for full-time employees might lead some employers to cut workers' hours. Press reports have fueled this worry. Read Online Additional PDF
- Nov 15, 2012 | Spotlight on Poverty and the National League of Cities Building Opportunity This audio conference explores how STEP UP is promoting opportunity and ways businesses can make a real difference in local anti-poverty efforts. The Employers in Savannah are increasingly at the forefront of new steps to provide opportunity and remove barriers to success. It's the third of a three-part "Cities Promote Opportunity" audio conference series. Read Online
- Oct 18, 2012 | Spotlight on Poverty and The National League of Cities New City Strategies to Alleviate Poverty This audio conference highlighted how Providence, R.I. is carrying forward the work of its Poverty, Work and Opportunity Task Force and its recommendations for how the city could build opportunity for its residents. The event was sponsored by Spotlight on Poverty, which CLASP manages, and National League of Cities, Institute for Youth, Education & Families. It's the second in the three-part "Cities Promote Opportunity" audio conference series. Read Online
- Sep 20, 2012 | Spotlight on Poverty and the National League of Cities "Cities Promote Opportunity" Audio Conference Series: New City Task Forces Battered by the recession like so many other cities, both Hartford, Conn. and Richmond, Va. recently established task forces to develop recommendations aimed at providing greater opportunity to area residents. This audio conference explored questions like: What are the priority recommendations in each city? What is the expectation around implementation? How will progress be assessed? And what are the key components of making job creation ideas work and stick over long the haul? Read Online
- Sep 16, 2011 Poverty Impact Projections: What Are They and How They Can Make a Difference This audio conference, a state advocate describes how the number has mattered, a state legislator tells why he wants a poverty impact projection attached to bills, and researchers will discuss how states can tailor analysis to their own policies and programs designed to decrease poverty. Read Online | Download Audio | Additional PDF
- Aug 23, 2011 At the Forefront: Poverty Impact Projections A Poverty Impact Projection (PIP) is an emerging tool that asks and answers the question at the forefront of the policy process such as, "If we pursue this policy, how much should it increase or decrease poverty?" This new report examines states where PIPs have been considered and offers thoughts about structuring PIPs. Download PDF
- Jul 28, 2011 Poverty and Opportunity: What Difference Can a Task Force Make? About 20 states, including Washington D.C., have established a state government poverty and opportunity task force. Eleven of these states have set poverty reduction targets, such as cutting poverty in half in a decade. This report profiles four of these task forces in Minnesota, Ohio, Illinois and Colorado, and provides an overview of their impacts. Download PDF
- May 10, 2011 The U.S. Budget and Low-Income Families: Rep. Jan Schakowsky's Inside View In this audio conference cosponsored by Spotlight on Poverty and the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) offered an insider's perspective on the latest budget developments as Congress debates funding for FY 2012. Read Online | Download Audio | Additional PDF
- Mar 29, 2011 Audio Conference: Reducing Child Poverty - Tips for the U.S. from Across the Pond This audio conference featured two experts on the United Kingdom's successful child poverty reduction efforts, even during the recession. With child poverty on the rise since 2000 in the U.S., these experts provided U.S. poverty advocates with lessons learned after the U.K. government pledged in 1999 to cut child poverty in half by 2010. Read Online | Download Audio | Additional PDF
- Jan 26, 2011 | Jodie Levin-Epstein and Vickie Choitz Career Pathways Lead Low-Income People Out of Poverty In a new Spotlight on Poverty webcast, Vickie Choitz, senior policy analyst with CLASP's workforce development team and co-author of Funding Career Pathways and Career Pathway Bridges: A Federal Policy Toolkit for States, discusses approaches to help low-skilled, low-income adults earn postsecondary credentials that lead to good jobs with family-sustaining wages. Read Online
- Dec 10, 2010 | Jodie Levin-Epstein Illinois Poverty Commission Recommendations This Spotlight on Poverty national audio conference featured Illinois state legislators and experts discussing newly released recommendations from the state's poverty commission. Read Online | Download Audio
- Nov 25, 2010 | Jodie Levin-Epstein State and Federal Approaches to Poverty Reduction (C-SPAN's Washington Journal Interview with Jodie Levin-Epstein) On November 25, 2010, Jodie Levin-Epstein, deputy director at CLASP, joined C-SPAN's Washington Journal to discuss strategies for reducing poverty. Watch the video. Read Online
