WASHINGTON – The University of Southern Maine will receive more than $1 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Funding will be used to conduct research on the child care needs of low-income parents and support organizations committed to the welfare of children, youth and families through research, training, technical assistance and evaluation.

The University’s Institute for Child and Family Policy will use a $250,000 grant to conduct focus groups and in-depth interviews with low-income parents of children with special needs in six communities in Maine and Connecticut. The project also will include the collection of quantitative data through interviews with welfare caseworkers, early intervention case managers, child care providers and low-wage employers to provide a context for the parents’ perspective.

“Low-income families face unique challenges in balancing work and family responsibilities. However, this conflict is made more extreme for low-income parents of children with special needs,” said U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins in a joint statement announcing the funding.

Another $800,000 grant has been awarded the National Child Welfare Resource Center at USM.

The center “has helped hundreds of state, county and tribal child welfare agencies improve management, measure outcomes, and make decisions that protect children and strengthen families through a variety of services,” Snowe and Collins said. “This funding will allow the center to continue its work, helping to develop support agencies and improve outcomes for children and families.”