NC1011: Rural Low-Income Families: Tracking their Well-being and Function in an Era of Welfare Reform (NC223)

(Multistate Research Project)

Status: Inactive/Terminating

Project Menu

SAES-422 Reports

Annual/Termination Reports:

[11/17/2003] [12/01/2004] [11/18/2005] [12/17/2006] [12/07/2007]

Date of Annual Report: 11/17/2003

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 10/22/2003 - 10/25/2003
Period the Report Covers: 10/01/2002 - 09/01/2003

Participants

Governance: Sharon Seiling, Chair; Leslie Richards, Vice Chair for Data Management; Bonnie Braun, Vice Chair for Communications; Elizabeth Dolan, Secretary/Treasurer; Janet Bokemeier, Administrative Advisor, Nancy Valentine, CSREES Liaison.

Project Participants: California - Karen Varcoe (UC-Riverside); Indiana - Elizabeth Kiss (Purdue), Iowa Steve Garasky (ISU); Kentucky - Patricia Dyk (UKY); Louisiana - Frances Lawrence (LSU); Maryland - Bonnie Braun (UMD); Massachusetts - Sheila Mammen (UMASS); Michigan - David Imig (MSU); Minnesota - Jean Bauer (UMN); Nebraska Susan Churchill (UNE); New Hampshire - Elizabeth Dolan (UNH); New York Josephine Swanson (Cornell); Ohio - Sharon Seiling (OSU); Oregon - Leslie Richards (OrSU); South Dakota Donna Hess (SDSU).

Other Participants: California - Martha Lopez, Lenna Ontai-Grzebik; Indiana - Beck Sero-Lyn; Louisiana - Ann Berry; Maryland - Leigh Ann Simmons; Michigan - Brooke Kelly, Laurie Bulock; Nebraska - Kathy Bosch, Carrie Doll; Ohio Margaret Manoogian, Kathy Reschke; Oregon - Yoshie Sano, Robin Ozretich.

Brief Summary of Minutes

Brief Summary:
The Annual Meeting had three major foci. The first was for working groups to report on this past years productivity and plan their work for the coming year. The second focus was to update the team on efforts to secure additional funding, i.e., the NIH grant proposal submitted in September and the prospect of submitting a proposal to NRI. The third was to facilitate the transition from NC223 to NC1011 and welcome the new states to the team.

Work Towards Objectives:
Data collection and analyses: The thirteen states that have pursed data collection have substantially completed the three waves of interviews. Several states report difficulty with Wave 3 due to reduced funding, however. The Oregon State University team is processing the Wave 3 data and hopes to have the quantitative SPSS data and the qualitative WinMax data back to each state for cleaning by the end of the calendar year.

The Working Groups reported on their activities, publications, and presentations over the past year. A summary of productivity is given at the end of this report.

NRI Report: NRI grant, administered through the University of Minnesota by Jean Bauer, started November 1, 2001 and runs through December 2003. The focus of the second year was on subcoding and the creation of a base book. New York was the subcontractor for the food security work and Louisiana for economic well-being work. Minnesota was responsible, working with Oregon State, for producing the base book of Wave 1 and Wave 2 data. A printed draft was distributed to the states, along with a CD containing the data, data book, and syntax for creation of variables.

Funding: NC 1011 was approved in spring of 2003, commencing on October 1, 2003 and running through September 30, 2008. Two new states, Iowa and South Dakota, joined the team, and two states, Colorado and Wyoming, dropped out. Two team members spearheaded the submission of a grant proposal to NIH on intergenerational issues. The team discussed submitting a new grant proposal to NRI. A small group will be working on this over the coming weeks.

Future Work:
Working Groups: The majority of time at the meeting was devoted to Working Groups meetings. Each of the eight Working Groups met at least once to plan their activities for the coming year. Each Working Group reported their primary research questions and the members who are involved in the analyses. A number of the proposed analyses revolved around policy questions.

Dissemination Plan: A number of ideas were presented as ways to disseminate the findings of this study, in addition to the traditional scholarly papers and presentations, and the project website. Spearheaded by the Extension Working Group, the team will be working toward presenting a series of web-based in-service trainings, especially for extension educators, but open to others also. Furthermore, to let our participants know more about what we are finding, the team planned a series of short newsletter articles for each state team to use in its participant newsletter.

Accomplishments

Accomplishments and Impacts: New officers were elected: Sharon Seiling Chair; Leslie Richards - Vice Chair for data management; Josephine Swanson vice Chair for outreach; Susan Churchill Secretary/Treasurer. This year was very productive. Five proposals were submitted for funding. The NRI grant has enabled us to produce a base book for Wave 1 and Wave 2 data, in addition to developing subcoding schemes for food security and two different economic well-being issues. The Child Care Working Group produced a research brief on child care use.