- Nov 18, 2010 | Jodie Levin-Epstein Work Flex--Best Practices for Low Wage Workers In this national audio conference call, Turck, Inc., an employer who extends flexible practices to all workers, will explain why and how the company does what it does. Too often employers embrace workplace flexibility just for higher wage workers. Turck Inc. in Minneapolis, MN provides all of its regular full and part-time employees with a range of supports, including paid time off (PTO) and unpaid parental leave, a wellness program, unpaid leave for attending a child's school events, and even tuition assistance. Read Online | Download Audio
- Nov 08, 2010 | Jodie Levin-Epstein Interview with Author Wes Moore from November Policy Series Event Author Wes Moore joined CLASP on November 8 for "Wisdom and Wine." He discussed his book The Other Wes Moore: One Name Two Fates, and what role policy can play in our life trajectories. Read Online | Download PDF | Download Audio
- Oct 25, 2010 | Melissa Boteach and Jodie Levin-Epstein Battling Poverty in the Golden State: Recommendations for the California Statewide Poverty Commission This brief offers best practices and strategies learned from other state poverty commissions in advance of California's statewide symposium on poverty. Despite times of economic distress and deep budget, California is the latest state to undertake a comprehensive plan to reduce poverty. It's exactly during these times that states must convene stakeholders to stop the bleeding and provide a vision to move forward. Download PDF
- Sep 14, 2010 | Jodie Levin-Epstein Projected Increase in Poverty (MSNBC interview with Jodie Levin-Epstein) On Sept. 14, 2010, MSNBC news anchor Tamron Hall broadcast a segment on the projected increase in poverty. She interviewed CLASP's Jodie Levin Epstein. Watch the video. Read Online
- Sep 09, 2010 | Jodie Levin-Epstein Profitable: Flexible Workplace for ALL Workers This audio conference will give you a chance to hear about employers who operate differently and help all employees perform well; you'll also learn what happens when low wage workers are not given that chance. Listen to the audio. Just click below. Additional resources are available. Read Online | Download Audio
- Aug 30, 2010 | Andrea Lindemann How Women-Owned Businesses Can Support Paid Sick Days A CLASP fact sheet detailing how women-owned businesses can support paid sick days. Download PDF
- Aug 17, 2010 | Andrea Lindemann Mind Your Business Engaging businesses can be time intensive and often requires utilizing and developing personal relationships. It is worth it in the end, as businesses can support your work and neutralize opposition. They can testify in favor of bills, write Op Eds and letters of support, speak to the media, and counter or neutralize business association opposition. Here are three simple steps to recruiting a business to support paid sick days. Download PDF
- Jul 02, 2010 | Jodie Levin-Epstein Paid Time Off is Taking Off In this audio conference, we will discuss the details and findings of World at Work's new study on Paid Time Off (PTO). A growing trend among employers, PTO offers employees flexibility and eases administrative costs for employers. However, very little research has been done on the benefits and drawbacks of PTO. Read Online | Download Audio | Additional PDF
- Feb 22, 2010 | Jodie Levin-Epstein Members of State Commissions on Poverty and Opportunity Urge Federal Action on Poverty Measure As members of state economic opportunity and poverty reduction task forces that are currently in operation or have completed their mission, we write to urge the federal government to move forward in implementing a modernized income poverty measure. Download PDF
- Jan 29, 2010 | Lexer Quamie Award-Winning Employers: State by State CLASP has compiled a state-by-state listing of firms that have been recognized through national awards for their workplace policies. Read Online
- Jan 25, 2010 | CLASP Federal Policy Recommendations for 2010 Our nation faces many domestic challenges, including improving access to affordable health care, improving access to education as well as education outcomes, and providing debt and foreclosure relief. CLASP's 2010 federal policy recommendations are equally essential to achieving healthy and thriving families and improving the nation's prosperity. Read Online | Download PDF
- Dec 14, 2009 | Jodie Levin-Epstein Scheduling Hourly Workers in A Just in Time World: Can Employees and Employer Sync the Clock? This audioconference provides the latest research on how employers with low wage workers are addressing this issue and hear first-hand how Costco approaches scheduling of workers. Read Online | Download Audio | Additional PDF
- Nov 03, 2009 | Dorothy Smith Measure by Measure: The Current Poverty Measure v. the National Academy of Sciences Measure This report highlights alternative poverty measures for each state and the District of Columbia using a Census tool that calculates alternative measures based on a National Academy of Sciences recommendation and an NAS recommendation that considers geographic price difference adjustment. Download PDF
- Sep 30, 2009 | Jodie Levin-Epstein Healthy Families Act: Advocates' Answers to Businesses' Frequently Asked Questions This document provides a distilled version of the Healthy Families Act in a Question and Answer form and is aimed at dispelling any myths about the legislation. Download PDF
