Early Childhood, PreK-12, Higher Education

Awareness and Training Resources

Free resources designed for training school personnel and for improving awareness and identification in communities.

Under federal law (the McKinney-Vento Act), every local educational agency (LEA) is required to designate a liaison for children and youth experiencing homelessness. LEA homeless liaisons have ten specific duties under the law, one of which is to provide professional development and other support to school personnel. Training school staff is essential in order for children and youth experiencing homelessness to be identified and to receive the education that is their surest path out of homelessness and poverty.

The following free resources are designed for training school personnel and for improving awareness and identification in communities.

Access to Early Education

American Rescue Plan Tools and Resources

American Rescue Plan — Homeless Children and Youth, or ARP-HCY funds, are uniquely flexible one-time funds that can help meet many urgent needs. SchoolHouse Connection has compiled resources on this page to help state and local educational agencies make the most of this historic opportunity to serve some of our nation’s most vulnerable students.

Customizable Powerpoint Presentations

These customizable presentations include a 15-minute general McKinney-Vento template and a comprehensive McKinney-Vento training. You can customize the presentation by adding:

15-Minute General McKinney-Vento 101 Template Comprehensive Basic McKinney-Vento Training Template

We have also prepared presentations that include a 10-minute general UHY FAFSA 101 template and a comprehensive UHY FAFSA training. You can customize the presentation by adding:

  1. Local/state data about UHY FAFSA completion 
  2. Specific resources tailored to your audience (liaisons, counselors, financial aid administrators, service providers, college access programs, etc.) 
  3. State policies about FAFSA completion or other state laws for supporting college students experiencing homelessness 
  4. Other local or community resources for housing, food, emergency aid, or scholarship opportunities 

10-Minute Unaccompanied Homeless Youth FAFSA 101 Template Comprehensive Unaccompanied Homeless Youth FAFSA 101 Template

Enrollment/Extracurricular Activities

Flyers and Infographics

  • Click Here to Download the Infographic
  • Click Here to Download the Editable Infographic – You can insert your agencies’ contact information in this editable version.

SchoolHouse Connection has compiled all resources into individual flyers for each of our focus areas—Early Childhood, PreK-12, and Higher Education—available for digital use or print.

Homeless Education Directory

Under the McKinney-Vento Act, every local educational agency is required to designate a liaison for homeless children and youth. The local educational agency liaison coordinates services to ensure that homeless children and youth are identified and enrolled in school and have the opportunity to succeed academically.

Note: This contact information may change frequently due to staff turnover. If you have problems finding the right school district homeless liaison, please contact your state homeless education coordinator.

This directory now includes contact information for Head Start Collaboration Offices and for Homeless Higher Education Liaisons for those states that have designated homeless higher education liaisons.

Homeless Education Directory

Public Service Announcements

To help inform families and youth about their educational rights, SchoolHouse Connection developed three public service announcements (PSA) aimed at reaching youth, families, educators, community organizations, and local leaders:

Q&A From The Field

SchoolHouse Connection receives many questions from educators, service providers, and the public about the education and care of children and youth experiencing homelessness. We respond to every question we receive, citing applicable law and policy. In order to assist people who may have similar questions, we feature many of the questions and answers on this page.

In addition, you can download and print a complete FAQ document, organized by categories.

Q&A from the field

Sample Materials from Local School Districts

Spanish Language Resources

This resource page is entirely in Spanish, with fact sheets, flyers, and videos to support children and youth experiencing homelessness, birth through higher education.

1. Volantes Acerca de los Derechos McKinney-Vento | Editable “Know Your Rights” Flyers

2. Un Resumen del Acta McKinney-Vento | The-McKinney-Vento-Act-Quick-Reference

Tools for Specific School Staff

Transition to Higher Education

Two-Pagers on McKinney-Vento and Title I

Voices of Youth Video

We sat down with a few of our SchoolHouse Connection Scholars to talk about the importance of education in their lives, their gratitude to mentors and educators, and the life-shaping impact of being seen and supported while experiencing homelessness. Please share this video with your networks.