3018-New York State Child

CAP operated 14 counties in New York in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Seven of the counties began implementing CAP in 1988–1989, and the authors conducted a randomized controlled trial to assess the impact of CAP in three of these counties. Single-parent families receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) with a custodial parent and at least one child with a noncustodial parent were potentially eligible to participate in CAP. A sample of cases was drawn randomly each month for AFDC status recertification. The authors conducted a normal eligibility review along with a special baseline interview. These AFDC single-family cases (N = 4,287) were then stratified and randomly assigned to the intervention group or to a comparison group that received normal AFDC rules and procedures. Cases were stratified by the following four groups: (1) parents who had some earnings and had support orders for one or more of their children, (2) parents who had earnings but no support orders, (3) parents who had no earnings but had support orders for one or more children, (4) parents who had neither earnings nor support orders. AFDC families assigned to the CAP condition were informed about CAP and, if they were qualified to receive CAP, they were invited to enroll.