Publications

Bauer, J.W., Braun, B., & Dyk, P. H., (2003, April). Health and the economic well-being of rural families. A public policy fact sheet. National Council on Family Relations. Available at http://www.ncfr.org/pdf/Rural_Families_Fact_Sheet.pdf Bauer, J.W. & Dolan, E. (2003). The impact of financial life skills and knowledge of community resources on food security. Abstracts--Fifth Conference of the International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies. July 24, 2003. Frankfurt, Germany. p.151 Bauer, J.W., Imig, D.R., Dyk, P. H., & Seiling, S.B. (2003). The well-being of rural low-income families in the context of welfare reform. Spatial Inequality: Continuity and Change in Territorial Stratification. A joint meeting with the Rural Sociological Society, American Agricultural Economics Society and the Canadian Agricultural Economics Society. July 27-30, 2003. Montreal, Quebec. Available at: http://www.ruralsociology.org/annual-meeting/2003/Bauer,etal.pdf Braun, B., & Dyk, P. (2003) Rural families speak about quality of life issues: The Impact of health conditions on food security. AbstractsFifth Conference of International Society for Quality of Life Studies, Frankfurt, Germany. July 24. p.152. Braun, B., Lawrence, F. C., Dyk, P. H., & Vandergriff-Avery, M. (2002). Southern rural family economic well-being in the context of public assistance. Southern Rural Sociology Research Journal, 18 (1), 259-295. Braun, B., Rudd, M., & Anderson, E.A. (2003). Social support: Key to educational outcomes for rural, teenage mothers. Policy research brief available for citizens and policy makers. Available at: http://www.hhp.umd.edu/FMST/fis/TeenMoms.pdf and http://www.ruralfamilies.umn.edu/publications/SocialSupportTeenMothers.pdf. Braun, B., & Vandergriff-Avery, M. (2003). Facing the facts of the well-being of rural low-income women in the context of welfare reform. In, Sixth Women's Policy Research Conference Proceedings. Institute for Women's Policy Research, USA, 6, 276-279. Dolan, E.M., Bauer, J.W., Knight, S.E., Seiling, S., Lawrence, F.C., & Mammen, S. (2003, March) Rural low-income families face employment obstacles. NCFR Report, 48 (1), F7-F8. Dolan, E.M., Braun, B., & Murphy, J.C. (2003, June). A dollar short: Financial challenges of working-poor rural families. NCFR Report, 48 (2), F13 F15. Dyk, P.H. & Braun, B. (2003). Rural families speak: The impact of family health conditions of food security. Procceedings of Rural Sociological Meeting, Montreal, Canada. Available at: http://www.ruralsociology.org/annual-meeting/2003/abstracts.pdf Kim, E., & Geistfeld, L. V. (2003). Is she working enough? Rural poor women's unemployment and depression. Proceedings of 2003 Rural Sociological Society annual meeting. Available at: http://www.ruralsociology.org/annual-meeting/2003/abstracts.pdf Kim, E-J, Geistfeld, L.V., & Seiling, S.B. (2003). Factors affecting health care decisions of rural poor women. Asian Women, 16, 73-85. Kim, E., Geistfeld, L. V., & Seiling, S. B. (2003). The disenfranchised poor: Rural low-income women's health care decisions. Consumer Interests Annual, 49 Available at: http://consumerinterests.org/public/articles/DisenfranchisedPoor_03.pdf Reschke, K. & Walker, S. (2003, June). Difficult choices: Low-income mothers struggle to balance caregiving and employment. NCFR Report 48(2), F8-F9. Varcoe, K. P., Bauer, J., & Mammen, S. (2003). Rural families speak about quality of life issuesAn overview of the study. AbstractsFifth Conference of the International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, 150. Varcoe, K. P., Lees, N. & Lopez, M. (2003). Rural families speakThe impact of family relationships on food security. AbstractsFifth Conference of the International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, July 24, 153. Varcoe, K.P., Lees, N.B., Lopez, M.L., Seiling, S.B., Lawrence, F. C. & Knight, S.E. (2003). The earned income tax credit and rural families. In J. L. Cunningham (Ed.). Family Relations & Human Development/Family Economics & Resource Management Biennial. The Journal of the FRHD and FERM Division of the American Association of the Family and Consumer Sciences, 5, 144-153. Walker, S. & Reschke, K. (2003, March). Child care issues facing contemporary rural families. NCFR Report, 48(1), F5-F6. Walker. S. & Reschke, K. (2003, Winter-Spring). Low income rural families use of child care. NC223 Research Briefing. Available at http://www.hhp.umd.edu/FMST/fis/

Impact Statements

Team members made 26 conference presentations.
Eight papers have been published and an additional six papers have been submitted to journals for review.
Four Masters thesis were completed as well as one doctoral dissertation.
The Child Care Working Group produced a research brief on child care use.

Date of Annual Report: 12/01/2004

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 10/13/2004 - 10/16/2004
Period the Report Covers: 10/01/2003 - 09/01/2004

Participants

Governance: Sharon Seiling, Chair; Leslie Richards, Vice Chair for Data Management; Jo Swanson, Vice Chair for Dissemination, Communications; Susan Churchill, Secretary/Treasurer; Janet Bokemeier, Administrative Advisor, Caroline Crocoll, CSREES Liaison.

Offical representatives: Minnesota: Jean Bauer (UMN); Maryland: Bonnie Braun (UMD); Nebraska: Susan Churchill (UNE-L); New Hampshire: Elizabeth Dolan (UNH); Kentucky: Patricia Dyk (UKY); South Dakota: Donna Hess (SDS); Michigan: David Imig (MSU); Louisiana: Frances Lawrence (LSU); Massachusetts: Sheila Mammem (UMass-A); New York: Christine Olson (Cornell); Oregon: Leslie Richards (OSU); Ohio: Sharon Seiling (OSU); California: Karen Varcoe (UC-R). No representatives from Iowa or Indiana.

Other participants: Don Arwood, South Dakota State University; Ann Berry, Louisiana State University; Janet Bokemeier, Michigan State University; Laurie Bullock, Michigan State University; Caroline Crocoll, USDA; Megan Dolan, University of Massachusetts-Amherst; Mary Jo Katras, University of Minnesota; Suzann Knight, University of New Hampshire; Martha Lopez, University of California-Riverside; Margaret Manoogian, Ohio University; Gretchen May and Shirley Mietlicki, University of Massachusetts-Amherst; Lenna Ontai-Grzebik, University of California-Davis; Vicki Plano Clark and Kathy Prochaska-Cue, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Kathy Reschke, Ohio State University; Yoshie Sano, Oregon State University; Leigh Ann Simmons, University of Kentucky; Josephine Swanson, Cornell University.

Brief Summary of Minutes

Brief Summary:
The Annual Meeting had two major foci. The first was for working groups to report on this past years productivity and plan their work for the coming year. The second focus was to update the team about funding from NRI and the subcontracts from that grant.

Work Towards Objectives:
Data collection and analyses: Data collection is ongoing for the two states added to the project (IA and SD). A preliminary Wave 3 data set is posted on FTP site, but it is not yet finalized. A discussion about missing data, employment, and income occurred in order to update the group about how these will be approached. For Wave 1 data there are three panels: Panel 1 (15 states), Panel 2 (2 states, OH & WV), Panel 3 (2 states IA & SD).

NRI Update: Starting September 1, 2004 there are funds for two years for dissemination and research related to labor force participation, health (including food security), and social support. The NRI grant focuses on these three topics and longitudinal analysis. Each state will get computerized resources for MAXQDA and there are forty bridge calls each year for research teams. There is a subcontract at Oregon State which supports a data manager who will start January 1, 2005. The project manager at University of Minnesota is funded through this grant and has already started. A community database will be constructed via a subcontract with South Dakota. This will contain indicators of community context for the three areas.

Working Groups: The Working Groups reported on their activities, publications, and presentations over the past year. A summary of productivity is given at the end of this report.

