Employment Services: A Way to Raise Children Out of Poverty

"Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime."

This proverb has been repeated so often it's easy to tune it out. But in today's America, where millions of families rely on assistance programs for food and housing, it still holds a powerful truth.

Short-term relief is essential. No child should go hungry, and no parent should have to choose between paying rent and buying groceries. But if we want to break cycles of poverty, not just patch them, we must invest in lasting solutions. That means helping parents gain the skills, training, and employment they need to provide for their children over the long term.

In the child support system, this is not just a theory. It's a necessity.

Child support payments are one of the most direct and effective ways to lift children out of poverty. When children don't receive support, the assumption is that the parents are refusing to pay. But in most cases, parents are unable to pay support due to unemployment, low-wage jobs, incarceration histories, and limited education that leave many parents struggling just to stay afloat.

As of 2018, over 70% of parents who owed child support had not attended college. In 2017, more than one-third—about 3.4 million parents—lived in families with incomes below 200% of the federal poverty line. Nearly half did not work full-time, year-round. [1] And with incarceration impacting millions of American families, the barriers to employment for some parents are steep and systemic.

Many of these parents want to fish—but have never been taught how.

For years, child support agencies have been asking for more federal resources to do just that: provide job training, employment services, and career support to parents who are struggling to meet their child support obligations. Some states, such as Georgia and Texas, have been able to fund these efforts without federal assistance and they are proven to be effective. These employment service programs lead to more consistent payments, better job placement outcomes, and stronger family stability.

This isn't just a win for the parent. It's a lifeline for the child. When a noncustodial parent has a reliable income, children are more likely to receive consistent financial support, better housing, and access to the basics that every child deserves.

What's more, the return on investment is significant. When parents are employed and meeting their child support obligations, the burden on public safety nets like SNAP and housing assistance decreases. Taxpayers save money. Families become more self-reliant. Communities grow stronger.

We cannot continue relying on temporary fixes when we know the long-term solution is within reach. It's time for policymakers to prioritize employment and training as core components of the child support program and essential tools for economic stability.

Children deserve more than promises. They deserve consistent support and a real chance at a brighter future. That starts with giving their parents the tools to succeed. Those tools became available to child support programs earlier this year, a change that has been celebrated across the country.

Starting in January 2025, states were finally allowed to receive matching federal resources for providing specific, nonduplicative employment and training services to parents struggling to pay their child support.[2] The scope of allowable services, by design, was narrowly tailored to cover cost-effective measures such as job search assistance, skills assessments, job placement services, and occupational training and other training directly related to employment.

But there is discussion about taking employment services away from parents in the child support program who want to support their children and be self-sufficient. It's time for child support program advocates to speak up.

Let's stop emphasizing only temporary fixes. Parents paying support need more than enforcement, they need an opportunity and support to create a life for their children.

Join the Movement

Employment services are the key to helping children out of poverty. It's time for child support programs to provide services that families actually need to meet financial support obligations.

Want to help make that happen?
Visit www.childsupportpolicy.org to learn more and connect with our team. Together, we can make sure families not only survive—they thrive.

About the Center for Child Support Policy
The Center for Child Support Policy (CCSP) is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing child support laws and practices that put children and families first. We advocate for common-sense, evidence-based reforms that promote economic stability, parental engagement, and fairness—because every child deserves support.

[1] See Federal Register, 89 FR 100789 (2024).

[2] See id.