The TANF Employment and Education Program (TEP) provides support to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients in the District by connecting customers to career-focused support that promote long-term stability and help parents and children succeed together. TEP connects customers to employment, training, and educational opportunities to help customers build skills, secure work, and improve sustainable economic outcomes for their households.
TEP employs a 2‑Generation framework that supports both parents and children to advance whole family outcomes and ensure families effectively use their TANF benefits by:
Allowing customers to choose how they participate in TEP (known as the Family Choice Model)
Providing both job placement and education services under one TEP provider
Offering incentive payments for completing specified 2Gen milestones
The Family Choice Model in TEP allows customers to choose whether they want to work with a TEP provider or work independently on the self-directed path. On the self-directed path, customers will have support from DHS as they need it. All TEP customers are required to meet their weekly hours requirement.
Eligibility:
To be eligible to participate in the TEP, you must:
Be a District of Columbia resident receiving TANF benefits.
Be a non‑exempt TANF customer from TANF work requirements.
Complete the DHS TANF Assessment and Orientation.
Be willing to work with the TEP provider to fulfill State and Federal work requirements and achieve your desired employment, education/ training goals.
TEP Customer Portal
The DCWET TEP Customer Portal serves as the official online platform for participants in the District of Columbia’s TANF Employment and Education Program (TEP) to submit time sheets and upload supporting documentation for their employment and education activities. It also allows customers to view the status of their submitted documentation. To access the portal click here.