Human Services

This brief describes progress in the Child Welfare and Health Infrastructure for Linking and Data Analysis of Resources, Effectiveness, and Needs (CHILDREN) Initiative, which is in its fourth year. At this time, four jurisdictions participate in the CHILDREN Initiative: District of Columbia, Iowa, Oklahoma, and Wyoming.

KEY POINTSThe average state provider tax law, which typically taxed a hospital up to 3.5 percent of net patient revenue, resulted in an increase in ESI premiums of 1.5-1.7 percent, plus any spillover effect on interstate markets for provider resources.

The Administration for Children and Families’ initiative, A Home for Every Child, is designed to help achieve at least a one-to-one ratio of foster homes available for children and youth in foster care, where the numerator is the number of foster homes available and the denominator is the number of children in care.

The goal of the Administration for Children and Families’ (ACF’s) A Home for Every Child initiative is to have a safe and supportive home available for every child or youth in foster care. ACF measures the initiative’s success by a one-to-one home-to-child ratio, meaning there are as many foster homes available as there are children in foster care.

This brief examines the utilization of Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funds for weatherization from Fiscal Year 2016 (FY16) through FY24, as well as the waiver process states can use to increase their weatherization spending limits.Key findings include:

This brief describes available data on the licensing status of Head Start service locations and child care programs, and outlines existing infrastructure that can support alignment and coordination between Head Start and state licensing systems.

This brief examines how states allocated Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funds from FY16 through FY25, including spending on direct energy assistance, weatherization, administrative and other activities, and funds carried over to subsequent fiscal years. Key findings include:

This brief reviews the literature on the relationship between teacher-child ratios and child outcomes, then describes how Head Start ratio standards compare with existing state licensing standards. Key findings include:

This brief describes the share of spending on administrative expenses in Head Start. Key findings include:

KEY POINTSExisting research shows that children’s exposure to domestic violence (DV)/ intimate partner violence (IPV) increases the likelihood of involvement with the child welfare system (including child protective services (CPS) involvement and foster care entry).