- Feb 01, 2010 | Hannah Matthews and Danielle Ewen Administration Reverses a Decade of Indifference The President's FY 2011 budget proposal provides resources for expanding quality child care and early education opportunities for children and families. Read Online
- 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 28, 2010 | Elizabeth Lower-Basch Extending the TANF Emergency Fund Creates Jobs Now Congress should extend the TANF Emergency Fund as soon as possible so that states can continue to start and expand subsidized jobs programs. Download PDF
- Jan 27, 2010 | Elizabeth Lower-Basch and Josh Bone TANF Emergency Fund: State Applications Approved as of January 27 HHS reports that as of January 27, 2010, 37 states (and the District of Columbia) have been awarded a total of $1.18 billion from the TANF Emergency Fund. This fact sheet shows the share of its maximum allocation that each state has received. Read Online | Download PDF
- Jan 22, 2010 | Child Care and Early Education Missouri: The Quality Rating System and Infant/Toddler Responsive Caregiving Checklist The Missouri Quality Rating System (MO QRS) is a voluntary system that seeks to address infants and toddlers both in terms of the design of the system and in the content on which child care quality is measured. The MO QRS was developed in part to align with the state's early learning standards and core competencies for early childhood professionals. Certain specific measures have been included to address infant/toddler care. Read Online
- Jan 21, 2010 State Fact Sheets on Child Welfare Funding 2010 These fact sheets, compiled as part of a joint project of CLASP and the Children's Defense Fund, are designed to help policymakers, advocates, and the public better understand the complex financing structure of child welfare services in the states, and to enable them to work effectively toward national, state and local reforms that will promote a child welfare system that helps keep children and families out of crisis, provides specialized treatment services for those that do experience crisis and provides supportive services to families after a crisis has stabilized. Read Online
- Jan 20, 2010 Child Welfare in the United States This fact sheet, part of a collection of 50 state fact sheets compiled as part of a joint project of CLASP and the Children's Defense Fund, is designed to help policymakers, advocates, and the public better understand the complex financing structure of child welfare services in their states, and to enable them to work effectively toward national, state and local reforms that will promote a child welfare system that helps keep children and families out of crisis, provides specialized treatment services for those that do experience crisis and provides supportive services to families after a crisis has stabilized. Download PDF
- Jan 11, 2010 | Child Care and Early Education California: The Comprehensive Approaches to Raising Educational Standards (CARES) Program The First 5 California Comprehensive Approaches to Raising Educational Standards (CARES) program is a professional development and retention program that aims to build a highly-qualified and culturally and linguistically diverse early childhood workforce. Open to all ends of the spectrum of those caring for children from 0 to 5—from family, friend and neighbor (FFN) caregivers to licensed family child care providers and center-based teachers and directors, the program offers financial incentives and other supports and services to increase the pursuit of training and education and reduce turnover in the early learning field. Read Online
- Jan 11, 2010 | Child Care and Early Education Educare: Creating Comprehensive Early Care and Education Centers Educare is an initiative that draws on public and private resources to create and sustain comprehensive early care and education centers for low-income families with children from birth to age 5. These centers can serve as a model location, program, and a platform for policy change in the communities and states in which they are developed. Centers are currently open in Chicago (IL), Denver (CO), Miami (FL), Milwaukee (WI), Oklahoma City (OK), Omaha (NE), and Tulsa (OK). Additional centers in Kansas City (MO), Omaha (NE), Phoenix (AZ), Seattle (WA), Tulsa (OK), Waterville (ME), West DuPage (IL), and Yakima (WA) are in development. Read Online
- Dec 17, 2009 | Hannah Matthews Infants and Toddlers in CCDBG: 2008 Based on preliminary data from the Child Care Bureau, this fact sheet provides a snapshot of participation of infants and toddlers in the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program in 2008. Fewer than a third of children served in CCDBG are under the age of 3, but the share of children receiving CCDBG who are infants and toddlers varies from state to state. This fact sheet includes state-by-state information on the ages of children served in CCDBG and other information on the participation of infants and toddlers in the program. Download PDF