- Sep 30, 2009 | CLASP Paid Sick Days: A Comparison of Three Cities' Laws and Pending Federal Legislation A comparison table of the bills in San Francisco, Washington DC, Milwaukee, and the federal Healthy Families Act. Download PDF
- Sep 16, 2009 | Jodie Levin-Epstein Poverty and Opportunity: State Government Task Forces This publication provides information about how states are addressing poverty through task forces. It includes links to state-specific information such as authorizing legislation and poverty task force reports. Download PDF
- Sep 08, 2009 | Jodie Levin-Epstein Increasing Low-Income Access to Opportunity This article, published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, focuses on the New England region's efforts to give visibility to poverty and opportunity through task force initiatives, summits, and state poverty targets. Download PDF
- Sep 01, 2009 | CLASP Federal Policy Recommendations for 2009 and Beyond The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) has developed an extensive federal policy agenda for President Obama and the 111th Congress directed at improving the lives of low income people. That agenda is outlined in this document. Download PDF
- Apr 19, 2009 | Jodie Levin-Epstein Delaware State on Track to Tackle Child Poverty Article discussing Delaware's upcoming Governor's Summit on Child Poverty and Economic Opportunity and the start of Delaware's actions to provide opportunity for all. Download PDF
- Jan 23, 2009 | Jodie Levin-Epstein and Webb Lyons Target Practice: Lessons for Poverty Reduction Target Practice outlines how governments (local, state and the federal) can use targets (goals and timelines to achieve those goals) as a policy tool for reducing poverty by drawing on lessons learned from targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and homelessness. Download PDF
- Nov 28, 2008 Poverty Task Forces: The Experience of 3 State Advocates This audio conference focuses on three states' (Connecticut, Minnesota and Illinois) lessons learned in establishing and working with a poverty task force. It explores the pros and cons of task forces and other issues, ranging from why bother with a task force to how does the current recession influence pursuit of a task force. Download Audio
- Nov 18, 2008 | Jodie Levin-Epstein Sustaining Anti-Poverty Solutions: Keep an Eye on the Prize This article first appeared in "Bridging the Gap: Reshaping Poverty Policy in America" a special issue of the Neighborhood Funders Group newsletter\". Download PDF
- Sep 19, 2008 What's a Poverty Commission to Do about a Recession? This audio conference focuses on actions states can take to address the high costs of food and fuel and job losses that are causing more to struggle to make ends meet and pushing more and more families toward poverty. Download Audio | Additional PDF
- Jul 30, 2008 First hand-facts: visits, tours, testimony and more The Legislative Commission to End Poverty in Minnesota has spent two years trying to understand the nature, causes and consequences for the state and for individuals who struggle to make ends meet in today's economy. This audio conference focuses on: What role do first-hand facts have? How can advocacy organizations work collaboratively with a commission to zero in on the most pressing problems? How can policymakers best hear from those experiencing low incomes? And, how does a commission keep getting first-hand insights after it makes recommendations? Download Audio | Additional PDF
- Apr 17, 2008 | Jodie Levin-Epstein and Kristen Michelle Gorzelany Seizing the Moment: State Governments and the New Commitment to Reduce Poverty in America The three leading presidential candidates are now on record with a public commitment to address poverty and opportunity in the United States. This is in concert with growing state efforts and signals a dramatic turnaround in tackling poverty. In just the last two years, one of every five states has taken action to put poverty on the political agenda. This joint report from CLASP and Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity outlines those efforts and provides charts detailing action by policy area. Download PDF
- Sep 11, 2007 | Jodie Levin-Epstein More Than a Paycheck: A Conversation On Why Job Quality Matters and What We Can Do About It The American Dream promises that if you are willing to work hard, you will be able to achieve a better life for yourself and your family. But too many people are stuck in bad jobs -- jobs that pay poverty-level wages and offer no benefits, jobs with little opportunity for advancement, jobs in which workers don't know from week to week if they'll get enough hours to pay their bills, jobs that workers can lose for staying home with a sick child. In this audio conference, you'll hear about the state of job quality in the U.S. today and how a focus on improving job quality can help reduce poverty and support families. You'll learn why poor job quality is an issue that especially affects women. And you'll find out about a proposed New York State law that would have required state agencies to focus on placing clients in jobs that pay sustainable wages. Download Audio | Additional PDF
