In every state, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant supports cash assistance and a wide range of other programs and services for low-income children and families. CLASP conducts policy analysis and provides technical assistance on TANF to state and federal officials and administrators, advocacy organizations, grassroots groups, and research entities.
Supporting School Success for Children Receiving TANF
This week, committees in the Tennessee legislature approved a bill that would cut parents' TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) cash assistance benefits if their children failed to be promoted to the next grade at school. This proposal is based on an inaccurate and stereotyped belief that poor parents need to be coerced into caring about their children's school achievement. If enacted, it will create new paperwork burdens for schools and welfare agencies, already straining under budget cuts. Most importantly, it risks pushing the most vulnerable children even deeper into poverty.
If legislators really want to improve educational outcomes for children whose families receive TANF, here are some policies that would actually make a difference.
TANF Emergency Fund
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 created a new TANF Emergency Fund to assist states in expanding services during the recession. READ MORE »- Chris Warland and Melissa Young, National Transitional Jobs Network and Elizabeth Lower-Basch, CLASP | Mar 19, 2013 Innovative City and State Funding Approaches to Supporting Subsidized Employment and Transitional Jobs
- Elizabeth Lower-Basch | Feb 28, 2013 Hearing Testimony on Waiving Work Requirements in the TANF Program
- Elizabeth Lower-Basch | Feb 06, 2013 Goals for TANF Reauthorization
- Elizabeth Lower-Basch and Lavanya Mohan | Oct 04, 2012 Alternatives to Drug Testing of TANF Applicants
- LaDonna Pavetti (CBPP), Liz Schott (CBPP), and Elizabeth Lower-Basch (CLASP) | Feb 16, 2011 Creating Subsidized Employment Opportunities for Low-Income Parents: The Legacy of the TANF Emergency Fund
- Lavanya Mohan | Mar 29, 2013 CLASP Work Supports Newsletter - March 2013
- Chris Warland and Melissa Young, National Transitional Jobs Network and Elizabeth Lower-Basch, CLASP | Mar 19, 2013 Innovative City and State Funding Approaches to Supporting Subsidized Employment and Transitional Jobs
- Elizabeth Lower-Basch and Neil Ridley | Mar 15, 2013 Navigating Federal Programs to Build Sustainable Career Pathways in the Health Professions: A Guide for HPOG Programs
- Lavanya Mohan | Mar 04, 2013 CLASP Work Supports Newsletter - February 2013
- Elizabeth Lower-Basch | Feb 28, 2013 Testimony on TANF Work Requirements