- Dec 17, 2009 | Hannah Matthews School-Age Children in CCDBG: 2008 Based on preliminary data from the Child Care Bureau, this fact sheet provides a snapshot of participation of school-age children in the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program in 2008. A third of children served in CCDBG are between ages 6 and 13. This fact sheet includes state-by-state information on the ages of children served in CCDBG and other information on the participation of school-age children in the program. Download PDF
- Dec 10, 2009 | Evelyn Ganzglass Proposal to Create Career Pathways State Policy Leadership Grants Program CLASP proposes the establishment of a Career Pathways State Policy Leadership Grants program within the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). The program would be jointly administered by the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor to strengthen and align adult education/ ESL, postsecondary education, career and technical education and workforce development systems in a career pathways framework. Download PDF
- Dec 10, 2009 | Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield and Thomas Hilliard Recommendations to Refocus WIA Title II on Career and Postsecondary Success Download PDF
- Dec 02, 2009 | Dorothy Smith State Poverty Task Forces a Step Ahead on Modern Poverty Measure In the absence of a modern federal measure of poverty, a growing number of state poverty task forces are calling for federal action and have begun exploring alternative ways to more accurately measure income poverty. Download PDF
- Dec 01, 2009 | Hannah Matthews Child Care and Development Block Grant Participation in 2008 Based on preliminary data from the Child Care Bureau, this fact sheet provides a snapshot of participation in the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program in 2008. CCDBG served a monthly average of 1.6 million children. While 19 states increased the number of children served, 29 states served fewer children in 2008 than in the previous year. This fact sheet reviews data, including the ages of children receiving assistance, the types of child care settings used, and the reasons families receive assistance. Download PDF
- Nov 18, 2009 | Evelyn Ganzglass Job Creation: Creating Work and Learning Opportunities for Low-Income Populations The current economic and job crisis requires that additional steps be taken to create employment and training opportunities for those hardest hit by the recession. Experts and policymakers have proposed numerous strategies to create and retain jobs such as tax credits, public service employment and the expansion of work-sharing/short-time compensation options under the Unemployment Insurance program. This fact sheet offers a number of ideas for how the public Workforce Investment and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families systems could be mobilized to create new work opportunities for low-income, unemployed workers. Read Online | Download PDF
- Oct 28, 2009 | Josh Bone and Elizabeth Lower-Basch Analysis of Fiscal Year 2008 TANF and MOE Spending by States The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has published data concerning use of federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and state maintenance of effort (MOE) funds in FY 2008. This set of state-by-state charts shows how each state reported using its TANF and MOE funds in FY 2008. Read Online | Download Spreadsheet | Additional PDF
- Oct 23, 2009 | Child Care and Early Education U.S. Head Start by the Numbers 2008 This profile provides data across all Head Start programs (Early Head Start, Head Start preschool, American Indian/Alaskan Native Head Start, and Migrant Head Start) for all grantees. Profiles on individual states are available through "In the States." Download PDF
- Oct 15, 2009 | Child Care and Early Education California: Child Care Initiative Program—Building the Supply of Quality FCC Homes The California Child Care Initiative Program aims to increase the supply of quality child care options by recruiting, training, and retaining licensed family child care (FCC) home providers. CCIP is implemented at the community level by local Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (R&Rs) and has the potential to support a significant share of infant/toddler care in the state. Read Online
- Sep 30, 2009 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
- Feb 03, 2010 | Danielle Ewen and Helen Blank The President's Budget Proposal: Opportunities and Challenges for Early Childhood Programs In this audioconference, Danielle Ewen and Helen Blank discuss the president's FY 2011 budget proposal and implications for funding of state and local early childhood programs. Read Online | Download Audio
- Feb 02, 2010 | Hannah Matthews Addressing the Needs of Children of Immigrants: Opportunities for State Policy and Early Childhood Advocates This presentation reviews key findings from CLASP's research on the challenges immigrant families face in accessing child care and early education and presents strategies and policy recommendations for addressing these challenges. Download PDF
- Jan 11, 2010 | Danielle Ewen The Early Learning Challenge Fund: Metrics and Data This presentation provides an overview of the data-based metrics included in the House Early Learning Challenge Fund legislation (Title IV of HR 3221, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009). 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