- Aug 01, 2007 Poverty and Opportunity: Developments around the Nation This audio conference focuses on the latest developments about solutions to poverty that are emerging around the country. Download Audio | Additional PDF
- May 22, 2007 Gaining Leverage to Improve Job Quality: Lessons from Union Organizing in the New Economy What can workforce development professionals learn from sector based union organizing initiatives about overcoming some of the challenges to improving job quality in the new economy? Which state and local policies can support workers rights to organize and improve job quality for low-wage workers? CLASP’s upcoming conference call will address these questions and more! We hope that you can join us for this exciting call with experts from the field who will highlight successful union organizing efforts in the public and private sector, and discuss the implications of these initiatives for state and federal policy. This audio conference is part of CLASP’s Opportunity at Work initiative, which focuses on creating better jobs for a stronger economy. Download Audio | Additional PDF
- Apr 06, 2007 Making Low-wage Jobs Family Friendly: An Oxymoron or Cutting Edge? (Part-2) Does workforce advancement sometimes stall because job schedules conflict with kids' care or stable parenting? Does family friendly translate into job retention? What are the research findings related to welfare "success stories"? What are some chain store practices and policies that are making a difference so that low-wage service jobs might be more family friendly? What role do supervisors play? What has one employer done for all his employees -- at all wages -- to engage them in decision-making and in scheduling? Download Audio | Additional PDF
- Mar 15, 2007 Paid Sick Days: Why it Matters to Families and the Latest Developments There is no minimum standard for paid sick days for workers. As a result, about half of workers do not have paid sick days. This means that some workers lose wages if they stay home with a child with pink eye; others can lose their jobs - and do. Other workers come to work sick. This is a family, public health, and employer issue that impacts all workers, and particularly those in low wage jobs. In San Francisco, the voters just passed a referendum that establishes paid sick days in the city. Learn about other paid sick days policy developments around the country and in the new Congress. More cities and states are looking at this working condition and taking action. You can too. Download Audio | Additional PDF
- Mar 09, 2007 Making Low-wage Jobs Family Friendly: An Oxymoron or Cutting Edge? (Part-1) How are some clothing and grocery chain stores restructuring low-wage service jobs to make them more family friendly? How does advance notice help with childcare, stress, absenteeism, and productivity? What role do supervisors play? What's the bottom line on health - for the business, for the worker and family? Does family friendly translate into job retention? What has one major employer done -- and why - to help workers at all incomes meet work obligations and family responsibilities? Download Audio | Additional PDF
- Mar 08, 2007 | Jodie Levin-Epstein Responsive Workplaces: The Business Case for Employment that Values Fairness and Families More and more, working parents have dual--and dueling--responsibilities on the job and at home. Some employers have adapted and made their workplaces responsive to working parents, offering, for example, flexible scheduling and paid time off. Often, such measures have benefited the employers, too, demonstrating that businesses can do well by doing good. This article--reprinted from Mother Load, a special report from The American Prospect on family-friendly workplaces--addresses the business case for workplaces that respond to families' needs. Download PDF
- Feb 08, 2007 | Jodie Levin-Epstein Here's a Tip: When Restaurant and Hotel Workers Don't Have Paid Sick Days, It Hurts Us All Restaurant and hotel workers are typically low-paid employees, and their employers rarely provide them with paid sick days. Instead, these workers are forced to make difficult choices when they or their family members are sick, including coming to work sick--which also presents a public health risk. This fact sheet details both the need for paid sick days for restaurant and hotel workers and some current efforts to ensure that workers have them. Download PDF
- Feb 06, 2007 | Jodie Levin-Epstein and Pat Wilson-Coker Connecticut's Commitment to End Child Poverty An Interview with Pat Wilson-Coker, former commissioner of Connecticut's Department of Social Services (audio) Connecticut aims to reduce child poverty by 50 percent between 2004 and 2014. In this audio conference, Pat Wilson-Coker, former commissioner of Connecticut's Department of Social Services, outlines the positive effects of targets on accountability, partnerships, and planning. Download Audio | Additional PDF