Workshop: Vicki Plano Clark from Nebraska presented a workshop on current mixed-methods methodology, including some information on combining MAXQDA and SPSS. She works with John Creswell, one of the leading researchers in the mixed-methods field.

Future Work:
Templates for ways of disseminating information about the project were distributed. The Vice Chair for Dissemination & Communications requested feedback on them.

Next years meeting will be in Portland, OR. The meeting will be October 5, 6, 7, 2005

Accomplishments

Publications

Bauer, J. W. (2004). Basebook report. Low income rural families: Tracking their well-being and functioning in the context of welfare reform. Retrieved from www.ruralfamilies.umn.edu Braun, B. (2003). Narrowed paths to economic well-being. Commissioned for distribution to members of the Maryland press by the University of Maryland Office of University Relations. Retrieved from: http://www.hhp.umd.edu/FMST/fis/NarrowedPathsBrief.pdf Braun, B. (2003). Barriers to mental health access for rural residents. Testimony presented at the request of the Maryland General Assemblys Access to Mental Health Task Force. Retrieved from: http://www.hhp.umd.edu/FMST/fis/MentalHealthTaskForceBrief.pdf Braun, B. & Anderson, E. A. (2004). A multi-state, mixed methods study of rural, low-income families. In Bengtson, V., Acock, A., Allen, K. Dilworth-Anderson, P., & Klein, D. (Eds.). Sourcebook of family theory and research. Minneapolis, MN: National Council on Family Relations. Braun, B., & Marghi, J.R. (2003). Rural families speak: Faith, resiliency, and life satisfaction among low income mothers. Michigan Family Review, 8(1), 9-18. Braun, B. & Marghi, J. R. (2003). Faith as a resiliency factor for rural, low-income mothers. National Council on Family Relations Report, 48, 4 (December), F6, F8. Dyk, P. H., Braun, B., Simmons, L. A. (2004, August). Low income rural womens well-being: A case for customizing policy. In 2004 Proceedings of the Rural Sociological Society Annual Meeting, Sacramento, CA. Dyk, P. H. & Bauer, J. W. (2004, April). Rural low-income families: Tracking their well-being and function in an era of welfare reform. (Policy Brief) Minneapolis, MN: National Council on Family Relations. Garrison, M.E.B., Marks, L. D., Lawrence, F., C., & Braun, B. (In press). Religious beliefs, faith community involvement and depression: A study of rural, low-income mothers. Women and Health. Grutzmacher, S. & Braun, B. (2004). Food resource management: Key to food security outcomes among rural, low-income families. Retrieved from: http://www.hhp.umd.edu/FMST/fis/Food_Security_Brief.pdf Katras, M.J., Zuiker, V.S., & Bauer, J.W. (2004). Private safety net: Childcare resources from the perspective of rural low-income families. Family Relations, 53, 201-209. Kim, E-J., Seiling, S. B., & Varcoe, K. (2004). Rural poor womens medical service use: Does race make a difference? In Fox, J. J. (Ed), Proceedings of the Eastern Family Economics and Resource Management Association, February 7- 9, 2004. Orlando, FL., 59-70. Kohler, J., Anderson, E., Oravecz, L., &.Braun, B. (2004). Relationship constellations and dynamics of low-income rural mothers. Affilia Journal of Women and Social Work l9(2), 160-173. Lawrence, F. C., Tiller, V., Burczyk-Brown, J. J., & Berry A. A. (2004). Rural low-income families speak: Living in rural Louisiana (Research Information Sheet #109). Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana Agricultural Center, 1-12. Mammen, S., Lawrence, F., Seiling, S., Varcoe, K., & Kiss, E. (2004). Rural working families use of earned income credit. In (Fox, J. J., Ed.) Proceedings of the 32nd Conference of the Eastern Family Economics-Resource Management Association, 14. Olson, C. M., Anderson, K., Kiss, E., Lawrence, F. C., & Seiling, S. B. (2004). Factors protecting against and contributing to food insecurity among rural families: a mixed-methods analysis. Family Economics and Nutrition Review, 16, (1) 12-20. Reschke, K., & Walker, S. (2003). The continuum of compromise: Low income rural womens strategies for balancing work and caregiving. Ohio State University and University of Maryland, College Park. Simmons-Wescott, L. A. & Braun, B. (2004). Depression: A deterrent to psychological well-being among poor, rural mothers. National Council on Family Relations Report, F5-F7. Swanson, J., Lawrence, F., Anderson, K., & Olson, C. (2004). Low-income rural families: How formal and informal supports address food needs. In (Fox, J. J., Ed.) Proceedings of the 32nd Conference of the Eastern Family Economics-Resource Management Association, 27-29.

Impact Statements

Special issue of "Family Relations" devoted to rural low income families. Patricia Dyk (UKY) was special editor. Several team members had papers accepted for this issue.
Twenty-three presentation were given at conferences.
Nineteen papers were published.
Seven Masters theses were completed.
Three doctoral dissertations were completed.

Date of Annual Report: 11/18/2005

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 10/05/2005 - 10/07/2005
Period the Report Covers: 10/01/2004 - 09/01/2005

Participants

State representatives present: Jean Bauer (MN); Robin Douthitt (WI); Bonnie Braun (MD); Susan Churchill (NE); Elizabeth Dolan (NH); Patricia Dyk (KY); Steve Garasky (IA); Donna Hess (SD); David Imig (MI); Fran Lawrence (LA); Sheila Mammem (MA); Suzann Knight (NH); Josephine Swanson (NY); Leslie Richards (OR); Sharon Seiling (OH); Karen Varcoe (CA)
Other persons present: Don Arwood (SD); Kathy Bosch (NE); Laurie Bullock (MI); Caroline Crocoll (DC); Carrie Farris (OR); Jaerim Lee (MN); Cathey Huddleston-Casas (NE); Mary Jo Katras (MN); Martha Lopez (CA); Margaret Manoogian (OH, WV); Lenna Ontai-Grzebik (CA); Holly Pong (CA); Yoshie Sano (OR); Amanda Taylor (OR); Leigh Ann Simmons (KY)

Brief Summary of Minutes

The Annual Meeting focused on research presentations from the group, goals for the next year for data analysis and dissemination (specifically BreezeLive conferences).

