This article examines the response of California's Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) to the COVID-19 pandemic, analyzing the development of its welfare-to-work programs and practices, the underlying values driving these changes, and their effectiveness over time. It reveals a shift in CalWORKs from a strict work-first approach to a more flexible model that better addresses the diverse needs of families, highlighting both the challenges and opportunities for reforming welfare-to-work programs in the post-pandemic era.
