Resources

For information about resources for displaced students, please see the National Center for Homeless Education's webpage devoted to resources for displaced students: Serving Students Displaced from Haiti.

For a statement and list of resources from the State Education Department regarding NYS Schools and the situation in Haiti please see: New York State Schools and the Situation in Haiti.

For information about immunizations and health-related information, please see:

• Guidance for School Health Personnel on New Students from Haiti by the State Education Department;
• Health Advisory: Immunization Recommendations for Children and Adolescents Displaced by the January 12, 2010, Earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti by the NYS Department of Health and the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene;
• Interim Immunization Recommendations for Individuals Displaced by Disaster by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;
• New York State Vaccines for Children Program;
• Memo from former Surgeon General, Dr. Jocelyn Elders, which discusses the harm children and youth who are homeless suffer when they are denied immediate enrollment in school and why public health is not endangered when such students are enrolled without immunization records;
• For information about where to receive free or low-cost vaccinations, please ask a school nurse about where to find the local public health clinic or contact the local Department of Health. For contact information by county see: New York State Local Health Departments.
• For more information about school health services, please see the New York Statewide School Health Services Center
• List of Refugee Health Assessment (RHA) Providers by county. Many children who have recently come from Haiti have been granted status as Humanitarian Parolees by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which means they are eligible for a free health assessment and must be seen within the first 90 days of their arrival. Free health assessments are available even if the child does not receive Medicaid to rule out issues of public health concern.
• A brief about health insurance and Temporary Protected Status for Haitians [PDF] from the Empire Justice Center, the Legal Aid Society of New York and the New York Immigration Coalition. Haitians who were in the United States without immigration status before the earthquakes are eligible for Temporary Protected Status, which means that they are eligible for certain health insurance programs.

For other school-related resources, please see:

• The Haitian Bilingual and ESL Technical Assistance Center (HABETAC), which works with school teachers and administrators to improve the education of Haitian English Language Learner students in New York State;
• Haitian-Creole materials and resources related to students in temporary housing published by the New York City Department of Education;
• NYS-TEACHS McKinney-Vento posters in Haitian-Creole, available free of charge;
• US Department of Agriculture (USDA) memo that discusses the eligibility of Haitian refugees for USDA child nutrition programs. USDA child nutrition programs do not require lawful presence in the United States prior to receiving a federal benefit and refugee children are eligible for meal benefits if they enroll in a participating school or institution.

For a list of resources for help with immigration issues, please see:

• The New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC)'s Legal Service Providers and Upcoming Legal Clinics;
• Factsheet on Temporary Protected Status by the Legal Aid Society of New York [PDF];
• Q & A on Temporary Protected Status from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Other resources:

• For help in New York City, please visit the New York Haitian Earthquake Family Resource Center located in the New York National Guard Armory at 1579 Bedford Avenue, between Union and President Streets in Brooklyn. The Center will provide support services for the Haitian community affected by the earthquake.
• The New York State Kinship Navigator [PDF] provides information, resources and referrals for grandparents and other relatives caring for children in New York. Visit the program's website for answers to frequently asked questions and region-specific materials, or call their toll-free number to speak with a Kinship Specialist.