- Dec 11, 2009 | Rutledge Q. Hutson Poverty and Child Maltreatment: Common Challenges and Solutions This presentation looks at the connections between child maltreatment and poverty and explores common challenges and solutions to addressing both issues. In particular, the presentation focuses on the opportunities for TANF and child welfare agencies to work together under current law to improve outcomes for vulnerable children and families and begins to examine enhancements that could be made when the TANF program is reauthorized (the current program will expire in 2010). Download PDF
- Dec 04, 2009 | Elizabeth Hoffmann Extending Home Visiting to Nonparental Caregivers: Opportunities and Barriers (Presentation) This presentation was given at ZERO TO THREE's 2009 National Training Institute. It explores how home visiting programs are serving children in kinship care and in family, friend, and neighbor care, based on CLASP's interviews with major national models of home visiting and other stakeholders. See also the accompanying paper. Download PDF
- Dec 04, 2009 | Rachel Schumacher Yes We Can: State Policies to Build the Supply of High Quality Infant/Toddler Child Care This presentation discusses the need for high quality infant/toddler child care, challenges to meeting that need, and policy ideas for states to use to build supply. It was delivered at the ZERO TO THREE National Training Institute. Download PDF
- Dec 01, 2009 | Danielle Ewen and Helen Blank Update on State Advisory Councils on Early Childhood Education and Care This audioconference provides an update on states' progress in creating Early Childhood Advisory Councils, funded through the ARRA, as well as information about the workings of existing Councils. The call was hosted jointly by CLASP and the National Women's Law Center. Download Audio | Additional PDF
- Nov 24, 2009 | Dorothy Smith Measure by Measure: Modernizing the Poverty Measure This audio conference focuses on federal efforts to implement a modernized federal poverty measure and what states can do in the absence of one. Click here for additional resources. Read Online | Download Audio | Additional PDF
- Nov 21, 2009 | Danielle Ewen, Hannah Matthews, and Elizabeth Hoffmann Finding and Using Data to Advocate for Children and Families Effectively This presentation introduces participants to a range of state and federal data on young children and their families and demonstrate how to put data together to paint a picture of child and family well-being. Download PDF
- Nov 20, 2009 | Danielle Ewen A Birth Through 8 Agenda for ESEA/NCLB This presentation looks at examples of how the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) can be used for birth through third grade, discuss potential changes in the reauthorization, and discuss how to promote greater use of Title I and other programs in NCLB for birth through age 8. Download PDF
- Nov 20, 2009 | Rachel Schumacher Charting Progress for Babies in Child Care Policy Framework: Celebrating Successes & Contemplating Improvements This presentation focuses on what matters most for infants and toddlers in child care; share what's working in your community, and dream about what's next using the Center for Law and Social Policy's Charting Progress for Babies in Child Care Policy Framework. Download PDF
- Nov 19, 2009 | Rachel Schumacher Developing State Quality Rating and Improvement Systems with Babies in Mind This presentation provides guidance to state leaders who want to ensure a state Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) addresses the unique needs of babies and toddlers in child care. It includes a framework of issues to consider, examples of state QRIS provisions, and related resources. Download PDF
- Nov 16, 2009 | CLASP Audioconference What the TANF Emergency Fund Can Do for Your Cash-Strapped State CLASP brought together leading experts to discuss the latest federal guidance on innovative ways that states can draw on the TANF Emergency Fund, and claim expenditures by third-parties, such as counties and nonprofit service-providers. Listen to this recording of the call to learn about how you can put the TANF Emergency Fund to use! Download Audio | Additional PDF
- Oct 23, 2009 | Danielle Ewen Small Steps at a Challenging Time: Federal Legislation for Infants and Toddlers Danielle Ewen, CLASP's director of Child Care and Early Education, presented during a session, Current and Proposed Federal Policies and Plans That Will Influence the Care of Infants and Toddlers, at the Program for Infant Toddler Care (PITC) Graduate Conference on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2009 in San Francisco, Calif. Download PDF
- Oct 20, 2009 | Helen Blank And Danielle Ewen Update on State Child Care Assistance Policies and Use of Economic Recovery Funds This audio included child care administrators, who focus on how their states have successfully used American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to assist low-income families. Download Audio | Additional PDF
- Oct 05, 2009 Child Welfare: We Can and Must Do Better Read Online
