Despite a federal lifetime limit of five years, Arkansas limits lifetime benefits to 24 month, Florida to 48 months, and South Carolina to 60 months. Even though child care subsidies may extend beyond these limits for some families, the likelihood that children will not receive optimal quality child care and education throughout their early years is high. A further impediment to successful employment and appropriate child care is the lack of attention to transportation concerns. Rural transportation issues jeopardize opportunities for successful employment. South Carolina is the only state of the three that appears to be addressing transportation needs in their TANF benefits.
Further challenges are inherent in the work requirements.
In essence, a marriage penalty continues to exist. Even when subsidies are available, locating child care provides another challenge to TANF participants, particularly in rural areas. It will be even more difficult to find optimal quality child care and education. TANF participants in rural areas with infants and toddlers are more likely to use less formal means of child care. If funds were available for these families, child care slots would be difficult to find.