MDRC Families & Children Publications http://www.mdrc.org Families & Children Publications, Fast Facts, Issue Focus Briefs, and Videos from MDRC us-en © 2007 MDRC 2008-08-29 Brad Petrie <brad.petrie@mdrc.org> Brad Petrie <brad.petrie@mdrc.org> MDRC Logo http://www.mdrc.org/images/site/nav_logo.gif http://www.mdrc.org Designing a Marriage Education Demonstration and Evaluation for Low-Income Married Couples: http://www.mdrc.org/sps/go.cgi?c=jdbKXNZqk3sSYVsZ8Uod This working paper introduces the Supporting Healthy Marriage evaluation, the first large-scale, multisite experiment that is testing voluntary marriage education programs for low-income married couples with children in eight sites across the country. The year-long programs consist of a series of marriage education workshops with additional family support services and referrals. New Hope for the Working Poor: Effects After Eight Years for Families and Children http://www.mdrc.org/sps/go.cgi?c=BKPVJE7yzGBMtli9XSJt Implemented in 1994 in Milwaukee, New Hope provided full-time, low-wage workers with several benefits for three years: an earnings supplement, low-cost health insurance, and subsidized child care. A random assignment study shows positive effects for both adults and children, some of which persisted five years after the program ended. New Hopes Eight-Year Impacts on Employment and Family Income : http://www.mdrc.org/sps/go.cgi?c=y5VIrOdvHoYFeWdeRU5X Implemented in 1994, New Hope provided full-time workers with several benefits for three years: an earnings supplement, low-cost health insurance, and subsidized child care. This working paper examines the programs impacts on employment and earnings, as well as on family income and poverty, up to eight years beyond the point of random assignment. Issue Focus: Can Early Childhood Programs Support Social and Emotional Development? http://www.mdrc.org/sps/go.cgi?c=OxHNSqqSR5SD55vI84wC Preschool children who have difficulty regulating their emotions and behaviors have been found to receive less instruction, to be less engaged as learners, and to have fewer opportunities for learning from peers. Researchers and practitioners have developed a new generation of classroom-based strategies that are specifically designed to improve children's skills in these areas. Issue Focus: Boosting Income for Working Parents Pays Off for Children http://www.mdrc.org/sps/go.cgi?c=ljeGSLloaxuR_fY46xaa MDRC research suggests that dramatic cuts in financial incentives for low-income workers by budget-strapped state governments may have far-reaching consequences for vulnerable children and their families. VIDEO: Supplementing the Earnings of Low-Wage Workers: The Impacts on Adults http://www.mdrc.org/sps/go.cgi?c=4k0MZufOfWSvaW78mg0S Policies that supplement the earnings of welfare recipients and other low-wage workers increase work, raise incomes, reduce poverty, and improve the well-being of young children. VIDEO: Impacts of Welfare-to-Work Programs on Children http://www.mdrc.org/sps/go.cgi?c=VYilBF6V2fFR3XWPpiwG Drawing from some of MDRCs most consequential recent research results, this five-minute video describes how different welfare reform strategies affect the well-being of children and adolescents. Fast Fact: Reducing Behavior Problems Among Preschoolers http://www.mdrc.org/sps/go.cgi?c=as15a4n0vXlvNqrjYJjb Fast Fact: The Challenge of Patching Together Child Care http://www.mdrc.org/sps/go.cgi?c=yCvCAhsacmVjN5rImOMu Fast Fact: Marriages Are Less Stable for Economically Disadvantaged Adults http://www.mdrc.org/sps/go.cgi?c=7tdrvfQ5QjxXV_8wEWUZ