- Sep 03, 2009 | CLASP Audioconference Building Public-Private Partnerships in Human Services: Inside the New York Back to School Benefit Example George Soros' donation of $35 million to New York State, allowing the state to draw $140 million in federal funds from the TANF Emergency Fund to provide back to school payments of $200 to more than 800,000 children in low-income families, has drawn a great deal of attention from across the country. In this CLASP audioconference, hear from some of the people who made it happen, learn about the processes involved, and get ideas about how to make public-private partnerships to help low-income families with TANF Emergency Funds happen in your state. Download Audio | Additional PDF
- Jul 24, 2009 | Elizabeth Lower-Basch Looking Ahead to TANF Reauthorization This presentation provides an overview of the trends in welfare receipt and work since the 1996 creation of the TANF block grant and highlights the modest levels of caseload increase in the current recession. It concludes with some thoughts about TANF reauthorization, scheduled for 2010. Read Online | Download PDF
- Jul 23, 2009 | Rachel Schumacher Comprehensive Services for Babies and Toddlers: Research, Practice, and Policy This presentation was given at the U.S. Department of Education Parent Information and Resource Centers Annual Directors' Conference and provides a framework for connecting early care and education, health, family support, and early intervention services to support infants and toddlers and their families. It also includes ideas for schools to work with community partners to support the healthy development of children from birth to age three. Download PDF
- Jan 08, 2010 | Dorothy Smith Poverty and Opportunity - State Poverty Task Force Recommendations Around the nation, a growing number of state governments have established task forces or commissions to develop new strategies and recommendations for tackling poverty and providing opportunity. 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 03, 2009 | Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt & Linda Harris Community-wide Systems That Promote High School Completion Youth develop across multiple domains that are relevant to academic success. While schools focus primarily on cognitive development, many of the supports young people receive in other developmental areas come from community-based out-of-school programming. Stimulation of development in these additional key areas builds skills that support connections to school and achievement. This article explores the need for a community-wide approach to support dropout prevention for struggling youth and re-engagement of disconnected youth. Read Online
- Apr 24, 2009 | Elizabeth Lower-Basch and Mark Greenberg Single Mothers in the Era of Welfare Reform The 1990s welfare reform and expansion of work supports caused an historic increase in the share of single mothers who were working. This chapter examines the policy changes of the 1990s and since along with the subsequent employment and earnings outcomes for single mothers. It considers how the policy changes affected both employment levels and job quality and discusses implications for next steps for federal and state policies. This chapter is from the 2009 LERA Research Volume, The Gloves-off Economy: Workplace Standards at the Bottom of America's Labor Market, A. Bernhardt, H. Boushey, L. Dresser, and C. Tilly, eds., Champaign IL: Labor and Employment Relations Association, pp. 163--190. Copyright 2008 by the Labor and Employment Relations Association; Champaign, IL. Reprinted with permission. The volume is available through Cornell University Press. Download PDF
- Jul 20, 2007 | Linda Harris The Tragic Loss of the Summer Jobs Program: Why it is Time to Reinstate! For more than three decades, the federal summer jobs program provided early work exposure for youth, including more than half a million low-income youth each year in the late 1990s--until the program came to an end with the implementation of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998. In light of the peril and the disparities in education and labor market outcomes facing youth in high-poverty communities, there are compelling reasons for re-instituting the federal investment in summer jobs. This article originally appeared in Focus magazine, a publication of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. Download PDF
- Apr 03, 2006 | Mark Greenberg and Jared Bernstein (EPI) A Plan to End Child Poverty: Britain's Initiative Has Helped 700,000 Kids. Why Don't We Have a Goal, Too? In an April 3, 2006 editorial printed in the Washington Post, CLASP's Mark Greenberg and Jared Bernstein of the Economic Policy Institute examine the "heartening bad news" out of Britain: that the number of children in poverty dropped by "only" about 17 percent (some 700,000 children) in the past five years. Read Online
- Dec 28, 2004 | Ron Haskins, Mark Greenberg, and Shawn Fremstad Federal Policy for Immigrant Children: Room for Common Ground? This policy brief, part of the Future of Children Policy Brief Series by the Brookings Institution, offers differing views from its authors on how to improve the well-being of children in immigrant families in the United States. Haskins emphasizes the need to tie public benefits for immigrant families to work through such policies as education and training and the earned income tax credit for families with children. While Greenberg and Fremstad argue that noncitizen families should have the same eligibility for public assistance as citizen families and support greater financial aid for early childhood education and other forms of schooling. Read Online