- Dec 04, 2006 Opportunity At Work Series: Getting the Job Quality Picture Right: What's the Problem? What's the Solution? Examines some problems and solutions for attaining job quality for low-income workers. Download Audio
- Oct 31, 2006 | Jodie Levin-Epstein with Laura Boyd Paid Sick Days Legislation: A Legislator's Guide Unlike most of the nations of the world, the U.S. has no national paid sick days policy. But lawmakers are starting to address the issue at the local and state levels. This guide, a joint publication of CLASP and the Women Legislators' Lobby, is intended to help legislators think through the provisions that make up paid sick days legislation. It identifies ten primary issues to consider when moving from a hypothetical idea to concrete legislation, and it offers several possible options for addressing each. Download PDF
- Aug 29, 2006 | Jodie Levin-Epstein and Webb Lyons Targeting Poverty: Aim at a Bull's Eye Forty years after the war on poverty and a year after Katrina struck, commitments to tackle poverty are beginning to come back onto political and policy agendas. The report identifies efforts around the nation to set poverty targets -- numerical goals and timelines -- for the reduction or elimination of poverty. For example: In California, a 2006 bill calls for child poverty to be eliminated by 2026; in Connecticut, state law already establishes that child poverty is to be reduced by 50 percent by 2014. Among the reasons why poverty may be gaining attention is the increasing concern among many Americans that at some point they and their families may experience poverty. These and other issues are explored. Download PDF
- Jul 20, 2006 | Jodie Levin-Epstein Getting Punched: The Job and Family Clock...It's Time for Flexible Work for Workers of All Wages Get the facts on the dramatic labor market changes that result in more and more workers facing dual and dueling responsibilities -- those at work and those at home. Businesses that recognize this tension address it through responsive scheduling and paid time off; and, these businesses benefit from cost savings when they do. Getting Punched suggests 10 ways that government should get more involved in promoting responsive workplaces for workers of all wages. It's about time. Download PDF
- Jul 10, 2006 | Jodie Levin-Epstein Get the Prescription: Child Care Workers Need Paid Sick Days This handy fact sheet lays out the importance of paid sick days to child care workers. In Congress, states, and cities, initiatives are arising to establish paid sick days laws so that workers who are sick or need to care for a family member do not lose a job or wages if they take some days off. About half of workers in the U.S. are without paid sick days. For child care workers, the lack of paid sick days is particularly problematic. Child care workers have a double whammy reason to support paid sick days: these workers need it not only for themselves but also for the parents of the children in their care; otherwise, parents with sick children who face losing a day's wages may try to leave a sick child with the child care worker, despite any rules that say otherwise. Download PDF
- Jul 07, 2005 | Lacinda Hummel and Jodie Levin-Epstein A Needed Transition: Lessons from Illinois about Teen Parent TANF Rules TANF legislation includes two rules specific to minor parents (parents under age 18). One rule requires that minor parents live in an approved arrangement, usually with their parents. The other rule requires that minor parents typically participate in education leading to a high school diploma or GED. This issue brief reviews how Illinois approached eligibility under the two minor parent rules, and it explores why and how Illinois moved forward with a transitional compliance administrative rule. It also examines the effect the rule has had--notably that the process led to a better understanding of minor parents' individual circumstances and thus led to fewer inappropriate denials. Download PDF
- Jun 29, 2005 | Jodie Levin-Epstein How to Exercise Flexible Work: Take Steps with a "Soft Touch" Law In the U.K., a new "soft touch" law gives some employees the right to ask their employers for a change in work arrangements. This brief, the third in the Work-Life Balance Series, describes how U.K. employers partnered with government on work-life balance, highlights findings about flexible work, and identifies issues to explore in any U.S. adaptation. Click here for an annotated version of this brief, which also includes an appendix of U.K. surveys on the soft touch law. Download PDF
- Apr 15, 2005 | Jodie Levin-Epstein Work and Public Housing: Encouraging Results from Jobs-Plus In this audioconference, Jodie Levin-Epstein interviews experts regarding Jobs-Plus, a multi-year evaluation of a place-based employment initiative in public housing. It’s produced substantial improvements in residents’ earnings. She and her guests explored the effects of Jobs-Plus on employment, earnings, and welfare receipt and whether different kinds of families had different kinds of outcomes and whether life in the housing developments changed. Download Audio | Additional PDF
