About OPRE

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Administration for Children and Families
Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre

The Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) serves as principal advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families on increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of programs designed to improve the economic and social well-being of children and families. In collaboration with ACF program offices and others, OPRE is responsible for ACF performance management; for conducting research and policy analyses; and for developing and overseeing research and evaluation projects to assess program performance and inform policy and practice. OPRE also provides guidance, analysis, technical assistance, and oversight to ACF programs on strategic planning; performance measurement; research and evaluation methods; statistical, policy, and program analysis; and synthesis and dissemination of research and demonstration findings.

A central focus of OPRE's research and evaluation is developing reliable knowledge of the effectiveness of different programmatic strategies in order to inform programmatic and policy choices, with a particular focus on testing innovative approaches used by States and other organizations in major program areas, such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Head Start, child care and child welfare. Moving more families from welfare to work, persistence and progression in employment, marriage and family formation, and the well-being and development of children are major focal areas. OPRE includes the Division of Economic Independence and the Division of Child and Family Development. A cross-cutting Performance Management Team leads ACF-wide efforts to plan, monitor, and improve program performance.

OPRE's research and evaluation projects are funded primarily through grants and contracts, and include collaboration with ACF program offices, HHS's Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) and other Federal entities. Examples of current and recent studies are listed below.

• Employment-Related Studies and Demonstrations address a variety of topics including alternative welfare-to-work strategies, employment retention and advancement. Funded projects in this area include:
  • Employment, Retention, and Advancement Evaluation
  • Enhanced Services for the Hard-to-Employ Demonstration and Evaluation
  • Innovative Strategies to Increase Self-Sufficiency
  • Evaluation of the Health Professions Opportunity Grants
  • Subsidized and Transitional Employment Demonstration and Evaluation Project
  • Self-Sufficiency Research Clearinghouse
  • Work, Family and Health Network
    
    
• TANF, the Safety Net and Family Economic Stability Projects include several descriptive studies to further our knowledge of State TANF programs, an innovative study of the overlap between TANF and SSI populations and a synthesis of TANF research. In addition to the studies described below, OPRE conducts experimental research on welfare-to-work strategies; these efforts are described in the following section on education, training and the labor market. Beyond studies of TANF, OPRE seeks to understand how TANF clients access other safety net programs funded by ACF and other federal, State and local entities. Projects in this area include:
  • TANF-SSI Disability Transition Project
  • TANF Research Synthesis
  • Understanding the Child-Only TANF Caseload
  • State TANF Policies Database
  • Federal-State Partnerships to Build Capacity in the Use of TANF and Related Administrative Data
  • TANF University Partnership Research
  • Helping Vulnerable Populations Access Public Benefits through Web-based Tools and Outreach
    
    
• Child Care Projects investigate the impact of child care subsidy policies and practices on parental employment and children's development; factors associated with access to, and choice of, child care; and the effectiveness of quality-enhancing initiatives in improving care giving practices that support children's developmental outcomes. Major projects in this area include:
  • Child Care and Early Education Research Connections Project
  • Evaluation of Child Care Subsidy Strategies
  • Quality Interventions for Early Care and Education
  • Quality Features, Dosages and Thresholds and Child Outcomes: Study Design
  • Child Care and Development Fund Policies Database
  • National Survey of Early Care and Education
    
    
• Child Welfare Projects investigate the experiences of children and their families who suffer from, or are at risk of, abuse, neglect and homelessness. Major projects in this area include:
  • Evaluation of Independent Living Programs
  • National Study of Child and Adolescent Well-Being
  • Fourth National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect
  • Permanency Innovations Initiative (Reducing Long Term Foster Care)
    
    
• Head Start Studies include the first nationally representative experimental evaluation of the program, an evaluation of the Early Head Start program, surveys monitoring children's experiences and outcomes in Head Start and Early Head Start, studies of special populations and a range of studies of quality improvement efforts. Major projects in this area include:
  • Family and Child Experiences Survey
  • Early Head Start Family and Child Experiences Study
  • Head Start CARES (Classroom-based Approaches and Resources for Emotion and Social skill promotion)
  • Head Start Impact Study and Follow-up
  • Head Start University Partnerships: English Language Learners
  • Migrant and Seasonal Head Start CARES
    
    
• Home Visiting Projects examine evidence-based and promising home visiting programs focused on supporting positive outcomes for families with young children. Major projects in this area include:
  • Supporting Evidence-Based Home Visitation
  • Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Evaluation Design
  • Assessing the Evidence: Home Visiting Evidence of Effectiveness
    
    
• Strengthening Families Studies examine the effects of interventions to strengthen families and support parental relationships and healthy marriages. Major projects in this area include:
  • Building Strong Families
  • Supporting Healthy Marriage
  • Evaluation of the Community Healthy Marriage Initiative
  • Hispanic Healthy Marriage Initiative: Grantee Implementation Evaluation
  • Exploration of Low-Income Couples' Decision-Making Processes
  • Proven and Promising Responsible Fatherhood and Family Strengthening Initiatives - Evidence Review
    
    
• Cross-Cutting and Other Research Projects include:
  • Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency
  • Center for Early Care and Education Research: Dual Language Learners
  • Development of a Measure of the Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers
  • Youth Demonstration Development Project