Senior Research Associate
Center on Labor, Human Services and Population
Marla McDaniel's research focuses on family resources, social policies, race, and their influence on child and adult health and well-being. Prior to joining the Urban Institute, she was a postdoctoral fellow at the Columbia University School of Social Work. She received her doctorate in human development and social policy from Northwestern University.
Publications
| Viewing 1-10 of 17. Most recent posts listed first. | Next Page >> |
Disconnected Mothers and the Well-Being of Children: A Research Report (Research Report)Considerable research attention has been devoted to low-income mothers disconnected from both work and welfare. This body of work has rarely highlighted disconnected mothers' roles as parents and has remained virtually silent about the experiences and well-being of their children. This paper synthesizes research findings to show that many of the circumstances disconnected mothers face pose major risks to children's development and potentially serious consequences for children. We describe potential interventions to help disconnected families by increasing and stabilizing family income, enhancing parenting skills, supporting children directly, and reaching out to disconnected mothers who are not citizens.
| Posted to Web: May 07, 2013 | Publication Date: May 07, 2013 |
Depression in Low-Income Mothers of Young Children: Are They Getting the Treatment They Need? (Research Report)Maternal depression can have severe and lasting consequences for both a mother and her child. This brief uses the National Survey of Drug Use and Health to estimate the prevalence, severity, and treatment of major depression among low-income mothers with young children (ages 0-5). We find that one out of eleven low-income mothers with young children had a major depressive episode in the past year, and nearly one-third did not report receiving any treatment. While uninsured low-income mothers had much lower treatment rates than insured low-income mothers, rates were comparable across treatment providers, suggesting that Medicaid fills an important gap.
| Posted to Web: April 17, 2013 | Publication Date: April 17, 2013 |
Providing Medicaid to Youth Formerly in Foster Care Under the Chafee Option : Informing Implemention of the Affordable Care Act (Research Report)This report draws lessons from 30 states' implementation of existing optional Medicaid coverage for youth who age out of foster care and applies them to decisions and plans states will consider as they implement new ACA coverage that goes into effect in 2014. Wide variations in how states have implemented the socalled Chafee Option are focused on eligibility criteria, enrollment processes, and recertification processes. States' implementation choices had implications for the frequency with which youth enroll in Medicaid coverage after foster care and in their continuity of coverage over time.
| Posted to Web: April 01, 2013 | Publication Date: November 01, 2012 |
Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Management of Childhood Asthma in the United States. (Research Report)We used data from the National Health Interview Survey to examine racial and ethnic differences in the management of childhood asthma - including the likelihood that children with asthma have taken preventive medicine, received an asthma management plan, or taken a class or course on treating asthma. We found significant differences between African-American, white, non-Hispanic, Mexican American, and Puerto Rican and other Hispanic children. We discuss implications for public health responses and racial and ethnic disparities in asthma morbidity.
| Posted to Web: April 01, 2013 | Publication Date: October 01, 2012 |
Housing Assistance for Youth Who Have Aged Out of Foster Care: The Role of the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program (Research Report)Each year the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program provides $140 million for independent living services to assist youth as they age out of foster care and enter adulthood. Under this formula grant program, states are provided allocations and allowed to use up to 30 percent of program funds for room and board for youth ages 18 to 21 who have left care. This report describes how states are using these funds to provide housing assistance to these vulnerable youth and explores how the assistance provided through this program fits in with other sources of housing assistance available in the states examined.
| Posted to Web: April 01, 2013 | Publication Date: May 01, 2012 |
What Does a High School Diploma Get You? Employment, Race, and the Transition to Adulthood (Research Report)We compared the employment of African American and white youth as they transitioned to adulthood from age 18 to 22, focusing on high school graduates and high school dropouts who did not attend college. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1997, we found significant differences in labor market participation by race and education. Among key findings, African American high school graduates worked as much and sometimes less than white high school dropouts. Findings suggest however, that the improved labor market participation associated with a high school diploma is higher over time for African Americans than for white youth.
| Posted to Web: April 01, 2013 | Publication Date: October 09, 2012 |
Access to the Illinois Preschool for All Initiative: Insights from Five Lower-Incidence Immigrant Groups in Northern Cook County (Research Report)A key measure of success of state prekindergarten initiatives is their ability to reach and serve children who are likely to face challenges in school. This study adds to our understanding of the challenges faced by immigrant children and families in Chicago, Illinois, by focusing on the extent to which families from smaller immigrant communities - particularly Pakistani, Nigerian, Vietnamese, Polish, and Haitian families-face barriers in accessing the Illinois prekindergarten program. Based on focus groups with parents and interviews with prekindergarten providers, this study finds a number of barriers, including lack of knowledge, language barriers, and logistical challenges around enrollment.
| Posted to Web: November 26, 2012 | Publication Date: October 05, 2012 |
Untapped Potential: Partnering with Community-Based Organizations to Support Participation of Lower-Incidence Immigrant Communities in the Illinois Preschool for All Initiative (Research Report)Smaller immigrant communities can face barriers to participating in prekindergarten programs, in particular lack of knowledge about the program, language barriers and enrollment logistics. Community-based organizations working with these communities can support outreach efforts and play a role in overcoming all of these barriers. This study presents findings from focus groups of a number of community-based organizations working with smaller immigrant populations in the Chicago metro area, and identifies a number of strategies that could be employed to support prekindergarten participation among immigrant families.
| Posted to Web: November 26, 2012 | Publication Date: October 05, 2012 |
Barriers and Opportunities: Helping Smaller Immigrant Communities Access the Illinois Preschool for All Program (Research Report)State prekindergarten initiatives can only succeed if they actually reach at-risk children. This brief summarizes findings from two studies around prekindergarten access for smaller immigrant populations. One study examines the extent to which Pakistani, Nigerian, Vietnamese, Polish, and Haitian families face barriers in accessing the Illinois prekindergarten program; it finds barriers such as lack of knowledge of the program, language barriers, and enrollment challenges. The second presents findings from focus groups of community-based organizations serving smaller immigrant populations in the Chicago metro area, and identifies a number of strategies that could be employed to support prekindergarten participation among immigrant families.
| Posted to Web: November 26, 2012 | Publication Date: October 05, 2012 |
Planning the Housing Opportunity and Services Together Demonstration : Challenges and Lessons Learned (Research Brief)The multisite Housing Opportunity and Services Together (HOST) demonstration is an ambitious effort to test strategies that use housing as a platform for services to improve the life chances of vulnerable children, youth, and adults. This brief provides an overview of the project's early challenges and successes to offer practitioners insights on the planning and design of "dual generation" interventions and to inform policy supporting comprehensive place-based initiatives.
| Posted to Web: February 28, 2012 | Publication Date: February 28, 2012 |
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