Current Funding Approaches

  • Title IV-E/IV-B.  Kinship navigator programs are poised to grow in response to funding made available through the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008.  States with programs that rely on the support from kin and guardians in the care of children can now use federal dollars to offer special training for relative caregivers about the developmental needs of children and how best to address them.
  • Child Care Development Fund (CCDF).  Since 2008, states have reported to the Child Care Bureau that more money is being spent on ways to benefit families during the current economic crisis.  Some funding strategies include lowering copayments and an increased window of coverage time for parents who are looking for jobs.  Click here for more details on specific state CCDF usage.
  • Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).  States can promote the employment prospects of parents and enhance child well-being by increasing payments to families seeking employment.  In addition, the TANF Emergency Fund, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, provides victims of domestic violence with financial and in-kind services to help address the effects of domestic violence on family stability, including short-term cash assistance, emergency shelter, medical treatment, counseling and relocation assistance for parent and child(ren).
  • Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA).  CAPTA was reauthorized in 2010 including a provision that permits states to use CAPTA grants to fund services to assist children exposed to domestic violence and support the non-abusing caregiving parents.
  • American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  The Act doubled the resources available for workforce development programs for families.  It also created new opportunities to increase use of on-the-job training, paid work experience and other strategies that combine work and learning.