Work Towards Objectives:
Data collection and analyses: Data collection is completed except for those states in Panel 3 (SD and IA). The codebooks have been updated to all of the longitudinal variable names. There are 8 quantitative data sets and 7 qualitative data sets. A pseudonym list for counties will be developed and shared with all via the FTP site.

NRI Update: The NRI grant focuses on 3 topic areas (social support, labor force, health) across all three waves; each area has a program leader which can help with linkages across states and topics. A brochure about the project is ready and posted on the FTP site; the brochure can be modified for each state. The conference calls between group members have been very successful and will continue over the next year. The BreezeLive session was very successful.

Working Groups: The Working Groups reported on their activities, publications, and presentations over the past year. A summary of productivity is given at the end of this report. The Child Care working group will be folded into Family Strengths. The Community Working Group will explore opportunities to get funding to do an analysis of community food security and placed into data set. They will also develop descriptive pieces on communities weve studied. The Economic Well-being will have joint publications/presentations over the next year

Presentations: Members of the group conducted presentations on current research, community data set, use of SPSS and MAXQDA2.

BreezeLive Conference: There were many lessons learned from the first conference and suggestions have been collected for the next conference, e.g., have an executive summary. There is a commitment to do three conferences possibly in January, March, and May and capitalize on work that has been done. The workgroup leaders will help craft the topics and who the participants/audience will be.

Nominations and elections:
The nomination committee nominated Susan Churchill for secretary and Josephine Swanson for Vice-President for Outreach. Voting was conducted and both were elected unanimously.

Future Work:
Next years meeting will be Kentucky; Wednesday night through Friday (October 18 20).

Accomplishments

Objective 1: To analyze the interactions among public assistance and informal social supports, community context, and individual and family characteristics and their relation to the functioning and well-being of rural low income families with children over three years time. 1. See list of publications and presentations 2. The information on the EITC research as well as the use of assistance programs by minority youth was utilized by San Diego Foundation (CA) for Charitable Trusts to help them identify areas for future funding. 3. Analysis of interactions among Iowa Latino families, informal social supports, and community social service agencies will provide critical information to assess rural family well-being among immigrants and help community policy-makers evaluate current services and potentially formulate new community service practices for Latinos. 4. Based on the relationship established through the NC1011 study with a county agency personnel, the Department of Family Studies (UMD) was asked to conduct an evaluation of the impact of the Healthy Families program on school readiness of low-income families in that county. Objective 2: To assess across time the relative effects of economic opportunity, and personal attributes and actions, on employment and self-sufficiency among the rural low income families participating in the study. See list of publications and presentations Objective 3: To assess over time, how families have adapted to policy and economic changes to achieve self-sufficiency (household adaptive strategies and well being that are associated with economic, food security, family functioning and policy). See list of publications and presentations Objective 4: To collect additional data in year 3 of the study to track the functioning of the participating families related to changing policies and economic conditions. This objective has essentially been abandoned by the NC1011 research team. Most of the states have not maintained contact with their participating families. Many of the families have moved and tracking them tends to be difficult. The cost in collecting and processing interview data is deemed as excessive for the small number of families that would potentially be reached.

Publications

Publications/ presentationsWritten Berry, A. A., Shaffett, B. D., Tucker, J. A. (2004, November) Strategies to Empower People: Step toward Self-reliance for Low-income Families Receiving Public Assistance. In R. Travnichek (Ed.), Proceedings of the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education, 81. Braun, B. & Anderson, E.A. (2005) Multisite, mixed-methods study of rural low-income families. In Bengstson, V.L., Acock, A.C., Allen, K.R., Dilworth-Anderson, P., & Klein, D.M. (Eds), Sourcebook of family theory and research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. 484-487. Churchill, S.L., (2005). Family fun in rural areas: Implications for children. Play, Policy, & Practice Connections. Newsletter of the Play, Policy, & Practice Interest Forum of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Volume IX, Issue 1. Dolan, E., Richards, L, Sano, Y., Bauer, J., Braun, B. (2005). Linkages Between employment patterns and depression over time: The case of low-income rural mothers. Consumer Interests Annual, 51. Available at: http://www.consumerinterests.org/files/public/Dolan_LinkagesBetweenEmploymentPatternsandDepressionOverTime.pdf Dolan, E.M., Mammen, S., Bauer, J., & Seiling, S., (2005). Stability of Employment of Rural Low-Income Mothers and Their Access to Employer Benefits, Consumer Interests Annual, 51. Available on line at: http://www.consumerinterests.org/files/public/Seiling_StabilityofEmploymentofRuralLow-IncomeMothersandTheir.pdf Garrison, M. E. B., Marks, L. D., Lawrence, F. C., & Braun, B. (2004). Religious beliefs, faith community involvement and depression: A study of rural, low-income mothers. Women and Health, 40 (3), 51-63. Lawrence, F., Mammen, S., Kiss, E., Seiling, S., & Varcoe, K. (2004, November). Use of the earned income credit by rural working families. In R. Travnichek (Ed.), Proceedings of the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education, 51-52. Mammen, S., & Dolan., E.M., (2005, May). Employment and Obstacles to Employment of Rural Low-Income Mothers in the Northeast, Rural Poverty in the Northeast: Strengthening the Regional Research Effort. Conference. Available at: http://www.cas.nercrd.psu.edu/reg.pov2005wksTOC.htm Maring, E.F., & Braun, B., (2005, March). Rural, low-income families experience barriers to substance abuse services. National Council on Family Relations Repor,t 50 (1), F19-F20. Olson, C.M., Miller, E.O., Swanson, J.A., Strawderman, M.S., (2005, May), The dynamics of food insecurity in rural America: Are there regional differences? Rural Poverty in the Northeast: Global Forces and Individual Coping Strategies Available at: http://www.cas.nercrd.psu.edu/reg.pov2005wksTOC.htm Olson, CM and Bove CF. (2005). Obesity in rural women: Emerging risk factors and hypotheses. In Coward RT, Davis LA, Gold CH, Smickilas-Wright H, Thorndyke LE, Vondracek FW (eds). Rural Womens Health: Linking Mental, Behavioral, and Physical Health. New York: Springer Publishing. Seiling, S. B., Varcoe, K., DeVitto, Z., & Kim, E-J. (2005). Ethnic differences in predictors of health care use among low-income, rural women. Consumer Interests Annual, 51,. Available at http://www.consumerinterests.org/files/public/Seilings_EthnicDifferencesinPredictorsofHealthCareUseAmong.pdf Seo, J., Stafford, K., & Seiling, S. (2005). Mothers share of child care in rural low-income families. Consumer Interests Annual, 51, p. 107-120. Available at http://www.consumerinterests.org/files/public/Seiling_Mothers'ShareofChildCareinRuralLow-IncomeFamilies.pdf Vandergriff-Avery, M., Anderson, E.A., & Braun, B. (2004). Resiliency capacities among rural low-income families: Implications for practitioners. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services. 85(4), 562-569. Graduate student theses/dissertations/papers Yoshie Sano. 2005. Ph.D. The Complexity of Non-Resident Father Involvement in Low-Income Families: Mothers Perspectives. Oregon State University Robin N. Ozretich, 2004. M.S. Because We Didnt Have Nowhere to Go: Residential Instability Among Rural Low-Income Families. Oregon State University Tricia Wek-Visker, 2005 Ph.D., Rural American Indian Families and Resiliency,. South Dakota State University

