THE FAMILY SUPPORT ACT AND CHILDREN - POTENTIAL PATHWAYS OF INFLUENCE

The Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training Program (JOBS), implem ented in response to the Family Support Act of 1988, has the potential to affect children's lives not only through changes in maternal educa tion and family economic self-sufficiency but also through children's experiences in nonmaternal care and changes in maternal subjective wel l-being. Previous research provides good evidence that each of these p otential pathways of influence is important in shaping children's deve lopment. Nevertheless, the available evidence provides only limited gr ounds on which to make predictions specifically regarding children and the Family Support Act. This paper identifies the problems in general izing from the available data to the possible outcomes for children of a mandatory program like JOBS, summarizes ongoing research focusing o n the children of mothers assigned to participate in JOBS, and conside rs future research steps that will be needed to understand the implica tions for children of programs to enhance the self-sufficiency of welf are mothers.