ONYC-Family Rewards
About the Intervention
ONYC-Family Rewards is a conditional cash transfer program that provides cash incentives to low-income families in New York City for meeting specified conditions in three areas: children's education (school attendance, parent-teacher conferences, library cards, test scores, annual meetings with school officials), family preventive health care (maintaining health insurance, medical check-ups, early intervention referrals, dental visits), and parents' employment (working minimum hours, completing education/training courses). The program targets families with incomes at or below 130% of the federal poverty level who have at least one child in fourth, seventh, or ninth grade. Families receive payments every two months via bank accounts or stored value cards after meeting conditions verified through automated city agency data and participant-submitted forms. The program is implemented by Seedco and local Neighborhood Partner Organizations (NPOs) who recruit families, provide customer service, and conduct informational workshops. The program operates for three years and does not provide direct services like tutoring or case management, but does offer information and referrals to community services.
Statistical Findings
Positive effect on reducing poverty and hardship
Positive effect on increasing savings
Positive effect on continuous health insurance coverage
Positive effect on receipt of medical care
Positive effect on employment in non-UI-covered jobs
Negative effect on employment in UI-covered jobs
No effect on school attendance for elementary students
No effect on standardized test scores for elementary students
No effect on school attendance for middle school students
No effect on standardized test scores for middle school students
Positive effect on school attendance for proficient high school students
Positive effect on grade advancement for proficient high school students
Positive effect on course credits for proficient high school students
Positive effect on passing Regents exams for proficient high school students
Positive effect on parent engagement in children's learning for elementary and middle school parents
Positive effect on structured after-school activities for middle school students
Positive effect on parent-teacher conference attendance for middle school parents
More Intervention Details
Focus Areas
Drop-Outs, Attendance, Economically DisadvantagedPrograms & Services
N/ADelivery Methods
N/ADisability Support
N/ATarget Groups
Student(s)Source
Cynthia, M. & James, R. (2011). Toward Reducing Poverty across Generations: Early Findings from New York City's Conditional Cash Transfer Program (ED517881). ERIC. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED517881.pdf.
Study Demographics
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Participant Race
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Participant Gender
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Other Participant Characteristics
Geographical Setting
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