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What is the purpose of the McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth (McKinney-Vento) program?

The McKinney-Vento program is designed to address the problems that homeless children and youth have faced in enrolling, attending, and succeeding in school. Under this program, State educational agencies (SEAs) must ensure that each homeless child and youth has equal access to the same free, appropriate public education, including a public preschool education, as other children and youth. Homeless children and youth should have access to education and other services that they need to enable them to meet the same challenging State student academic achievement standards to which all students are held. In addition, homeless students may not be separated from the mainstream school environment. States and districts are required to review and undertake steps to revise laws, regulations, practices, or policies that may act as a barrier to the enrollment, attendance, or success in school of homeless children and youth.

Definition of Homeless

The term "homeless children and youth"

(A) means individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence
(B) includes:

(i) children and youth who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; are living in hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; are abandoned in hospitals; or are awaiting foster care placement;
(ii) children and youth who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings
(iii) children and youth who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned building, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings and
(iv) migratory children (as such term is defined in section 1309 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965) who qualify as homeless for the purposes of this subtitle because the children are living in circumstances described in clauses (i) through (iii).

Services

The following 16 services are offered:

(i) Tutoring or supplemental instructional support
(ii) Expedited evaluations or testing: Gifted, Title 1, English Language Learners, Special Education
(iii) Professional development for teachers, administrators and staff
(iv) Referrals for medical, dental and other health services
(v) Transportation (regular, after school, special education)
(vi) Early childhood education programs if needed/or qualify
(vii) Comparable services
(viii) Before and after school and summer school programs
(ix) Obtain and transfer records necessary for enrollment
(x) Parent Education
(xi) Coordination between schools and local services
(xii) Counseling and referrals for Domestic Violence issues
(xiii) Other specific needs due to Domestic Violence
(xiv) Adapt space/supplies and provide off site services
(xv) School supplies
(xvi) Emergency assistance to enable student to attend school