In September 2004, the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) Employment and Training Administration awarded grants to five states to design and implement programs to improve educational and employment outcomes for older youth from foster care age 16 to 25.

The six transition programs chosen by DOL were located in Los Angeles; Pasadena, CA; Houston; Detroit; Chicago; and New York City. When DOL's funding ended in 2007, Casey Family Programs began funding the project, renaming it Employment Programs and Life Opportunities for Youth (EmPLOY). The purpose of the project and evaluation was to identify and capture practices that inform program developers, practitioners and policymakers throughout the workforce development, education and child welfare systems.