Impact Statements

Two states (IA, MI) have used data to help state policy makers evaluate current services and to start discussions about new community resources in rural areas.
Several states have used the data as the basis for the development of Extension educational materials. In Louisiana, a parenting program reaches over 3,000 parents receiving public assistance during 2004-2005. Participants in this parenting program reported (1) having more positive interactions with their young children, a variable known to have long-term developmental effects for children and (2) being more conscientious of purchases, using cost-saving techniques, and using money management techniques.
Several states have used the data to develop or expand programs to reach rural families about the Earned Income Tax Credit. In New Hampshire, two grants were written and funded focusing on Linking Workers with the Earned Income Tax Credit. Connections have been made with all of the local coalitions and AARP who are reaching the EITC eligible population through free tax preparation sites. The NH Statewide EITC Alliance has been formed to share best practices amongst the community coalitions and share resources. In Louisiana, the participants of Extension parenting programs have learned about, and filed for, EITC. In California, the EITC data was used by the San Diego Foundation for Charitable Trusts to identify areas for future funding.
In Maryland, findings from mental health analyses were used in testimony to the Commission on Access to Mental Health established by the Maryland Governor. The NC1011 team member served as a member of that Commission. Subsequent legislation positively affecting rural families was passed by the General Assembly in 2005. In 2004, $30,000 in funding was received from the Charles F. Kettering Foundation to answer the question, "Under what conditions, can and will, limited resource citizens engage in deliberative public policy processes?" A report is available at: http://www.hhp.umd.edu/FMST/fis/_docs/ Engaging_Unheard_Voices.pdf
New Hampshire NC 1011 team members are in process of building a web site that will be accessible to the general public. Website will include descriptions of NH sample relative to certain issues, such as food security, employment, etc. Outreach has increased through print, and non-print media, and a collaboration has been formed with an information and referral agency to be the starting point for information on rural low income families.
In Kentucky, the NC1011 team members worked with one county Extension office and county adult literacy program. Analyses of data are being provided to agents, particularly those working with low-resource clientele.
NC 1011 team members in South Dakota developed a secondary data set providing contextual (county & state) data for each of the states involved in NC 1011. That data set is also now available to participating researchers.

Date of Annual Report: 12/17/2006

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 10/18/2006 - 10/20/2006
Period the Report Covers: 10/01/2005 - 09/01/2006

Participants

State representatives present:
Jean Bauer (MN)
Bonnie Braun (MD)
Susan Churchill (NE)
Elizabeth Dolan (NH)
Patricia Dyk (KY)
Don Arwood (SD)
David Imig (MI)
Frances Lawrence (LA)
Sheila Mammen (MA)
Josephine Swanson (NY)
Leslie Richards (OR)
Sharon Seiling (OH)
Karen Varcoe (CA)
No representative from IN or IA

Other persons present
Laurie Bullock (MI)
Cathey Huddleston-Casas (NE)
Margaret Manoogian (OH, WV)
Yoshie Sano (Affiliate)
Holly Pong (CA)
Robin Douthitt (WS)
Leigh Ann Simmons (KY)
Suzann Knight (NH)
Linda Waybright (WV)
Patty Morrison (WV)
Sarah Frank (KY)

Brief Summary of Minutes

Agenda: Welcome, Administrators reports, Working groups report, NRI report, Data report, Presentations from KY on use of BreezeLive conferences, Community data set report, Presentations of on-going research, Election of officers, Working groups

Brief Summary:
The Annual Meeting focused on research presentations from the group, goals for the next year for data analysis and dissemination (specifically BreezeLive conferences).

Work Towards Objectives:
Data collection and analyses: In the quantitative data set, all variables names have been changed so that they are consistent throughout the three waves. The FTP site has only the latest correct datasets. Team members should also be sure and download the latest authors guide and use the correct acknowledgements for the dataset being used. The major change in qualitative dataset is that Wave 1 names have been changed to pseudonyms. There are no longer resources to update datasets each state is responsible for updating their own datasets. Codebooks for subcoding of the qualitative dataset & syntax for construction of quantitative variables should be posted on the FTP site in order to maintain consistency across publications.

NRI Update: The lastest NRI proposal was not funded. There were many accomplishments related to NRI grant this past year. Variable analysis work is part of the legacy of the NRI grants. The project ended August 30th, but a no-cost extension will be used to fund MN staff and additional conference calls.

Working Groups: The Working Groups reported on their activities, publications, and presentations over the past year. A summary of productivity is given at the end of this report. A discussion of the community data was also conducted. The group decided to match the zip code to the individual participant for Wave 1. This information will be posted on the ftp site for those who want to use zip codes to analyze data.

During the 2005-06 year, 29 presentations were made, including nine with published proceedings; eleven papers were published or are in press in nine different journals; twelve additional papers are under review by nine different journals; a book chapter, a Kettering Foundation report and two fact sheets were published; and one doctoral dissertation, one masters thesis and two senior honors theses were completed.

BreezeLive Conferences: Kentucky participants presented on the use of the BreezeLive conferences throughout the state. Video conferencing and sites across the state were set up in which extension coordinators met together. Kentucky had a central person to via videoconferencing to extension educators about What did we learn today; Questions to consider; Where do we begin. The BreezeLive conference linked the campus, research from project, and the educators working with families.

Nominations and elections:
The nomination chair (Leigh Ann Simmons) nominated Elizabeth Dolan for chair and Leslie Richards for Vice-Chair for Data. There were no nominations from the floor. Voting was conducted and both were elected unanimously.

