Helping Welfare Parents Move into the Workforce

Parents and child Family literacy programs face several tasks in moving welfare parents into the workforce. It is more than just helping parents find jobs. It means teaching them workforce skills. Additionally, in family literacy programs, it involves

Coaching parents along to economic self-sufficiency
Strengthening families as a whole
Building expectations for lifelong learning.

What Employers Want

In general, adults need more than just basic skills to become successful in the labor market. This is especially true if persons wish to find higher quality jobs and better earnings.

Employers today expect employees to have good verbal and social skills. Even low-paying jobs require more than basic reading, writing, and skills. Many jobs require a certain level of skill, for example:

Reading and writing paragraphs
Dealing with customers
Solving math problems
Using computers (Holzer, as cited in Martinson & Strawn, 2003).

How can family literacy programs help welfare families meet the requirements of today's workforce? One strategy is to integrate work-focused learning throughout the four educational components of family literacy programs. Click here for a definition of the four educational components.

In creating a work-focused family literacy program, consider the following:

Provide instruction in the context of work.
Design the program to meet the needs of working parents.
Create partnerships with agencies to provide supplemental services for families.
Understand federal and state welfare reform guidelines.

Here is the process to follow in creating a work-focused family literacy program.

Instructional Content

Teach adult basic skills in the context of work.
Teach parents how to work together in the workplace.
Provide job shadowing, field trips to local employers, and interview practice.
In the early childhood classroom, add books about work and toys that reflect jobs.

Program Design

Make sure program core messages and goals reflect a work focus.
Be clear about what work-related services you will provide.
Include flexible services to meet the needs of working parents.
Add more home visits to extend classroom time.
Include take-home activities.

Partnerships

Reach out to new community partners:

Employers
Family support organizations
Community colleges and vocational technology centers

Consider linking with health care and child care providers.
Share training opportunities with other agencies.
Hold a meeting with your local welfare/employment office. Talk about how you can work together.
Ask your Chamber of Commerce what the outlook for employment is in your area. Which industries are hiring? Are employers in need of trained, entry-level workers?

Advocacy

Become informed about federal and state Temporary Assistance for Needy Families guidelines and requirements.

(Adapted from: Work-Focus Strategies: Proven Results & Design, 2003)

Response to Welfare Reform

Woman filing The passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) in 1996 changed the nature of the welfare system in the United States. This change affected the lives of welfare families. It also changed the way family literacy services could be provided. Click here for a side-by-side comparison of the prior law and PRWORA.

To address these changes, National Center for Family Literacy initiated the Family Independence Initiative (FII) in 1997. FII created family literacy programs serving welfare families. These programs operated within the confines of welfare reform. Click here to view the FII sites.

FII proved that family literacy is an effective means of moving welfare families into the workforce. Click here to see how the FII programs adapted to welfare reform.

This article was developed from Work-Focus Strategies for Family Literacy Programs, a 150-page book created by NCFL. It traces the history, research and implementation of programs that move adults from welfare to work. The document

Outlines key strategies for creating a work-focused literacy program
Explores curriculum content adaptations
Offers hands-on resources and tools

To order the book, click here to visit the NCFL web site.

Work-Focus Strategies: Proven Results & Design is a one-day workshop offered by NCFL. It is designed to help adult education teachers incorporate work-related learning with basic skills lessons. Click here to find out more about training opportunities available from NCFL.

Click here for information on creating a work-focused Family Literacy program in a nutshell.

References

Alamprese, J. A. (1999, April). Delivering family literacy services in the context of welfare reform. Paper presented at the meeting of the State Activities in Promoting Family Literacy Programs.

Martinson, K., & Strawn, J. (2003). Built to last: Why skills matter for long-run success in welfare reform. Center for Law and Social Policy, the National Institute for Literacy and the National Adult Education Professional Development Consortium.

National Center for Family Literacy. (2003). Work-focus strategies: Proven results & design. Louisville, KY: Author

This information was produced by the National Center for Family Literacy for use on www.thinkfinity.org, a powerful educational platform supported by the Verizon Foundation. This information is in the public domain and may be reproduced for noncommercial purposes without permission.