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Wave 2 Findings:
The Growing Up in Poverty Project
California, Connecticut, and Florida
New
Lives for Poor Families?
Policy leaders in Washington and the states are engaging a new debate
over an old question: How can society best aid jobless mothers and
enrich their children's lives?
The
dramatic reform of family welfare policies in 1996, aided by robust
economic growth, has
moved millions of women into low-wage jobs. But how to build from
this success?
Would
stiffer work requirements raise more families above the poverty
line? Could educational
opportunities for mothers strengthen parenting? How adequate is
the current supply and quality of child care?
As
these and other policy options are debated, one fact is clear: We
know surprisingly little about how state welfare-to-work programs
have touched the lives of young children since 1996 and perhaps
altered the home and child care settings in which they are now being
raised.
This
report helps to fill that gap. Our project team followed an initial
sample of 948 mothers and preschool-age children for two to four
years after the women entered new welfare programs in California,
Connecticut, and Florida.
For a download of the full report, you will need a login and password.
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