Child Care and Development

In this commentary for BlogHer.com, Urban Institute fellow Olivia Golden discusses a two-generation policy agenda that can help promote young children's development and low-wage workers' economic stability, which should start with a national focus on the first year of life.

Work Support Strategies (WSS) is a multiyear, multi-state initiative to implement reforms that help eligible low-income families get and keep a full package of work support benefits, including Medicaid, nutrition assistance (SNAP), and child care assistance. This report describes Colorado's accomplishments and lessons learned during the initiative’s first year. In this planning year, Colorado improved collaboration between the state human services and health agencies, and between the state and counties. Improved collaboration led to a shortened joint benefit application, quicker processing of SNAP applications and recertifications, cohesive plans for implementing health reform, and supplemental budget funds to improve the statewide automated benefits system.

Work Support Strategies (WSS) is a multiyear, multi-state initiative to implement reforms that help eligible low-income families get and keep a full package of work support benefits, including Medicaid, nutrition assistance (SNAP), and child care assistance. This report describes Idaho's accomplishments and lessons learned during the initiative's first year. In this planning year, Idaho implemented policy and process improvements, including improving the redetermination process by aligning redetermination dates and further implementing the universal workforce case management approach. The state also implemented child care assistance program reforms including aligning policy with other work support programs and simplifying eligibility requirements.

Work Support Strategies (WSS) is a multiyear, multi-state initiative to implement reforms that help eligible low-income families get and keep a full package of work support benefits, including Medicaid, nutrition assistance (SNAP), and child care assistance. This report describes Illinois' accomplishments and lessons learned during the initiative's first year. In this planning year, the state identified how and where to best align programs to simplify eligibility processes, including an assessment of child care assistance policies and development of a key performance measures report for local office managers. The state designed and piloted a new task-based model to improve benefit field office efficiency.

Work Support Strategies (WSS) is a multiyear, multi-state initiative to implement reforms that help eligible low-income families get and keep a full package of work support benefits, including Medicaid, nutrition assistance (SNAP), and child care assistance. This report describes North Carolina's accomplishments and lessons learned during the initiative's first year. In this planning year, North Carolina broke down state program silos and instituted a review board to assure cross-program input to policy changes. The state engaged with counties around the implementation of a new benefits eligibility system and encouraging innovation in business processes and piloted alignment of program certification dates.

Work Support Strategies (WSS) is a multiyear, multi-state initiative to implement reforms that help eligible low-income families get and keep a full package of work support benefits, including Medicaid, nutrition assistance (SNAP), and child care assistance. This report describes Rhode Island's accomplishments and lessons learned during the initiative's first year. During this year, the state engaged frontline workers, state leaders and community stakeholders, built close connections with the state’s health reform activities around design of a new eligibility system, identified opportunities for data system improvements and to align eligibility and enrollment requirements and implemented relevant policy changes.

Work Support Strategies (WSS) is a multiyear, multi-state initiative to implement reforms that help eligible low-income families get and keep a full package of work support benefits, including Medicaid, nutrition assistance (SNAP), and child care assistance. This report describes South Carolina's accomplishments and lessons learned during the initiative's first year. During this year, the two primary agencies involved in delivering work support program benefits in the state began breaking down the barriers between them to create a more efficient, coordinated approach. The state undertook activities to improve the business and technological processes used within each agency while also identifying areas for cross-program alignment.

Work Support Strategies (WSS) is a multiyear, multi-state initiative to implement reforms that help eligible low-income families get and keep a full package of work support benefits, including Medicaid, nutrition assistance (SNAP), and child care assistance. This report describes New Mexico's accomplishments and lessons learned during the initiative's first year. During this year, the state was heavily focused on development of its new automated eligibility system. In addition, New Mexico’s redesign of its eligibility process, undertaken prior to WSS, served as an example for other WSS states.