- Mar 15, 2005 | Jodie Levin-Epstein To Have and To Hold: Congressional Vows on Marriage and Sex This paper discusses what the government has already done to promote abstinence-unless-married programs and marriage, and what it proposes to do with the reauthorization of the welfare law. The article then discusses the relationship between marriage and pregnancy prevention, including research findings on the influence of childbearing on marriage. It concludes with some welfare reauthorization recommendations for Congress on this topic. A condensed version of this paper appears in the April 1, 2005, SIECUS Report, Vol. 33, No. 1. Download PDF
- Feb 28, 2005 | Jodie Levin-Epstein Presenteeism and Paid Sick Days Employers who do not provide paid sick days may feel it is too expensive to pay for workers who do not come to work. However, new research suggests that when workers are sick on the job, their presence comes at a cost to employers--the \"hidden\" cost of reduced productivity. This four-page paper defines \"presenteeism\" and discusses what can and is being done about it. Download PDF
- Jan 04, 2005 | Jodie Levin-Epstein Taking the Next Step: What Can the U.S. Learn about Sick Leave from New Zealand? This policy brief, based on the report High Wire Act and the second in the Work-Life Balance Series, looks at what New Zealand has done to provide paid sick days for its workers. Drawing from the New Zealand experience, the brief then provides recommendations on what United States policymakers can do to ensure that workers have paid sick days. Download PDF
- Dec 10, 2004 | Jodie Levin-Epstein Taking the Next Step: What Can the U.S. Learn about Parental Leave from New Zealand? This brief, the first in the Work-Life Balance Series, discusses New Zealand's experience with paid parental leave and includes qualitative data from 17 New Zealand small businesses on their experiences with their new law. It concludes with policy implications and some next steps for the United States in this arena. The brief summarizes the key findings from the report High Wire Act: Balancing Families and Jobs at Precarious Points by Jodie Levin-Epstein. Download PDF
- Sep 01, 2004 | Jodie Levin-Epstein High-Wire Act: Balancing Families and Jobs at Precarious Points This report, prepared by Levin-Epstein during an Ian Axford Fellowship in New Zealand, examines two work-leave policies: parental leave and sick days leave. It considers the implications of these policies, particularly for low-income families and for small businesses, in New Zealand and the United States. Download PDF
- Dec 19, 2003 | Jodie Levin-Epstein Lifting the Lid Off the Family Cap: States Revisit Problematic Policy for Welfare Mothers Since 1992, 24 states have implemented some type of a family cap policy, usually to discourage welfare recipients from giving birth to children while receiving cash assistance. Recently, however, a handful of states have begun to rethink the family cap. This policy brief, the first in a series on Childbearing and Reproductive Health Policy, explains what family cap policies are, reviews some of the research on their effectiveness, explains how many families are affected by them, describes challenges that have been mounted against these policies, and recommends that states with family caps consider repealing these mistaken and potentially harmful policies. Download PDF
- Dec 18, 2003 | Jodie Levin-Epstein Teen Parents and Abstinence Education: Research Findings, 2003 This compilation of summaries of new research is designed as a reference tool for practitioners, policymakers, and others interested in teen parents (and particularly their relationship to welfare programs) and abstinence education. Download PDF
- Dec 18, 2003 | Jodie Levin-Epstein and John Hutchins Teens and TANF: How Adolescents Fare Under the Nations Welfare Program This policy brief, published by the Kaiser Family Foundation, offers an update on what is known about the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs effects on different populations of teens: teen parents receiving TANF benefits, youth living in TANF families, and youth participating in TANF-funded programs. The brief provides background on the welfare program, summarizes the latest research, and discusses the implications of a number of TANF policies for teens and their families. Download PDF
- Aug 18, 2003 | Christine Grisham and Jodie Levin-Epstein Teen Parents and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families: A Summary of Recent Congressional Action The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program contains two provisions related to minor parents and their families: 1) minor parent recipients are required to participate in education or training and 2) minor parents are required to reside in an approved living situation, typically with a parent or other adult relative. This paper summarizes Congressional action in 2001-2003 related to teen parents and TANF. It also includes actions on second chance (maternity group) home provisions even if they do not amend the TANF statute. Download PDF