Future Work:
The 2007 meeting will be held in Columbus, Ohio. Sharon Seiling will contact group about potential dates.

A subcommittee was formed to work on an NRI conference grant for 2008.

A subcommittee was formed to work on a new Multi-state Project Proposal.

Accomplishments

Selected Research outcomes: Researchers studied resource change and psychological stress in rural family life. Life event changes and stresses are linked to the conservation of resources. Development of human capital through education and work experience may help families retain resources over time. Research found that most employed parents have a strong social network, which may be essential to maintaining employment in this population. Research found that mothers who manage to get off TANF need assistance to stay off, either through educational supports or social supports, if not both. Rising wages results in loss of government supports such as housing subsidies and food stamps. Wages need to be sufficient to allow the family to improve their financial position without subsidies. Perceptions of parenting confidence appear to vary for single versus partnered mothers in the area of providing a safe home for their child. Risk factors appear to be significant predictors of parenting confidence. Parent support appears to operate differently for single and partnered mothers. For Latino families, research found that social support contributed to the economic and social well-being of these families despite the challenges they faced meeting their food and housing needs. Contextual conditions (e.g., ineligible for public assistance, low hourly wages, high housing costs) and individual characteristics (e.g., lack of knowledge of community resources, low educational level) create barriers for some families in meeting their food and housing needs despite available social support. Policies and systems need to be put in place throughout rural America to help Latino immigrant families meet their basic needs so they can make greater contributions to their communities. When families are strong, communities are strong. Despite existing legislation aimed at ensuring safety in the workplace for migrant workers, unsafe practices persist. Workers continue to be exposed to levels of pesticides, resulting in illnesses. Participants who reported Spanish as their primary language were more likely to describe experiences of discrimination and exploitation in the workplace and when interacting with social service agencies. Recreation is important to rural low-income families, however financial and transportation barriers may limit or even preclude participation. Rural Families Speak researchers examined labor force participation and stability of employment, health, and social support. They found that 30% of the working women were continuously employed over the three years, and 70% were employed in one of the three waves. Stability of employment was related to occupation and number of hours worked, as was having insurance coverage. Medicaid covered 1/3 of the women who worked, and it was an important source of health insurance for low income rural women and their children.

Publications

Presentations with Proceedings Braun, B. & Huddleston-Casas, C. (2006). Laboring towards economic self-sufficiency: A public policy perspective. Available at: http://fsos.che.umn.edu/img/assets/16501/May_PolicyBrief.pdf Cook, C.C., Greder, K. A., Garasky, S., & Randall, B. (October). Housing hardship and food insecurity: Understanding the circumstances of rural Latinos. Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Housing Education and Research Association. Ithaca, NY. Dolan, E.M., Seiling, S., & Glesner, T.J. (2006). Making it work: Rural low-income women in service jobs. In B.J. Cude (ed.) Proceedings of the 33rd Conference for the Eastern Family Economics and Resource Management Association, Knoxville, TN. February 23-25, 2006. pp. 38-46. Dyk, P. H., Bauer, J., & Katras, M. J. (forthcoming) Rural Contexts, Opportunities and Responses: Vulnerable Families Realities for Labor Force Participation. Conference Proceedings of the 2006 Annual Meeting of the Rural Sociological Society. Louisville, Kentucky Huddleston-Casas, C. & Braun, B. (2006). Laboring towards economic self-sufficiency: A research perspective. Available at: http://fsos.che.umn.edu/img/assets/16501/May_ResearchBrief.pdf Mammen, S., & Lawrence, F. 2006). Use of the Earned Income Tax Credit by Rural Working Families.. In B.J. Cude (ed.) Proceedings of the 33rd Conference for the Eastern Family Economics and Resource Management Association, Knoxville, TN. February 23-25, 2006. pp. 51-62. Seiling, S. B., Reschke, K., & Manoogian, M. (2006). Rural families speak out: Child care and social support. Breeze Live presentation, University of Minnesota, April 19, 2006. Available at: http://fsos.che.umn.edu/projects/rfs.html. Seiling, S. B., Stafford, K., McCabe, S., & Reschke, K. (2006). Social support as a means to well-being for rural low-income mothers. Proceedings of the Eastern Family Economics and Resource Management Association Conference, February 23-25, Knoxville, TN, 88-100. Simmons, L.A., Dolan, E.M., & Braun, B. (2006). The State of Rural Womens Economic & Health Status: KY, MD, NH.. In B.J. Cude (ed.) Proceedings of the 33rd Conference for the Eastern Family Economics and Resource Management Association, Knoxville, TN. February 23-25, 2006. pp. 47-49. Publications Anderson, E. A., Braun, B., & Walker, S. (2005). Teaching family policy: Advocacy skills education. Journal of Marriage and Family Review. 38(2), 61-76. Bove, C.F. & Olson, C.M. (in press). Obesity in Low-Income Rural Women: Qualitative Insights About Physical Activity and Eating Patterns. Women & Health, 44, 57-78. Kim, E-J., Seiling, S., Stafford, K., & Richards, L. (2005). Rural low-income womens employment and mental health. Journal of Rural Community Psychology, E8 (2). Mammen, S., & Lawrence, F.C. (2006) How Rural Working Families Use the Earned Income Tax Credit: A Mixed Method Analysis. Financial Counseling and Planning, 17 (1), 51-63. Maring, L.F. and Braun, B. (in press). Drug, alcohol and tobacco use in rural, low-income families: An ecological and resilience perspective. Journal of Rural Community Psychology. Volume 9 (1). Parra-Cardona, J. R., Bulock, L., Imig, D. R., Villarruel, F. A., & Gold, S. J. (2006). Trabajondo duro todos los dias (Working hard every day): Learning from the life experiences of Latino/a migrant families. Family Relations, 55, 361-375. Reschke, K. L., Manoogian, M. M., Richards, L. N., Walker, S. K., & Seiling, S. B. (2006). Maternal grandmothers as child care providers for rural, low-income mothers: A unique child care arrangement. Journal of Children and Poverty, 12, 159-174. Reschke, K.L, and Walker, S.K. (2006). Mothers child caregiving and employment commitments and choices in the context of rural poverty. Affilia: Journal of Women and Social Work. 21(3): 306-319. Seiling, S. B. (2006). Changes in the lives of rural low-income mothers: Do resources play a role in stress? Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment,13 (1):19-42. Simmons, L.A., Dolan, E.M. & Braun, B. (in press). Rhetoric and reality of economic self-sufficiency among rural, low-income mothers: A longitudinal study. Journal of Family & Economic Issues. Swanson, J.A., Olson, C.M., Miller, E.O., Lawrence, F.A. (in press). Rural mothers use of formal programs and informal social supports to meet family food needs: A mixed methods study. Journal of Family and Economic Issues Other Braun, B. & Waldman, J. (2006). Engaging unheard voices final report to the Kettering Foundation. Unpublished report. College Park: University of Maryland. [report] Simmons, L. A. (2006). Health: An essential resource for rural, low-income mothers' economic self-sufficiency. Rural Families Speak Project Policy Brief. Available at: http://fsos.che.umn.edu/img/assets/16501/March_Health_PolicyBrief.pdf Simmons, L. A. (2006). Health: Essential to rural, low-income mothers' economic well-being. Rural Families Speak Project Fact Sheet. Available at: http://fsos.che.umn.edu/img/assets/16501/March_Health_FactSheet.pdf Walker, S., and Reschke, K. Care for children and youth in rural areas. Rosalynn Carter Caregiving Institute. Rural Caregiving. (scheduled for 2007 publication) [book chapter] Theses & Dissertations Bird, C.L. Life quality: Assessing the influence of parenting performance or confidence and economic strain among rurl, low-income women. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, University of Minnesota, 2006. (J.W. Bauer & V.S Zuiker, co-advisors) Glesner, Talia J. Grief and separation: Rural low income mothers experiences with foster care. Unpublished Masters Thesis, University of New Hampshire. September 2006. Plumb, J. (2006). Rural low- income womens struggles and strength: A call to change. Unpublished Undergraduate Senior Thesis. University of Maryland: College Park, MD. Tatum, James M., Comparing the health and healthcare needs of poor rural Hispanics and Non-Hispanic Whites, Completed June 6, 2006. Undergraduate Honors Thesis, B.S., Biology, Oregon State University.

