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
One-page summary of access to early learning for children experiencing homelessness, birth to five
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:
- Local and/or state statistics about enrollment, demographics, chronic absence, and high school graduation rates. State and local homeless education data may be found on here.
- Any state or local policies or procedures that support students experiencing homelessness, including state or local dispute resolution processes, credit accrual processes, etc.
- Contact information for the school district liaison and other appropriate school staff
- Local resources for food, shelter, and other services
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:
- Local/state data about UHY FAFSA completion
- Specific resources tailored to your audience (liaisons, counselors, financial aid administrators, service providers, college access programs, etc.)
- State policies about FAFSA completion or other state laws for supporting college students experiencing homelessness
- Other local or community resources for housing, food, emergency aid, or scholarship opportunities
Enrollment/Extracurricular Activities
Flyers and Infographics
These flyers can help get the word out about the rights of students experiencing homelessness, while also helping parents and youth understand how sharing their situation can increase access to and stability in school. We’ve created simple flyers for parents and for unaccompanied youth that can be edited for specific communities. We invite you to download and insert your logo, website, and local contact information.
- For Parents (English)
- For Youth (English)
- For Parents (en Español)
- For Youth (en Español)
- For Parents (Haitian Kreyol)
Download the “Displaced by Disasters: Know Your Rights” Flyers
Click Here to Download the Flyer
Click Here to Download the Infographic
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.
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:
- A PSA from Sesame Street Workshop with a message from Elmo for parents and children experiencing homelessness.
- A PSA aimed at educators and community members to engage them in efforts to identify and assist families and youth experiencing homelessness.
- A PSA aimed specifically at youth experiencing homelessness (whether they are with family or not) – narrated by Dez, a youth with lived experience.
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.
Sample Materials from Local School Districts
- Kern County Superintendent of Schools Office, McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Services, has launched an online referral form for community partners to connect families and youth to McKinney-Vento liaisons for education-related needs.
- Eviction Poster from North East Independent School District, San Antonio, Texas
- Enrollment Letter for McKinney-Vento Families – Kylee Fuhr, District Homeless Liaison of St. Lucie Public Schools, Florida, sends this enrollment letter out to every family that is enrolled in the McKinney Vento program either via USPS or email.
- Awareness Materials from Dallas Independent School District, Dallas, Texas – These materials were created by the Dallas ISD Parent Advocacy & Support Services. They include both English and Spanish materials.
- Video from Schoolhouse Link, a partnership between the Safe Children Coalition, Inc., and the Sarasota County School Board. This video is designed for teacher training, specifically.
- McKinney-Vento Poster in Farsi/Dari (Languages spoken in Afghanistan), with thanks to Irvine USD, California
- English version for reference
- McKinney-Vento Enrollment Form in Farsi/Dari (Languages spoken in Afghanistan), with thanks to Irvine USD, California
- English version for reference
- Checklists for School Staff. This guide was created by Washington state’s Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). Pages 11-25 contain checklists that can be copied and adapted, with acknowledgments to OSPI. Checklists are included for the following school staff:
- Teachers
- School counselors and social workers
- Secretaries, registrars, clerks, and administrative assistants
- School nurses and health room assistants
- School principals
- Food services staff
- School support personnel, librarians, school resource officers, paraeducators, and custodial staff
- School bus drivers
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
- Para los Padres | “Know Your Rights” Flyer [Parents]
- Para los Jóvenes | “Know Your Rights” Flyer [Youth]
2. Un Resumen del Acta McKinney-Vento | The-McKinney-Vento-Act-Quick-Reference
Tools for Specific School Staff
Transition to Higher Education
Pathways to Partnership: Higher Education
Two-Pagers on McKinney-Vento and Title I
- McKinney-Vento Act: Quick Reference. This resource explains the McKinney-Vento Act in detail and summarizes some of its core provisions.
- Title I Part A: Law, Guidance, and Use of Funds. Title I Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act is the largest federal preK-12 education program, funded at over $19 billion, and reaching the majority of school districts in the United States.
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.