ZERO TO THREE Releases New Policy Brief on the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program
Research about the early years teaches us that warm, responsive, and supportive relationships can buffer a child against adverse experiences such as persistent poverty, stress, poor health, malnutrition, family and community violence, and substance use and abuse. Now, as Congress considers reauthorization of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, our knowledge about early childhood and brain development can chart a new course for young children and their families who are in poverty. Programs and policies targeted to families in poverty have the potential to not only raise families out of poverty but also effect lasting change on the developmental trajectory of a young child. With TANF scheduled to be reauthorized this year, we have the opportunity to refocus the lens through which we view policies and improvements in this program and place greater emphasis on healthy development and better, longer lasting outcomes for both parents and children.

http://www.zerotothree.org/public-policy/policy-toolkit/tanf-june-16-2010.pdf