Impact Statements

Based on the findings from this study, team members are working with food stamp nutrition education programs to disseminate information and create programming changes, such as linking the need for financial management with nutrition education, and supporting the new policy on rolling certification for Food Stamps.
Team members have worked with centers for rural development to disseminate the findings of this study. These studies examined barriers and conditions that facilitate employment for rural, low-income families. Barriers included staying home to care for children, having inaccessible and unaffordable child care, being unable to find a job in the community, having unreliable transportation, having health problems, and seasonal jobs.
Data from this research have been used to create awareness and outreach programs related to the Earned Income Tax Credit. Team members linked with various state and county agencies, including those responsible for the implementation of public assistance programs to inform policy makers of NC1011s findings thereby improving the lives of rural low income families. Fewer than half of the eligible employed families received the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), with the others reporting not knowing what EITC was and if they would be eligible. Team members have worked with local agencies to increase effort to inform rural, low-income families about this important program. Findings from this research have also informed welfare to work programs to better enhance the teaching potential for classroom and adult education. Several researchers have developed curricula for lay leaders to use to enhance the every day life of low income families.
In five states, team members worked with various charitable foundations such as the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Charles Kettering Foundation to disseminate the findings of this study. These efforts focused on economic well-being, employment and financial management. An investigation into the promotion of a family perspective in policy development, enactment, and implementation revealed that rural low-income residents will participate in the public process when given opportunity and encouragement. Information on research outcomes have been disseminated to various state cooperative extension educators and Family Nutrition Program educators and incorporated into state programs and outreach efforts.
Members of the research team have been asked to serve on state Rural Health Planning Committees the result of which will be to guide programs and policies in the future.
Data from this research has been shared with various groups in the medical community to explore methods to improve aspects of rural childrens health.
The team presented three Breeze Live Webcasts to disseminate the findings of this study. People from 32 states participated in the web casts. Kentucky specifically, linked extension educators and campus faculty to link research and extension.

Date of Annual Report: 12/07/2007

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 10/10/2007 - 10/12/2007
Period the Report Covers: 10/01/2006 - 09/01/2007

Participants

State representatives present:
Barbara Ames (MI);
Don Arwood (SD);
Jean Bauer (MN);
Bonnie Braun (MD);
Caroline Crocoll (CSREES representative);
Susan Churchill (NE);
Elizabeth Dolan (NH);
Robin Douthitt (administrative advisor, WS);
Tricia Dyk (KY);
Steve Garasky (IA);
Frances Lawrence (LA);
Sheila Mammen (MA);
Margaret Manoogian (WV);
Christine Olson (NY) ;
Leslie Richards (OR);
Sharon Seiling (OH);
Karen Varcoe (CA);;

Other persons present:
Ann Berry (TN);
Carolyn Bird (NC);
Laurie Bullock (MI);
Michael Comasso (NJ);
Kim Greder (IA);
Cathey Huddleston-Casas (NE);
Suzann Knight (NH);
Jess Kropczynski (KY);
Kathy Reschke (OH);
Yoshie Sano (WA);
Leigh Ann Simmons (KY);
Kay Stafford (OH);
Sandy Stroot (OH);
Josephine Swanson (NY);
Lori Yancura (HI)

Brief Summary of Minutes

Brief Summary:
The Annual Meeting focused on a review of accomplishments from the working groups and plans for ongoing research and for a new multistate project.

Work towards Objectives:
NRI Update:
The NRI grant has ended (no cost extension ended 8/31/07). A report from the project has been generated and distributed to all states. Participants are encouraged to send copies to their Deans and Experiment Station directors. The website and ftp site will continue to be maintained by Minnesota. Everyone is reminded to submit their abstracts so that others can cite their work.

Working Groups:
A group is working on a new multi-state proposal focusing on rural health outcomes. It will continue the next logical steps from the current group.

The other working groups reported on their accomplishments over the life of the project and suggested some directions for future research.

Nominations and elections:
Josephine Swanson, Vice Chair for Dissemination, Communications and Susan Churchill, Secretary agreed to serve another year in their positions. There were no nominations from the floor. Voting was conducted and both were elected unanimously.

Future Work:
Working groups are encouraged to continue publishing and using the data strategically. The list of projects proposed during the meeting will be sent to the group soon.