- Jul 01, 2003 | Jodie Levin-Epstein and Mark H. Greenberg, Editors Leave No Youth Behind: Opportunities for Congress to Reach Disconnected Youth Too many young people are not on the path toward successful adulthood, and the U.S. has no coherent policy to help these disconnected youth become productive members of society. Estimates of the number of youth who are disconnected or at risk of becoming disconnected range from nearly 3 million to more than 7 million. This report offers recommendations to help disconnected youth in six programs being considered by the 108th Congress for reauthorization: the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, the Higher Education Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, and the Workforce Investment Act. It encourages federal policymakers to look across legislative initiatives to develop an integrated set of policies to address the needs of this population. The report concludes that the nation should commit itself to increase the proportion of young people who at age 25 (1) have a high school diploma and postsecondary degree or credential, (2) are employed in jobs with career advancement possibilities, and (3) are not engaged in adverse risk-taking behaviors. Download PDF
- May 28, 2003 | Jodie Levin-Epstein Welfare, Women, and Health: The Role of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Women comprise 90 percent of the adult caseload receiving welfare assistance through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. TANFs influence on womens health and well-being is broad and is driven by multiple aspects of the program, including access to health insurance, work requirements and training options, links to health care services, and reproductive health provisions. This issue brief, published by the Kaiser Family Foundation, reflects on lessons learned from recent research on the connection between welfare policies and low-income womens health. For more information on the Kaiser Family Foundations work on Womens Health Policy, please visit: www.kff.org/women. Download PDF
- Apr 01, 2002 | Janellen Duffy and Jodie Levin-Epstein Add It Up: Teen Parents and Welfare . . . Undercounted, Oversanctioned, Underserved Although teen parents represent only about five percent of the overall Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) caseload, historically about 50 percent of adult welfare recipients began parenting as teens. The 1996 welfare law created special rules for teen parents, generally requiring them to live at home or in supervised settings and to stay in school/training in order to receive benefits. This report, based on a survey of state administrators in 33 states and data on teen mothers from 11 states, finds that teen parents in TANF appear undercounted, untracked, oversanctioned, and underserved. A related study, Knocking on the Door: Barriers to Welfare and Other Assistance for Teen Parents, by the Center for Impact Research in Chicago (www.impactresearch.org), suggests that these rules for minor teen parents are having the unintended consequence of turning away needy teens who are not in school or not living at home, rather than giving them the opportunity to come into compliance. Download PDF
- Nov 15, 2001 | Jodie Levin-Epstein Teen Pregnancy Prevention Hearing Submission, House Human Resources Subcommittee This document was submitted for the record regarding the public hearing on Teen Pregnancy Prevention and Welfare that was held on Thursday, November 15, 2001. The hearing was called by Chairman Wally Herger (R-CA) of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources. Many of the hearing witnesses focused on the abstinence program established in 1996. In CLASP's submission for the record, we concentrate on issues relating to this program. Download PDF
- Jan 15, 2000 | Rutledge Q. Hutson and Jodie Levin-Epstein Linking Family Planning with Other Social Services: The Perspectives of State Family Planning Administrators Gives a national glimpse at the types of efforts made jointly by state social service agencies and family planning agencies. Important interactions are occurring. For example, in Alaska, the family planning agency developed a curriculum that trains welfare staff to address basic reproductive health issues and make appropriate family planning referral. In Washington, the Medicaid agency contracts with local Title X agencies to have itinerant nurses provide family planning services in 75% of the states welfare offices. The 50-state review, undertaken in partnership with the State Family Planning Administrators (SFPA), explores such topics as inter-agency information dissemination, referral arrangements, staff training, and co-location of services. It identifies which states are using what vehicles for linking family planning through other agencies. Click here for the appendix. Download PDF