- Oct 07, 2004 | Mark Greenberg and Hedieh Rahmanou Looking to the Future: A Commentary on Children of Immigrant Families This article, printed in Fall 2004 issue of The Future of Children, a publication of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, responds to the question: "How should policymakers, advocates, stakeholders, and practitioners respond strategically and proactively to demographic change and increasing diversity in order to promote the healthy development, productivity, and well-being of our nation's children into the future?" The entire journal issue is devoted to children of immigrant families and is available at www.futureofchildren.org. Download PDF
- Sep 14, 2004 | Steve Savner and Jared Bernstein Can Better Skills Meet Better Jobs? This article, from the September 2004 issue of American Prospect, exhorts supply-side and demand-side advocates to form a complementary agenda to meet both sides' needs. The authors suggest not only providing more access to quality job training but then also creating the jobs when they don't already exist. Read Online
- Sep 14, 2004 | Mark Greenberg Welfare Reform, Phase Two This article, from the September 2004 issue of American Prospect, discusses the welfare reform law from 1996, how it has played out as a policy, and what still needs to be done in reauthorization of the law. The author suggests that the reathorization support and reward work--and end poverty as we still know it. Read Online
- Feb 04, 2010 | Teresa Lim Early Childhood Education Update: February 2010 CLASP's Early Childhood Education Update is a monthly roundup of news, legislative developments, research, and other developments of interest to the early care and education community. This update is part of CLASP's project, funded by The Joyce Foundation, to provide technical assistance to early childhood policymakers and advocates in Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Read Online
- Jan 25, 2010 | CLASP Federal Policy Recommendations for 2010 Read Online | Download PDF
- Jan 21, 2010 | Hannah Matthews and Danielle Ewen FAQ: Using Title I of ESEA for Early Education This paper provides answers to frequently asked questions on using Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act funds on early education. Read Online | Download PDF
- Jan 15, 2010 | Teresa Lim Early Childhood Education Update - January 2010 CLASP's Early Childhood Education Update is a monthly roundup of news, legislative developments, research, and other developments of interest to the early care and education community. This update is part of CLASP's project, funded by The Joyce Foundation, to provide technical assistance to early childhood policymakers and advocates in Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Read Online
- Jan 08, 2010 | Dorothy Smith Poverty and Opportunity - State Poverty Task Force Recommendations Around the nation, a growing number of state governments have established task forces or commissions to develop new strategies and recommendations for tackling poverty and providing opportunity. Download PDF
- Jan 06, 2010 | Elizabeth Lower-Basch Goals for TANF Reauthorization This Policy Brief argues that poverty alleviation and prevention of material hardship and creation of effective pathways to economic opportunity should be the goals of TANF reauthorization and recommends program changes that would more effectively promote these goals. Download PDF
- Dec 22, 2009 | Teresa Lim and Rachel Schumacher State CCDBG Plans to Promote Opportunities for Babies & Toddlers in Child Care (Full Report) CLASP's Charting Progress for Babies in Child Care project highlights state policies that support the healthy growth and development of infants and toddlers in child care settings. The foundation of the project is a policy framework comprised of four key principles describing what babies and toddlers in child care need and 15 recommendations for states to move forward. This report analyzes state Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) plans for FFY 2008-2009 through the lens of this policy framework and highlights state policies to improve infant/toddler child care. Download PDF
- Dec 22, 2009 | Teresa Lim and Rachel Schumacher State CCDBG Plans to Promote Opportunities for Babies & Toddlers in Child Care (Policy Brief) CLASP's Charting Progress for Babies in Child Care project highlights state policies that support the healthy growth and development of infants and toddlers in child care settings. The foundation of the project is a policy framework comprised of four key principles describing what babies and toddlers in child care need and 15 recommendations for states to move forward. This policy brief summarizes key findings from an analysis of state Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) plans for FFY 2008-2009 through the lens of the policy framework and highlights state policy approaches. Download PDF
