Dear Donna,
Welcome to the latest issue of The Connection, APHSA’s newsletter offering updates and resources pertaining to employment and economic well-being, child and family well-being, and H/HS integration.
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APHSA has launched a new microsite that highlights work done through the System Alignment for Young Families (SAYF) Project and aims to provide resources to the field on intentionally aligning HHS programs to better serve young families. The SAYF microsite contains multiple examples that highlight the work done so far to break down programmatic agency silos and features the voices of Parent Leaders. The SAYF project and the microsite are made possible by generous funding and partnership from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. | |
Catch up on the latest episodes of our latest podcast, Disrupt The Dialogue, which features BIPOC leaders in health and human services sharing their personal experiences and insights. The newest episode arrives tomorrow, featuring the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services CEO, Dannette Smith! Find us on your favorite streaming platform or listen on our podcast page. | |
While the holidays can bring joy, they can also bring added stress for youth and adults alike. Each week during December, the University of Maryland's School of Social Work is offering resources designed to support youth, families, and providers during the holiday season with tips and resources for managing emotions as well as supporting families. | |
The Connection will be on hiatus during the next three weeks for the end-of-year holidays. Look for us in your inbox on January 11. In the meantime, we’ll keep you apprised of any important updates, and you can also stay up to date with us on Twitter. We wish you all a happy and healthy holiday season! | |
Employment and Economic Well-Being | |
Expanding TANF Program Insights, October 2022 - Economic mobility through employment retention and advancement is of particular interest to TANF leaders, but administrative data on TANF recipients’ earnings are often difficult to access, except for the purpose of investigating noncompliance. The aim of the toolkit is to offer practical guidance to state and local TANF agencies on how to access, link to, and analyze Unemployment Insurance (UI) wage data from state Departments of Labor for program monitoring, reporting, and evaluation.
Advancing Social and Economic Mobility: A Report from the Next Generation of Human Services Organizations Second Cohort, December 2022 - A full suite of human services field-building tools and innovator resources are now available on a new website, delivering a framework with concrete action steps, insights, and ideas to help leaders as they work to amplify the agency, autonomy, and dignity of people, families, and communities. The site was co-created by The Kresge Foundation’s second National Next Generation initiative cohort and advisors led by Leadership for a Networked World at Harvard University.
TANF Frequently Asked Questions, December 2022 - This report from the Congressional Research Service provides responses to frequently asked questions about the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant. It is intended as a quick reference to provide easy access to information and data.
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Child and Family Well-Being | |
MIECHV Reauthorization Passed in the House - The U.S. House passed the Jackie Walorski Maternal, Infant, and Child Home Visiting Reauthorization Act of 2022 (H.R. 8876) by a vote of 390-26. MIECHV is now being sent to the Senate to vote on. | |
State Opportunities to Provide Health Care Coverage for Child Care Professionals, November 2022 – In this report from the Center for Law and Social Policy, the importance of ensuring that child care professionals are healthy is stressed. Child care professionals are best able to serve children when they are healthy and this report offers methods for states to provide affordable health care coverage to child care workers.
How to Initiate a Cost Model in Your State or Community and How to Shape a Cost Model Happening in Your State or Community, November 2022 – These guides from Children’s Funding Project and Community Change are designed to assist child care providers in understanding the importance of cost models. The guides also explain how cost modeling can be utilized as a tool for organizing other caregivers and parents to secure new funding.
Fathers and Continuous Learning in Child Welfare: Descriptive Evaluation Design Report, November 2022 - The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) has released a report detailing the Fathers and Continuous Learning in Child Welfare (FCL) project, conducted by Mathematica and the University of Denver (DU). The project’s purpose is to understand the impacts that engagement by fathers can have on child welfare outcomes.
2022 50-State Progress and Landscape Report, November 2022 – This report from the Alliance for Early Success provides both an overview of the national policy landscape as well as state level information to summarize the advocacy efforts and policy developments in the areas of maternal and child health, early care and education, and family economic supports.
2019 National Survey of Early Care and Education Released, December 2022 – The Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) shared results from the 2019 National Survey of Early Care and Education exploring the early care and education landscape, including the use and availability of care. The latest report identifies how many Child Care and Early Education centers are either sponsored by a faith-based organization or use facilities within a faith-based organization.
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Health & Human Services Integration | |
The Black Wealth Data Center released the Black Wealth Indicators, a new, first-of-its-kind resource that displays key factors impacting Black wealth accumulation nationally and in every county in the country. The Black Wealth Indicators tool allows policymakers, practitioners, philanthropists, journalists, and the public to learn the health of Black wealth accumulation on a county-by-county level and to devise targeted actions to increase racial wealth equity. | | | | |