The Family Rewards 2.0 program issued payments to participating families’ bank accounts for each activity that families completed or each condition that they met from an established list. The payments varied from $10 for each grade of C that each high school student earned on a report card, to $500 when high school students passed a statewide standardized exam. Payments were delivered every two months based on the activities or milestones recently completed, for up to three years.
Family Rewards 2.0 incentivized activities to support children’s educational attainment, including achievement levels on standardized tests and parental engagement with students’ education. It also incentivized preventive health care practices for the family, such as receiving annual medical checkups. Finally, Family Rewards 2.0 incentivized employment by providing payments for maintaining full-time work and earning a GED.
In addition, Family Rewards 2.0 provided case management—including discussions of family finances and budgeting—and supportive services to help families achieve the goals linked to cash incentives.
Families were eligible for the program if they (1) had at least one child entering 9th or 10th grade by the start of the study, (2) received Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, (3) lived in an area served by one of four neighborhood partner organizations (NPOs) that delivered the program, and (4) had at least one parent age 18 or older who was a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
The Family Rewards 2.0 program was implemented in the Bronx, NY, and Memphis, TN.
The Family Rewards 2.0 program was an updated version of the Family Rewards program, which offered cash incentives for education, health care, and work activities but did not provide case management or supportive services.
The Family Rewards 2.0 program provided cash incentives to families with low income who were receiving government assistance. Families received incentives for completing activities related to children’s education, family health, and parents’ work and education, with the goal of reducing long-term poverty.