Accomplishments

Outcomes discovered from research: Maternal life skills in rural families have a positive impact on perceptions of mothers parenting confidence and this relationship also indirectly impacted childrens behavior. Marriage was not a contributing factor to increasing economic well-being; the key variables were maternal education, employment status, and weekly work hours. Latino immigrant families often lived in sub- standard conditions and sought support from kin; evidence suggests that families who seek help from these informal sources are less likely to be able to meet their basic needs. Latino immigrant families present unique challenges and require special accommodations such as raising awareness of available public services, and help overcoming language barriers. Outcomes are enhanced when practitioners have a respect and understanding of ethnic minority families, especially when providing services. Results from research have been integrated into community and development programming for rural communities. Health has been identified as an important venue for enhancing community economic development. Few rural mothers who were receiving TANF in Wave 1 were off TANF with sufficient income to support the family by Wave 3. Extended family was critical for the mothers to do as well as they did. The rural mothers who were able to earn more than 150% of poverty in Wave 3 had training or education that enabled them to find jobs with reasonable wages. Majority of rural mothers wanted to increase involvement of non-resident fathers in their childrens lives. Mothers experienced both frustration and distrust toward non-resident fathers who were perceived as not fulfilling their expected parental roles.

Publications

Bauer, J.W., & Katras, M.J. (2007, August). Rural Prosperity: A Longitudinal Study of Rural Communities and Rural Low-Income Families. Available at: http://fsos.cehd.umn.edu/img/assets/16501/NRICGP%20Final%20Report.pdf Bove, C. F. & Olson, C. M. (2006). Obesity in low-income rural women: Qualitative insights about physical activity and eating patterns. Women & Health, 44 (1), 57-78. Churchill, S.L., Plano Clark, V., Prochaska-Cue, K., & Creswell, J. (2007). Family fun as reported by rural low-income women. Journal of Leisure Research, 39 (2), 271-294. Cook, C. C., Greder, K. A., Garasky, S., & Randall, B. (October). Housing hardship and food insecurity: Understanding the circumstances of rural Latinos. Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Housing Education and Research Association, Ithaca, NY. Dyk. P.H., Bauer, J.W., & Katras, M.J. (2006). Rural Contexts, Opportunities and Responses: Vulnerable Families Realities for Labor Force Participation. Proceedings of the 2006 Annual Meeting of the Rural Sociological Society. Louisville, KY. Greder, K., Cook, C. C., Garasky, S., & Ortiz, L. Latino Immigrants: Food and Housing Security. Ames, IA: Extension Policy Brief SP 305. Kelly, E.B. (2007). The Work of Coordinating Child Care for Rural Low-Income Mothers. Pp. 101-119 in Child Poverty in America Today, vol. 1: Families and Children, edited by Barbara A. Arrighi and David J. Maume. Westport: Praeger. Olson, C. M., Bove, C. F. & Miller, E.O. (2007). Growing up poor: Long-term implications for eating patterns and body weight. Appetite, 49, 198-207. Plumb, J. & Braun, B. (2007). Rural low income womens struggles and strength: A call to change. Undergraduate Research Journal for the Human Sciences, 6. Available at: http://www.kon.org/urc/v6/plumb.html Seiling, S., Manoogian, M., Richards, L., & Bird, C. (2007, June). Relationships and Resource Sharing: Adult Daughters and their Mothers in Rural, Low-income Families. Proceedings of the Extended and Extending Families Conference at the University of Edinburgh, June 27-29, 2007. Conference CD, Session 5. Simmons, L.A., Dolan, E. & Braun, B. (2007). Rhetoric and reality of economic self-sufficiency among rural, low-income families: A longitudinal study. Journal of Family Economic Issues, 28. 485-505. Simmons, L. A., Huddleston-Casas, C. A., & Berry, A. A. (2007). Low-income rural women and depression: Factors associated with self-reporting. American Journal of Health Behavior, 31(6), 657-666. Simson, E. & Braun, B. (2007) Oral health among rural, low-income families: Implications for policy and program. Available at: http://www.hhp.umd.edu/FMST/_docsContribute/OralHealthAmongRuralLow-IncomeFamilies2-7-07.pdf Varcoe, K., Pong, H., & Ontai, L. Life Skills as a Resiliency Factor for Parenting in Low-Income Rural Families. Improving Consumer SkillsImproving Consumer Choice: Proceedings 3rd International Consumer Sciences Research Conference, vol. 3, p. 91. Theses & Dissertations Petrovic, L.E. Health and the Persistence of Food Insecurity in Rural New York Families. DNS Honors Thesis, May 2007. (Cornell University) Wasberg, C. K. (2007). Structural Constraints and Obstacles: A Rational Choice and Open Systems Approach to Rural Poverty and Making Ends Meet. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, Brookings, SD: South Dakota State University.

Impact Statements

Related findings from studies conducted on rural womens health will be relayed on a womens health blog (http://womenshealthmatters.blogspot.com) in order to make important information available to the public.
Researchers in both Kentucky and Ohio have issued stories to the news media that have focused on the results from this project and provided information to the general community.
Several researchers have disseminated data from this project through their states Cooperative Extension Service.
Several researchers have disseminated data from this project through their states Cooperative Extension Service.
In Maryland, additional programs have been put into place to help provide funding for low-income families to purchase their prescription drugs as well as gain access to affordable, quality health care, an outcome of the research findings of this study.
Also in Maryland, legislation has also been put into place to help provide services to improve the oral health of low-income individuals, based on the findings of this project.
The findings related to food insecurity study are being used to modify Marylands Food Stamp Nutrition Education program. More studies are underway to help improve this service as well as increase the amount of food available to low-income, inner-city children. In Ohio, findings are used to inform and support the Food Stamp Nutrition Program. In Oregon, the findings have led to the development of community gardens, and work with community leaders and faith-based organizations to address community food security issues, especially among the immigrant population.
Both New Hampshire and Maryland researchers have been granted funds through the Annie E. Casey Foundation to expand work initiated through the findings of this project. In Maryland, the grant is for strengthening rural, low-income families health and financial self-sufficiency. In New Hampshire, the grant is used to expand awareness and use of the Earned Income Tax Credit throughout the state, with special emphasis on rural areas as a direct result of findings from this project. This project partners more than a dozen state and local agencies to engage in the informational and assistance campaign.
Iowa and Michigan researchers are using the data regarding migrant workers to inform policy makers and service providers of the needs of the Hispanic/Latino community.