Administrative Data on the Well-Being of Children On and Off Welfare

1996 (PRWORA) significantly altered the way the United States provides assis-tance to its neediest citizens. The act eliminated the federal entitlement to ser-vices that existed under the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program and replaced it with the block grant program Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). TANF provides temporary financial assistance while recipients make the mandatory transition from welfare to work. These efforts to move adult recipients toward self-sufficiency may have consequences for the well-being of their children (Collins and Aber, 1996; Zaslow et al., 1998). Poten-tial implications include changes in children’s health, safety, education, and so-cial competence. Whether these consequences are positive or negative depends on how re-forms impact family income, parenting practices or parental stress, and access to services (Collins and Aber, 1996; Zaslow et al., 1998). For example, economic hardship related to loss of benefits or other supports may complicate families’ efforts to provide supportive environments for their children (Knitzer and Ber