- Dec 15, 1999 | Phyllida Burlingame, Rutledge Hutson, and Jodie Levin-Epstein Making the Link: Pregnancy Prevention and the New Welfare Era Explores alternative mechanisms welfare and other social service agencies might adopt to address a national dilemma: nearly half of all pregnancies in the United States are unintended. Interest in this topic is fueled, in part, by the 1996 welfare law, which seeks to reduce out-of-wedlock births. What steps can welfare and social service agencies take to improve access to and voluntary use of family planning services? Making the Link begins to answer this question by reporting the linkages underway in California, Washington, and Georgia. Making the Link also suggests why states should consider replication or adaptation of these initiatives, what the inherent implementation challenges are, and how to navigate these challenges. Download PDF
- Apr 15, 1999 | Jodie Levin-Epstein Seeking Supervision: State Policy Choices in Implementing the TANF Minor Parent Living Arrangement In order for a minor to receive TANF, she must, with limited exceptions, live with a parent, relative, or guardian. Alternative adult living arrangements are possible and a state can approve a minor to live independently. Fifty states' approaches to the challenges of implementing the rule are summarized. Download PDF
- Mar 01, 1999 | Jodie Levin-Epstein Seeking Safe Haven: How Two States Have Approached the Minor Parent Living Arrangement Rule Illinois and Vermont implemented a minor parent living arrangement policy prior to the 1996 law. Both have policies designed to protect those for whom the living arrangement rule might prove problematic due to abuse at home or other causes. This in-depth exploration is designed to assist those who work on the policy or with teen parents to gain insights into the nuances of implementation from the perspective of two states with experience. Download PDF
- Feb 15, 1999 | Jodie Levin-Epstein Open Questions: New Jersey's Family Cap Evaluation New Jersey's research evaluation became controversial when a preliminary version was leaked to the media. The preliminary report found that births decreased but abortions increased. The final version of the research reported the same trends. However, the stories were fundamentally different: the preliminary report suggested that the decline in births was accounted for by the abortions; the final report concluded that for each abortion, 10 births were averted. Among the open questions explored are whether the findings should be viewed as encouraging. Download PDF
- Feb 01, 1999 | Jodie Levin-Epstein Two Sides of the Same Coin or a Toss of the Coin? Family Planning Services and Family Cap Implementation The family cap is intended to discourage childbearing among welfare recipients by limiting a familys cash grant. In order for the cap to achieve its intended effect, women receiving welfare need to abstain from sexual activity, contracept, or abort. If contraception is an integral part of helping women avoid the family cap, how can this best be accomplished? Should the two sides of the family cap coin -- contraception and limited cash aid -- be made explicit? Or, should the connection between family planning and family cap be as chancy as a toss of the coin? The experience of one state, Georgia, is detailed for readers in states with a family cap policy. Download PDF
- Aug 15, 1998 | Florencia M. Greer and Jodie Levin-Epstein More Than One: Teen Mothers and Subsequent Childbearing Concisely summarizes the policy, research, and program information described more fully in One Out of Every Five. Download PDF
- Aug 01, 1998 | Jodie Levin-Epstein and Florencia M. Greer One Out of Every Five: Teen Mothers and Subsequent Childbearing This paper examines the phenomenon of second and higher-order births to teenaged mothers. While the trends are improving, these subsequent births account for one out of five teen births. One Out of Every Five describes successful programs around the country that address subsequent births within the teen population; reviews research on the characteristics of - and consequences for - teens who give birth more than once; and consolidates information on related state and local policies. Download PDF
- Aug 01, 1998 | Jodie Levin-Epstein The IRA: Individual Responsiblity Agreements and TANF Family Life Obligations This document seeks to identify family life obligations such as health visits, school, teen living, and child support that are required in individual responsibility agreements used by welfare agencies. This analysis is based upon a review of state documents called "personal responsibility plans" or "personal responsibility agreements." Included is a state-by-state summary of family life obligations in IRAs. Download PDF
- Jun 15, 1997 | Jodie Levin-Epstein Abstinence Education: Room for Interpretation Provides an in-depth review of the law's requirements and potential state flexibility in addressing \"abstinence-only\" education requirements. Reprint of a speech delivered during a national video conference sponsored by the University of Maryland's Welfare Academy. Read Online
- Oct 01, 1996 | Jodie Levin-Epstein Teen Parent Provisions in the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 Describes the provisions in the new law that specifically affect teen parents, such as requirements on residency and that minors stay-in-school. The paper also analyzes provisions that might have significant impact on teens, such as the funding bonus to states that demonstrate the greatest reduction in out-of-wedlock births. Download PDF