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Education is one of the most important factors in increasing America’s economic security. Education improves the earning potential of all. Washington State Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles (Flemming Fellow ’99) believes in the importance of access to education for Washington’s neediest families. Her "Independence Through College for Achievers in Need" (ICAN) bill will create a state-funded program that allows up to 600 Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) eligible parents to meet their work activity requirements by making satisfactory progress towards a post-secondary degree, license or certificate, for up to four years. ICAN allows eligible parents who are accepted into an institution of higher education to qualify for a state need tuition grant and have access to cash grants, Medicaid, child care, food stamps and the other support services available to all TANF recipients.
"Welfare reform isn’t simply a matter of getting people off public assistance," says Kohl-Welles. "It’s about giving people the tools they need to get good-paying jobs that lift them out of poverty and start them on the path to economic freedom. Research is clear that the best way to do that is to provide both work experience and education. ICAN does exactly that — it provides a limited number of high-achieving, talented and motivated parents the chance to benefit from a college education."
Research has shown that post-secondary education and training for low-income individuals has a
high economic return and is of great benefit to welfare recipients. Over the long term, the success of welfare reform depends on helping families work steadily and find better jobs. The most effective welfare-to-work programs share a flexible, individualized approach that mixes job search, education, job training, and work in support of a clear employment goal.
Through initiatives such as ICAN, Kohl-Welles believes that "all of us will be better off. We’ve got jobs in this state and around the country that are unfilled because we aren’t training enough people in certain high-demand fields, and many of the folks on welfare could get those jobs if we just give them a chance."
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