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Massachusetts TANF State Plan

If a parent or caregiver does stop working or participating in a program, the FEW completes a number of outreach attempts to try and engage the parent or caretaker before the grant is reduced. These attempts may include multiple phone calls, a letter, text messages and an alert on the DTAConnect application. TAFDC Pathways to Work

TAFDC Pathways to Work is an integral part of DTA’s efforts to move clients to work and provide meaningful career pathways that support economic mobility. Each year, the Legislature allocates funding for employment services for families receiving TAFDC through the Employment Services Program (ESP) line item. The primary goal of TAFDC Pathways to Work is to assist TAFDC clients obtain and maintain employment with career growth potential, resolve barriers to employment and provide families who receive TAFDC with education, training, and employment supports. FEWs assist families receiving TAFDC to achieve these outcomes through referral to and collaborative goal setting with programs appropriate for individual skill level and goals. In addition to employment education and training, learning disability assessments and high school equivalency testing support are also funded through the ESP line item.

Young Parent’s Program (YPP)

YPP is designed to serve pregnant and/or parenting teens from the ages of 12-24 who are currently out of school and do not have a high school diploma or its equivalent or who wish to enroll in post-secondary education or training on a pathway to employment. Both the custodial and non-custodial parent of a child receiving TAFDC are eligible to participate in YPP. It is a year-round, full time program that seeks to reduce reliance on public benefits among young parents by supporting outcomes across three domains: education and career, life and personal, and parenting and family.

Services offered through the YPP program include assessment and goal setting, academic support and curriculum, English for Speakers of Other Languages, life and personal skills, enhancing family relationships, community partnerships for any additional services and follow-up services.

YPP takes a two-generation approach to increasing economic stability for families by creating opportunities for both parents and children. The primary goals of YPP are to empower parents to pursue a path to economic mobility through education pathways and job readiness, actively engage participants to develop the skills necessary to advocate and care for their children and provide a sense of hope and aspiration to empower families to break the cycle of multi-generational poverty.

DTA Works Internship

The goal of the DTA Works internship program is to provide employment supports to parents or caregivers receiving TAFDC through mentorship, training and exposure and to prepare them for successful re-entry into the workforce. The program targets parents or caregivers who are fluent in English, can pass a Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI)