- Log in to post comments
Subgroups
The study used a random assignment research design. When an individual applied for cash assistance at the welfare office, a case manager assessed the client’s eligibility for participation in the evaluation. Heads of single-parent households were included if they (1) had not received Aid to Families with Dependent Children in Oklahoma within the past 60 days, (2) had children older than age 1, and (3) were not members of the Sac and Fox Native American tribes. Applicants ages 16 to 19 were eligible if they did not have a high school diploma or GED, even if their youngest child was younger than 1. The random assignment process began in September 1991 and ended in May 1993. This study randomly assigned only welfare applicants (that is, persons in the process of applying for welfare), including those whose application for assistance was not yet approved. The two-year survey was administered to a random sample of individuals randomly assigned from June 1992 to May 1993.
Individuals were randomly assigned between September 1991 and May 1993. The evaluation followed participants for five years.
The study was funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, ACF with support from the U.S. Department of Education.
The study only examined single parents. Almost all sample members were unmarried (96 percent) or female (93 percent), and almost 60 percent were White. About 10 percent were teen parents (younger than 19), about two-thirds had preschool-age children, and 41 percent had a child younger than 2. Sixty-nine percent had any earnings in the 12 months before the study began, and more than 55 percent had already attained a high school diploma or GED. The sample was relatively advantaged compared with other programs in the NEWWS evaluation because it included cash assistance applicants (some of whom might not have qualified for benefits).
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) agencies in Oklahoma City
The ET&E program does not appear to have been in operation before the study.
The ET&E program focused on providing education and training to support future employment. Clients could choose their placements with approval from a case manager, and there was no limit on the duration of program services. However, case managers encouraged clients to augment their education. Clients could participate in a life skills workshop, search for jobs, or enroll in classes. The program referred clients to basic education (adult basic education, GED certificate courses, or English as a Second Language courses), vocational skills training, or college. Clients ready for employment worked with job developers to prepare for employment and to be matched to jobs. Clients could also be assigned to work experiences such as unpaid work, on-the-job training, or private-sector employment funded by clients’ cash assistance grants. Finally, the program offered clients reimbursement for child care expenses and transportation expenses. Case managers could sanction nonparticipating clients but did not monitor participation closely or necessarily request sanctions in all cases of nonparticipation.
People in the comparison group could not receive any program services and were also not subject to participation requirements (and therefore the risk of nonparticipation sanctions) for program services or employment. These clients could, however, participate in employment-related activities available in their communities.
The program was mandatory, and case managers could sanction nonparticipating clients; however, case managers did not monitor participation closely or necessarily request sanctions in all cases of nonparticipation.
There was no limit on the time that clients could stay in an activity.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the Family Support Act; state Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds
The program took place in Oklahoma City, OK.
Health care, Child care, Child well-being