Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act), local areas throughout the country had the opportunity to offer subsidized summer employment to large numbers of youth in 2009 and 2010. In summer 2010, these initiatives relied largely on Recovery Act funds allocated to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Emergency Contingency Fund (TANF Emergency Fund). Capitalizing on the flexibility offered by the TANF Emergency Fund and building on their summer 2009 experiences using Recovery Act funds allocated to the Workforce Investment Act Youth program, state and local TANF and workforce agencies partnered to plan and administer summer youth employment initiatives in 2010.

This study examines qualitative data collected in 10 local sites across seven states to describe the partnerships between state and local TANF and workforce agencies, particular aspects of the youth employment initiatives that the TANF funding affected, and youths' summer work experiences.

Other reports related to Recovery Act summer and post-summer youth employment initiatives:

ETAOP 2012-03: Beyond a Summer Work Experience: The Recovery Act 2009 Post-Summer Youth Employment Initiative

ETAOP 2012-04: Innovative Programs and Promising Practices: Indian and Native American Summer Youth Employment Initiatives and the 2009 Recovery Act