- Dec 10, 2009 | Teresa Lim Early Childhood Education Update - December 2009 CLASP's Early Childhood Education Update is a monthly roundup of news, legislative developments, research, and other developments of interest to the early care and education community. This update is part of CLASP's project, funded by The Joyce Foundation, to provide technical assistance to early childhood policymakers and advocates in Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Read Online
- Dec 09, 2009 | Elizabeth Hoffmann and Tiffany Conway Perrin Extending Home Visiting to Kinship Caregivers and FFN Caregivers This paper explores how home visiting programs are serving children in kinship care and in family, friend, and neighbor care, based on CLASP's interviews with major national models of home visiting and other stakeholders. It also presents detailed considerations for implementing home visiting with these caregivers, including matters of curricula, staffing, and service referral, and discusses opportunities that result from serving these caregivers. It concludes with recommendations for states and the federal government. Download PDF
- Nov 17, 2009 | Rachel Schumacher Establish Core Competencies Learning to recognize the cues of very young children before they can talk is one of many important skills for child care providers and caregivers. All babies and toddlers in child care need nurturing, responsive providers and caregivers they can trust to care for them as they grow and learn. To support this goal, CLASP recommends that states establish a core body of knowledge, skills, and expertise that providers and caregivers need in order to give babies and toddlers quality care, based on current research on social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development. This document presents research supporting the recommendation to establish core competencies. Read Online | Download PDF
- Nov 17, 2009 | Rachel Schumacher Provide Access to Training, Education, and Ongoing Supports Early experiences and relationships – including those in child care settings—help shape the architecture of the brain. All babies and toddlers in child care need nurturing, responsive providers and caregivers they can trust to care for them as they grow and learn. To support this goal, CLASP recommends that states seek to ensure access to specialized professional development for providers working with infants and toddlers, including participation in higher education programs, community-level training, ongoing individualized consultations, and access to appropriate information and supports for caregivers, so that all those who care for infants and toddlers in all settings understand and implement a core body of knowledge and skills. This document presents research supporting the recommendation to provide access to training, education, and ongoing supports. Read Online | Download PDF
- Nov 16, 2009 | Elizabeth Lower-Basch The TANF Emergency Fund: A New Resource for Domestic Violence Programs The TANF Emergency Fund can both provide victims of domestic violence with financial and in-kind services to help address domestic violence issues and also relieve some of the funding pressures on providers. Download PDF
- Nov 09, 2009 | Teresa Lim Early Childhood Education Update - November 2009 CLASP's Early Childhood Education Update is a monthly roundup of news, legislative developments, research, and other developments of interest to the early care and education community. This update is part of CLASP's project, funded by The Joyce Foundation, to provide technical assistance to early childhood policymakers and advocates in Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Read Online
- 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
- Nov 02, 2009 | Rachel Schumacher A Tool to Examine State Child Care Subsidy Policies and Promote Stable, Quality Care for Low-Income Babies and Toddlers This tool, part of CLASP's Charting Progress for Babies in Child Care project, is designed to provide a policy framework that lays out child care subsidy policies that can be implemented to better support babies and toddlers and their families. Users can download and save a copy of this tool, then fill in the appropriate columns with their state's current policies and opportunities for change. Read Online | Download File
- Nov 02, 2009 | Elizabeth Lower-Basch Questions and Answers about the TANF Emergency Contingency Fund This document explains the opportunities for states to help low-income families using the new TANF Emergency Contingency Fund created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. This version is updated to reflect the questions and answers posted by HHS in October 2009 Download PDF
- Oct 01, 2009 | Teresa Lim Early Childhood Education Update - October 2009 CLASP's Early Childhood Education Update is a monthly roundup of news, legislative developments, research, and other developments of interest to the early care and education community. This update is part of CLASP's project, funded by The Joyce Foundation, to provide technical assistance to early childhood policymakers and advocates in Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Read Online
