In order to indicate the kind of issues that arise with respect to particular program elements, I will list just some of the major questions I believe need to be considered for the array of evaluations. This will be an extremely difficult issue for evaluations to get a fix on. There are a host of questions surrounding the creation and operation of such programs. Again, I see little indication in the planned evaluations that the issues of assessing public employment elements are being addressed. It is this residual proportion of the welfare population that will require some sort of alternative safety net.
Child care is an issue of considerable importance under the new welfare reform.
Some states are proposing to considerably expand child care options for program participants in order to facilitate their movement to work. Child care can be extremely expensive, and, when there is more than one child, its costs can easily mount to much more than a low wage parent can earn. Because the costs for child care are so high, it will be important to determine whether the extent of child care subsidy has a large influence on the work effort of parents and their ability to sustain jobs they obtain. If it can be shown that these children actually benefit from being in quality child care, the high cost of that care may be fully justified in the public's view. The jobs evaluation has made a considerable effort to evaluate effects on children, as have a few other evaluations, such as Teen Parents.