Publication Type: Fact Sheet

TANF Policies Linked to Child and Family Well-Being Across All 50 States and DC (2025-26)

  • Post author
  • Project  Improving Family Economic Security Through Evidence-Based State Policy Reforms; 
  • Publication Type  Fact Sheet 
  • Post date May 15, 2026

Research using data from 2004 to 2016 showed that seven restrictive state TANF policies predicted increases in the incidence of child neglect and foster care placement. In this resource, NCCP provides an updated scorecard of the same policies in 2026, demonstrating which states effectively protect more children and families by re-framing each policy to expand […]

TANF Cash Assistance Maximum Benefit Amounts (2025/26)

  • Post author
  • Project  Improving Family Economic Security Through Evidence-Based State Policy Reforms; 
  • Publication Type  Fact Sheet 
  • Post date May 15, 2026

NCCP has conducted a nation-wide review of state TANF guidelines for the administration and distribution of cash assistance to families with adults and children. This resource offers comparison of the maximum amount of cash assistance provided by each state and D.C. to a family of three. It presents the maximum amount of TANF cash assistance […]

What the 2025 Reconciliation Bill’s SNAP Overhauls Could Mean for Children, Families, and States

  • Post author ,
  • Project  Improving Family Economic Security Through Evidence-Based State Policy Reforms; 
  • Publication Type  Fact Sheet 
  • Post date June 12, 2025

This fact sheet features a close look at recently proposed legislation to alter federal SNAP guidelines for states and households. Its provisions would: increase food insecurity for low-income families with children; and expand both states’ costs and administrative responsibilities for the program. The implementation demands alone would weigh heavily on state administrative bodies in the coming years.

A 50-State Comparison of TANF Policies Linked to Child and Family Protection (2024)

  • Post author , ,
  • Project  Improving Family Economic Security Through Evidence-Based State Policy Reforms; 
  • Publication Type  Fact Sheet 
  • Post date March 24, 2025

The National Center for Children in Poverty’s (NCCP) 50-State Comparison of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) Policies Linked to Child and Family Protection can support the work of policymakers and advocates. Research using data from 2004 to 2016 shows that states that adopted any of seven restrictive TANF policies in those years saw increases […]

Balancing Priorities: Foster Parents’ Child Care Search and Selection Process

  • Post author , , , , ,
  • Project  Improving Participation of Children in Foster Care in Stable, High Quality Early Care and Education; 
  • Publication Type  Fact Sheet 
  • Post date March 21, 2025

The Arkansas Office of Early Childhood is collaborating with SRI International, the National Center for Children in Poverty, and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences to learn about the supply, quality, and stability of early care and education (ECE) for children in foster care, as well as the facilitators and barriers to children in […]

Early Care and Education Is an Essential Component of the Foster Care System: A View From Arkansas

  • Post author , , , , ,
  • Project  Improving Participation of Children in Foster Care in Stable, High Quality Early Care and Education; 
  • Publication Type  Fact Sheet 
  • Post date March 21, 2025

The Arkansas Office of Early Childhood is collaborating with SRI International, the National Center for Children in Poverty, and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences to learn about the supply, quality, and stability of early care and education (ECE) for children in foster care, as well as factors that promote or reduce access to […]

Basic Facts About Low-Income Children: Children Under Age 9, 2023

  • Post author ,
  • Project  Fact Sheets About Low-Income Children; 
  • Publication Type  Fact Sheet 
  • Post date March 17, 2025

This brief uses ACS/Census data to highlight key facts that should inform policy debates about preserving and strengthening supports for children in their earliest years (under 9 years).

A 50-State Comparison of SNAP Policies Linked to Child and Family Protection

  • Post author , ,
  • Project  Improving Family Economic Security Through Evidence-Based State Policy Reforms; 
  • Publication Type  Fact Sheet 
  • Post date January 23, 2025

The National Center for Children in Poverty’s (NCCP) 50-State Comparison of Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) Policies Linked to Child and Family Protection for the program can support the work of policymakers and advocates. In states that enacted them during the years 2004 through 2016, each of four policies included here contributed to reductions in […]

A 50-State Comparison of Restrictions on TANF Access

  • Post author
  • Project  Improving Family Economic Security Through Evidence-Based State Policy Reforms; 
  • Publication Type  Fact Sheet 
  • Post date November 14, 2024

This resource presents a comparative view of the 2024 status of five restrictive state TANF policies that affect family and child well-being across 50 states and the District of Columbia.

A 50-State Comparison of TANF Benefit Amounts (2024)

  • Post author
  • Project  Improving Family Economic Security Through Evidence-Based State Policy Reforms; 
  • Publication Type  Fact Sheet 
  • Post date November 12, 2024

NCCP has conducted a review of many of the state TANF guidelines for the administration and distribution of cash assistance to families with adults and children across 50 states and the District of Columbia (D.C.) in 2024. On the following pages, we focus on the maximum amount of cash assistance provided by each state and […]