New Chance 42-Month, 10 U.S. states, 1989-1992

New Chance was an intervention designed for young mothers who had first given birth as teenagers, who had dropped out of high school, and who were receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). The program was evaluated in 16 sites around the country, using an experimental research design with randomly selected experimental and control groups. The total size of the 42-month impact sample was 2,079, of which 1,401 were in the experimental group and 678 were in the control group. Those assigned to the experimental group were offered access to the New Chance program; those in the control group were excluded from the program but could pursue services elsewhere. The New Chance program was "two-generational" in its focus: it combined services to increase the employability of the young women in the program with services targeted at their children. Consequently, data on the experiences of the young women in the New Chance sample are supplemented with outcomes for a "focal child" selected from children of their own who were living with them.