Helpline: 800-388-2014
RESOURCE LIBRARY
A comprehensive list of topics all about the educational rights of children and youth experiencing homelessness.
Jump to a topic:
Attendance Improvement
Awareness Materials
Charter Schools
Data & Statistics on Homelessness
Determining Eligibility
Disaster & Emergency Response
Dispute Resolution/Appeal Process Domestic Violence
Early Childhood Education
Enrollment & School Selection
Federal Law
Foster Care
Free Meals
Higher Education & Postsecondary Opportunities
Immigrant Students
Immunizations
McKinney-Vento Grant Program
McKinney-Vento Liaisons
NYS Education Dept. Laws & Guidance
NYS-TEACHS Publications
Privacy of Student Records
Research on Homeless Education
Special Education
STAC 202
Summer School
Teaching Strategies to Reach Highly Mobile Students
Title I
Transportation
Trauma Sensitive Strategies for School Success
Unaccompanied Youth
CHARTER SCHOOLS
Charter schools, like school districts, must appoint a McKinney-Vento liaison to identify students in temporary housing, help them enroll in school, and arrange for transportation and other needed services.
DATA AND STATISTICS ON HOMELESSNESS
Data-sets currently include: identification of homeless students, identification of sub-populations of homeless students, and assessment achievement rates.
ATTENDANCE IMPROVEMENT
These resources for professionals and families address chronic absenteeism and provide guidance on improving attendance.
AWARENESS MATERIALS
Awareness materials can aid in informing, training, and discussing the McKinney-Vento Act and homeless education with school personnel and social service providers.
DETERMINING ELIGIBILITY FOR MCKINNEY-VENTO
Under McKinney-Vento and state law, students are considered to be in temporary housing if their nighttime residence is not fixed, regular, and adequate.
DISASTER AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE
Students who are temporarily displaced due to disaster are protected by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act, a federal law that discusses the public education of students in temporary housing.
DISPUTE RESOLUTION / APPEAL PROCESS
These resources are helpful If a family or student in temporary housing and their school district disagree about a student's McKinney-Vento eligibility for enrollment, school selection options, or transportation.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
These resources can help ensure the safety of students impacted by domestic violence.
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
McKinney-Vento liaisons are responsible for connecting young children with early care and education programs including Head Start, Early Head Start, Pre-K, Early Intervention, preschool special education services.
ENROLLMENT AND SCHOOL SELECTION
The federal McKinney-Vento Act and New York Education Law Section 3209 provide important school selection and enrollment protections to preschool-12 students in temporary housing.
FEDERAL LAW
The McKinney-Vento Act is a federal law that provides rights and services to children and youth experiencing homelessness.
FOSTER CARE
Children and youth who are "placed in foster care" are not McKinney-Vento eligible, but many continue enrollment and receive transportation to their school of origin
FREE MEALS
ll students need good nutrition in order to learn. Students in temporary housing are always eligible to receive free meals. This is called "Categorical Eligibility."
HIGHER EDUCATION & POST SECONDARY OPPORTUNITIES
Higher education is a key to helping students experiencing homelessness escape poverty. There are several programs available through the federal Higher Education Act, that help students graduate from high school, apply and enroll in college, and complete their degrees.
IMMIGRANT STUDENTS
Immigrant students who experience homelessness are protected under the McKinney-Vento Act, regardless of their immigration status.
IMMUNIZATIONS
Students are entitled to immediate enrollment in school, even if they don't have their immunization records or any other documentation needed for enrollment.
MCKINNEY-VENTO GRANT PROGRAM
Grant funding is available to LEAs (School Districts, Charter Schools, and BOCES) through a competitive application process administered by the New York State Education Department (NYSED).
MCKINNEY-VENTO LIAISONS
All Local Educational Agencies (LEAs), which includes all school districts, charter schools, and BOCES, must designate an appropriate staff person to serve as the McKinney-Vento liaison to help students in temporary housing and their families.
NYS EDUCATION DEPT. LAWS & GUIDANCE
Although the McKinney-Vento Act is a federal law, New York State laws clarify some of the federal protections. Read about some important protections for New Yorkers.
PRIVACY OF STUDENT RECORDS
The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) provides important protections to make sure that students and families can access their school records and keep them private.
RESEARCH ON HOMELESS EDUCATION
read more research on many timely topics regarding homeless education.
SPECIAL EDUCATION
Special education offers instruction that is specifically designed to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability, at no cost to parents.
SUMMER SCHOOL
Students in temporary housing who need summer school to advance to the next grade, or who need summer school to graduate on time, must be provided the opportunity to attend summer school free of charge.
TEACHING STRATEGIES TO REACH HIGHLY MOBILE STUDENTS
Find many strategies to help teach highly mobile students.
TITLE I
Students in temporary housing are categorically eligible for services under Title I, even if they do not attend a Title I school or match the academic standards required of other children for eligibility.
TRANSPORTATION
Under the McKinney-Vento Act and N.Y. Education Law § 3209, a student in temporary housing is entitled to transportation to their school of origin.
TRAUMA-SENSITIVE STRATEGIES FOR SCHOOL SUCCESS
Many students have additional needs that stem from chronic stress and trauma. Find out more about trauma-sensitive resources and research.
UNACCOMPANIED YOUTH
An unaccompanied youth is a student who is not in the physical custody of their parent or legal guardian; this includes young people who have run away from home, have been kicked out of their homes, or have been abandoned by parents.
