Series: “On the Ground” Perspectives on Social Assistance Programs

Federal programs such as the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) disburse federal funding to help states and counties meet the financial or child care needs of income eligible families with children, of which a substantial proportion includes Hispanic families.

The publications in this series examine, from different vantage points, how state and local implementation of CCDF, TANF, and other associated government assistance programs may matter in how Hispanic families access these supports that are intended to enhance their financial and psychosocial well-being. The studies covered in these reports range from scans of publicly available state-level policy to surveys of local program staff within specific state contexts who serve Hispanic family populations. Together, these research efforts provide new insights about how administrative burden can limit programs’ reach to children and parents who might benefit from these investments, as well as help identify implementation strategies that are working and are particularly helpful in easing access and receipt and thus more effectively engage Hispanic families.

Find below the reports published in this series to date:

State-Level Comparisons

• How State-level Child Care Development Fund Policies May Shape Access and Utilization among Hispanic Families: This research brief describes how state policy context may contribute to racial and ethnic disparities in the use of CCDF subsidies—especially the low use by eligible Hispanic families.
• State-level TANF Policies and Practice May Shape Access and Utilization among Hispanic Families: This brief describes state-level policies and administrative practices for TANF that may influence income-eligible Hispanic families’ use or non-use of the cash assistance component of the TANF program
• How State Policies Might Affect Hispanic Families’ Access to and Use of Child Care and Development Fund Subsidies: This infographic highlights some of the findings from a 2019 study that explored state-level variation in policies and practices regarding CCDF eligibility requirements, household and work documentation requirements, prioritization of TANF recipients, and availability of program information online in Spanish.

Perspectives from California

• Child Care Subsidy Staff Share Perspectives on Policy Implementation Practices and Effective Outreach with Latino Families in California: This brief draws on findings from our survey of California child care subsidy workers in Spring 2022, which asks frontline staff and supervisors about their implementation practices and experiences, with a focus on their interactions with Hispanic families.

Perspectives from New Mexico

• Practitioners in New Mexico’s TANF Program Offer Perspectives on Engaging Hispanic Families: This brief draws from a recent survey of TANF program practitioners in New Mexico to describe how state and local TANF agencies engage with Hispanic families who apply for TANF cash assistance.

Perspectives from North Carolina

• Local Agency Staff in North Carolina’s Child Care Subsidy Program Offer Perspectives on Engaging Hispanic Families During COVID-19: This brief draws from a survey of local child care subsidy staff in North Carolina in Spring 2021 to explore their perspectives about engaging Hispanic families during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Practitioners in North Carolina’s TANF and Related Income Assistance Programs Offer Perspectives on Latino Families’ Experiences: This brief examines Latino families’ experiences with North Carolina’s TANF (also known as Work First) and related income assistance programs, based on practitioner responses.
• Child Care Subsidy Staff Share Perspectives on Administrative Burden Faced by Latino Applicants in North Carolina: This research brief shows comparisons between on-the-ground practices of local child care subsidy staff to state-level policy and guidance documents highlighting cases where practices align or diverge from documented policies and discusses the implications of this for Latino families’ access to child care subsidies.