Description:
In 2015, the Head Start child development program provided federal funds to local grantees that employed over 90,000 teachers. Some of these grantees run programs that do not run during the summer, and some teachers may, in turn, seek UI benefits to help meet expenses during that time. All states have laws generally prohibiting certain employees of educational institutions from collecting UI benefits between terms, though they have flexibility in setting specific eligibility restrictions. GAO was asked to review Head Start and other ECE teachers' eligibility for UI benefits during the summer months. This report examines (1) the extent to which states have laws or policies that affect whether Head Start and other ECE teachers are eligible for UI benefits during summer breaks; (2) how many Head Start teachers may have been eligible for these benefits during their summer breaks in 2015; and (3) what is known about how states communicate information about eligibility for UI benefit payments to Head Start and ECE employees and the effectiveness of these efforts. GAO surveyed UI directors in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands (with 100 percent responding); analyzed Head Start data from program year 2015; reviewed relevant federal laws; and interviewed federal officials and stakeholders, including employer associations and teacher associations, in five states selected using criteria such as their benefit restrictions. (author abstract)
Resource Type:
Reports & Papers
Publisher(s):
Country:
United States
State(s)/Territories/Tribal Nation(s):
Alabama;
Alaska;
Arizona;
Arkansas;
California;
Colorado;
Connecticut;
Delaware;
District of Columbia;
Florida;
Georgia;
Hawaii;
Idaho;
Illinois;
Indiana;
Iowa;
Kansas;
Kentucky;
Louisiana;
Maine;
Maryland;
Massachusetts;
Michigan;
Minnesota;
Mississippi;
Missouri;
Montana;
Nebraska;
Nevada;
New Hampshire;
New Jersey;
New Mexico;
New York;
North Carolina;
North Dakota;
Ohio;
Oklahoma;
Oregon;
Pennsylvania;
Puerto Rico;
Rhode Island;
South Carolina;
South Dakota;
Tennessee;
Texas;
Utah;
Vermont;
Virgin Islands;
Virginia;
Washington;
West Virginia;
Wisconsin;
Wyoming