- Sep 21, 2009 | Hannah Matthews Child Care Assistance in 2007: Spending Update This analysis details state child care expenditures from the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant programs. We find that spending on child care assistance increased slightly in 2007. Thirty-one states increased overall child care spending, while 20 states made cuts. The number of children receiving assistance, however, remains far lower than the number of children eligible for assistance. Download PDF
- Sep 18, 2009 | Ronnie Kauder and Neil Ridley Earning and Learning: Options under the Workforce Investment Act Adults with limited work experience, low education and skill levels and other barriers to employment face the greatest challenges, especially at a time of rising unemployment. Strategies that combine work and learning are critical to help these individuals to enter or regain employment. This paper focuses on two program strategies that combine work and learning: on-the-job training and paid work experience combined with skill development. Download PDF
- Jan 29, 2010 | Danielle Ewen Testimony of Danielle Ewen for U.S. Department of Education ESEA Listening Tour Danielle Ewen's testimony lays out principles to consider for early childhood issues in the upcoming reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and CLASP's recommendations for changes to the law. Download PDF
- Dec 18, 2009 | Campaign for Youth Putting Youth To Work: A Jobs Strategy Linking Youth to Our Economic Recovery The number of unemployed youth and young adults in the United States is reaching record highs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly four million people under the age of 25 are considered “officially” unemployed. This paper outlines recommendations to ensure youth, especially those in high poverty communities, are a part of the nation's short and long-term economic recovery and job creation efforts. Download PDF
- Nov 09, 2009 | Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt (CLASP) & Kisha Bird (CFY) Comments to United States Department of Education: Notice of Policy Priorities for Investing in Innovation Fund The Investing in Innovation (I3) Fund offers local education agencies (LEAs) and nonprofit organizations an opportunity to rethink how they educate children and youth and to use school reform efforts as a foundational vehicle to work across sectors and explore new and innovative ways to support student learning from birth through postsecondary education. Our comments and recommendations relate specifically to ensuring the needs of struggling students and disconnected youth are adequately addressed. Download PDF
- Oct 08, 2009 | CLASP CLASP Testimony to the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support This written testimony to the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support discusses how American Recovery and Reinvestment Act spending has helped safety net programs such as TANF, child care subsidies, unemployment insurance, workforce development programs, and Medicaid, respond to the recession. Download PDF
- Oct 05, 2009 | Elizabeth Lower-Basch Testimony to the DC City Council on the TANF Emergency Fund In this testimony delivered to the Human Services Committee of the DC City Council, Ms. Lower-Basch highlights some of the ways to draw down TANF Emergency Funds based on already budgeted expenditures and third-party contributions. Download PDF
- Sep 30, 2009 CLASP Statement for the Record: September 15, 2009 Hearing on the Implementation of the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act Statement for the record of the September 15, 2009 Hearing on the Implementation of the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act submitted to the Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support, Committee on Ways and Means. Download PDF
- Sep 25, 2009 | Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt (CLASP) & Kisha Bird (CFY) Comments to United States Department of Education: Notice of Proposed Requirements for School Improvement Grants. Docket ID ED-2009-OESE-0010 Resources through School Improvement Grants offer our nation's most challenged school districts an opportunity to utilize best practices to rethink time and learning and provide our children and youth with a first-rate education experience. The rigorous interventions included in the School Improvement Grants Notice will not only raise the bar for the nation's lowest performing schools but it will provide state education agencies (SEAs) and local education agencies (LEAs) with the tools, strategies, and resources to effectively turn schools around and support our most disadvantaged students. Our comments and recommendations relate specifically to giving increased attention to struggling students and disconnected youth. Download PDF
- Sep 22, 2009 | Campaign for Youth Comments to the Corporation for National and Community Service on Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act Download PDF
- Sep 16, 2009 | Campaign for Youth Workforce Investment Act Reauthorization: A Catalyst for Reframing Investments in Youth Download PDF
- Sep 09, 2009 | Child Care and Early Learning Coalition Letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on FY 2011 Budget Request for Child Care and Head Start CLASP signed this coalition letter urging HHS to prepare a FY 2011 budget that allows for substantial increases in funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant, Head Start, and Early Head Start. Download PDF
- Aug 25, 2009 | Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt (CLASP) & Kisha Bird (CFY) Comments/Recommendations in response to Department of Education Proposed Race to the Top Fund Rules in Federal Register Document ED-2009-OESE-0006 The Race to The Top Fund will pave the way for sustainable reforms that transform the educational experience for American students. Our comments are centered around increasing the focus on students who have dropped out through targeting investments for dropout recovery and providing state education agencies (SEAs) and local education agencies (LEAs) with strategic direction to implement innovative models to reengage youth who have dropped out. Download PDF
- Aug 25, 2009 | Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt Comments/Recommendations to United States Department of Education on Proposed State Fiscal Stabilization Fund Rules. Docket ID ED-2009-OESE-0007 State Fiscal Stabilization Funds, made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), will pave the way for sustainable reforms that can drastically improve the educational experience and outcomes for all of America's students. Our comments on the proposed rules derive from our concern for the nation's high school dropouts. We seek necessary reforms to prevent youth disengagement from school or to re-engage them in educational options that meet their needs. A national emphasis on this population will drive state and local education agencies to think more critically about and reach out more intentionally to serve the educational needs of these young people. Download PDF
- Jul 24, 2009 | Elizabeth Lower-Basch Testimony on TANF Sanctions for the Washington, DC Council As part of the budget gap closing process, the District of Columbia is considering imposing increased sanctions on TANF recipients. In this testimony for the DC Council, Elizabeth Lower-Basch reports on the research on TANF sanctions. Download PDF
- Jul 20, 2009 | Danielle Ewen Letter To House Committee On Education And Labor On Early Learning Challenge Fund CLASP wrote a letter of support for the proposed Early Learning Challenge Fund to Chairman Miller. The proposal creates the opportunity for states to make significant investments in the quality of early childhood programs serving disadvantaged children and their families. Download PDF
- Jun 01, 2009 | Tiffany Conway Comments to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid on the Proposed Rule on Case Management Services CLASP supports the proposed partial rescission of the case management services interim final rule (CMS-2237-IFC) and believes that the rescission will help ensure that abused and neglected children receive critical case management services. Download PDF
- Apr 28, 2009 | Linda Harris WIA Reauthorization: Opportunity to Rethink the Nation's Youth Delivery System Presentation to the Working for Change Forum sponsored by Community Services Society of New York and Coalition for Human Needs. Download PDF
- Apr 15, 2009 | Linda Harris Considerations for WIA Reauthorization: Title I Youth Provisions WIA reauthorization provides the opportunity to re-think and strengthen the youth delivery system across the country. CLASP recommendations focus on increase targeting to high risk youth and more strategic alliances among youth serving systems. Download PDF
- Mar 18, 2009 | Danielle Ewen Testimony On Growing Federal Investments In Head Start And Early Head Start This testimony, presented on March 18, 2009 to the Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies, discusses the importance of Head Start/Early Head Start programs that support our most vulnerable infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and their families. Download PDF
- Feb 25, 2009 | Linda Harris Recommendations to USDOL on Guidance to States on Implementing Youth Activities in the Recovery Act The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides $1.2 billion dollars for youth activities under the Workforce Investment Act. Much attention has been focused on summer jobs. The Center for Law and Social Policy and The National Youth Employment Coalition, based on input from administrators and providers in local workforce systems and from organizations at the national level, advanced a set of recommendations to the Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration in an effort to assure that ARRA funds are also used in an effective and innovative way to engage out of school youth in jobs, training, and education support activities related to the economic recovery. Download PDF
- Nov 24, 2008 Written Comments on Workforce Investment Act Reauthorization Submitted for the Senate WIA Listening Session These comments contain CLASP's recommendations for changes for Titles I and II of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) address selected problems specific to each program and to promote closer connections between these two programs and greater alignment with other workforce development programs to better advance the prospects of low-income, low-skilled youth and adults. Download PDF