The TANF benefits are time-limited and relatively meager, the only way for parents to escape poverty and achieve long-term family economic security is by obtaining stable employment at higher than minimum wages. In today’s economy, such jobs typically require at least some education and training at the postsecondary level. However, most TANF programs remain stuck in a “work-first” approach and are failing to connect recipients to education and training that leads to an employer-valued credentials.

To learn more, read this fact sheet by Randi Hall.