Page 5

5 iii. Advantage After-School Program – The New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) administers the Advantage After-School Program, an after- school youth development initiative. This program, which is operated across the State, offers a broad range of age-appropriate activities, reinforcing the learning experiences of the school day. This program offers safe and accessible places for school-aged children to learn and play for a minimum of three hours directly after school, as research has shown that these are the hours when pre-adolescent and adolescent problem behaviors occur. The selected programs are operated primarily in school buildings by community organizations in partnership with local schools and other partners; iv. Services for Children and Youth – One of the best ways of preventing next generation dependency is to improve the educational achievement level of TANF- eligible children. School collaboration initiatives are designed to do just that by positively influencing the academic achievement, school attendance, and behavior of TANF-eligible children. Programming includes merit incentives for positive school outcomes, summer learning and/or summer camp scholarships, life skills, and mentoring programs. These programs are based on financial eligibility and meet the TANF purpose of preventing and reducing the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies. The programs have received positive feedback from the children, their parents, the schools and the communities; v. Mentoring Services – Some districts are working with voluntary agencies to provide mentoring for TANF-eligible families. Mentoring is done differently by each agency. However, the basic concept is for a mentor or a group of mentors to work directly with the TANF recipient and/or family to help them overcome barriers to financial and emotional stability. The mentor(s) may do various things, including helping the recipient search for a job, helping the family learn to manage conflict, or just listening and work with the family to establish priorities and sort out issues; vi. Child Well-Being Projects – It has been three decades since a district caseworker was able to authorize cash benefits, visit families receiving assistance in their homes and provide case management to increase family stability. Since 2005, TANF funding has supported efforts aimed at families who are in receipt of cash benefits and also have open children’s services cases. This collaboration and ability to widen the lens through which a family is served allows districts to manage cases and recommend services that assist in the prevention and reduction of adolescent pregnancies; vii. Home Visiting Services – In accordance Section 332 of the Social Services Law, PA applicants and recipients may receive voluntary parental, infant, and early childhood home visiting services if they meet the eligibility criteria and such services are available. Districts provide information about home visiting services that use an evidence-based or evidence-informed service delivery model to those who may be interested in such services. In addition, districts help determine the most appropriate program for referrals based on the needs of the applicant or recipient household. viii. Child-Only Case Projects – OTDA and many districts have focused on Child-Only cases in which the child’s parent(s) is not in receipt of TANF-funded assistance. Child-Only cases comprise approximately 40 percent of the TANF caseload. Based on OTDA’s suspicion that many of the children on Child-Only cases share similar characteristics with the foster care caseload, OTDA contracted with Cornell University to conduct a research study of New York State’s Child-Only caseload.