More than one million American children under the age of six experience the trauma of homelessness. Additionally, public schools have identified 1.3 million children experiencing homelessness in grades K-12.

Using the story of Lily, a resilient, hopeful Muppet whose family is experiencing homelessness, Sesame Street developed a set of free, bilingual resources for children and families experiencing homelessness and the providers who serve them.

Many different kinds of providers serve children experiencing homelessness, including school district homeless liaisons, early childhood programs, and homeless assistance and housing programs. To help these providers quickly and effectively leverage Sesame Street’s resources in the context of their specific work, SchoolHouse Connection has produced tip sheets organized by provider role.

Also, because there is a role for all of us in supporting children and families experiencing homelessness, we offer age-appropriate strategies and activities for both the general public and for children and youth who wish to support their peers. 

Suggestions for Early Childhood Programs

More than one million American children under the age of six experience the trauma of homelessness. Not surprisingly, homelessness in early childhood is associated with delays in language, literacy, and social-emotional development, putting children at risk for later academic problems. Early childhood education programs can change the trajectory of a child’s life, mitigating and even preventing many of the harmful life-long effects of homelessness on education, health, and well-being. Here, we provide some tips for how your early childhood program can use Sesame Street in Communities homelessness resources and other materials to help children and families experiencing homelessness.

1. To help increase the identification of homeless children in early childhood programs, include information about the Sesame Street homelessness resources in emails, newsletters, website articles, mailings, and other methods of communicating with all parents. Include your contact information and an invitation for parents who are experiencing homelessness to come forward, so that you may provide assistance. Avoid using the word “homeless” in family outreach whenever possible. Use descriptive language (such as “in transition” or “‘in a temporary housing situation”) and ask any follow-up questions with discretion.
2. Give all families in your program an opportunity to reflect on their positive associations with the concept of “home.” Make photocopies of the “We Got This: Storybook” and the Home is Where the Hugs Are coloring book and create a space for families to read and color together. You can also make copies of the “We Got This: “A Together Poem” and encourage parents to take them. These activities also may help staff identify children who are experiencing homelessness.
3. Young children understand the attachment to objects like a favorite pillow or a soft toy. Show children and families the Special-Special Comfort video or do the Comfy Cozy Nest imagination activity with children. Be prepared to provide children with a comfort item if needed, and/or to show them comfort activities like stretching or breathing that can be done without props, anywhere at any time. By showing the video or doing the activity with all children in the program, you will be sure to reach any children experiencing homelessness who may not openly identify with this experience.  
4. Show children the Rainbow Kind of Day video and ask them to share examples of a time they had “big feelings.” Help them understand that it’s okay to talk about sadness or disappointment and to remember that, no matter where they live or whenever they feel sad, “there’s always hope and love.” Similarly, show children the Ribbons of Hope video and/or the Dot to Dot video to remind them that, with the support of their friends and loved ones, they’ve “got this.” Follow the prompts for guidance in talking about the healing power of supportive connections.
5. Show children and parents the “Home Is” video; after hearing what the children in the video have to say about what home means to them, talk together about what home means to everyone. Consider doing the Comfy Cozy Nest imagination activity to show children they can make any place feel like “home.”
6. Host family engagement activities with parents in your program or in homeless assistance programs; provide Sesame Street resources, crayons, and food. Family engagement activities could include showing the Special-Special Comfort video, and engaging children and their families in a conversation about their favorite objects and how these objects bring comfort. The Hooray for Hands video also could be shared as part of family engagement; guide families through the conversation prompts in the video script to show children the value of being a loyal friend and helping other children in need.
7. Print and share the article Talk About It: For Children Experiencing Homelessness to help parents answer difficult questions their children may ask.  Share this article with all parents in your program to help families who may not have disclosed their homelessness know it is safe to talk about their situation with you. Review the article Creating a Sense of Home for suggestions on maintaining a sense of home despite high mobility.
8. Contact your school district homeless liaison(s) to make sure that he or she knows about the Sesame Street homelessness resources. Set up a meeting to brainstorm ways to use the Sesame Street materials locally to increase the identification and enrollment of young children experiencing homelessness in child care, Head Start, preschool and other early childhood programs. If you can’t find the contact information for your school district liaison on your school district’s website, visit this directory to find your State Coordinator, who can share local contact information.
9. Share the Sesame Street materials with organizations in your community who may be providing services to families experiencing homelessness, including your local United Way, Family Promise Affiliate, Family and Youth Services program, Salvation Army, or HUD homeless assistance programs.  Take the opportunity to offer to help them child-proof their programs, conduct an early childhood self-assessment, and advocate for the early care and education of the children they serve.
10. Participate in the Administration for Children and Families’ comprehensive online training on homelessness intended for professionals in Head Start, Early Head Start, and child care, including early childhood and school-age child care providers, Child Care and Development Fund Lead Agency or designated entity staff, and other key stakeholders. This training—for which certificates of completion are available—will help you learn how to identify families experiencing homelessness, conduct community outreach and connect with community partners, and much more.
11. Share The Red Door, an essay by a Head Start program coordinator, with your staff to prompt a conversation about identifying children experiencing homelessness, supporting parents, and improving transitions to the K-12 school system.

Suggestions for School District Homeless Liaisons

More than one million American children under the age of six experience the trauma of homelessness. Public schools have identified 1.3 million children experiencing homelessness in grades K-12. Homelessness is associated with delays in language, literacy, and social-emotional development, putting children at risk for later academic problems. Children and youth who experience homelessness are at higher risk of dropping out of high school than other low-income students.

Here, we provide some tips for how you as a school district homeless liaison can use both Sesame Street in Communities homelessness resources and other materials to help children and families experiencing homelessness.

1. Include information about the Sesame Street in Communities homelessness resources in emails, newsletters, website articles, mailings, or other methods of communicating with all parents. Include your contact information and an invitation for parents who are experiencing homelessness to come forward so that you may provide assistance. Avoid using the word “homeless” in student and family outreach whenever possible. Use descriptive language (such as “in transition” or “‘in a temporary housing situation”) and ask any follow up questions with discretion.
2. Present the Sesame Street resources at an upcoming professional development meeting. Consider sharing the “Home Is” video,  the “We Got This: Storybook,” or the In the Classroom article. Review the entire set of materials with appropriate district-level staff, including registrars, front desk personnel, nurses, and preschool program personnel, who can help identify and enroll children experiencing homelessness. Use this as an opportunity to discuss recent trends in family homelessness in your community, the services you provide, and unmet needs.
3. Brainstorm with teachers and district staff ways to use the Sesame Street content to increase the identification and support of families experiencing homelessness in your school district. For example, consider making the content available to all students both to teach them about and destigmatize homelessness and to support the self-identification of older students experiencing homelessness who may be caretakers for their younger siblings. Another example might be to show Rainbow Kind of Day video, noting that in this video, Lily says her family “has been staying in all different kinds of places;” use this as a prompt to help students and staff understand the definition of homelessness used by public schools. 
4. Distribute the articles Supporting Children and Families in Transition and In the Classroom to building administrators and classroom teachers to help them better understand the signs and significance of childhood trauma and to share ideas for helping children in the classroom.
5. Contact your local Child Care Resource & Referral agency and local Head Start provider(s) to make sure they know about the Sesame Street homelessness resources. Set up a meeting to brainstorm ways to use the Sesame Street materials locally to increase the identification and enrollment of young children experiencing homelessness.
6. Share the printables, storybook, and other Sesame Street content with homeless assistance and housing partners. Take the opportunity to offer to help them child-proof their programs, conduct an early childhood self-assessment, and advocate for the early care and education of the children they serve.
7. If parents need child care to make employment or education possible, share this tip sheet with them so that they can find high-quality, free (or reduced fee) care in their community.
8. One important responsibility of school district homeless liaisons is to identify families experiencing homelessness and connect them to early childhood programs. Review this guide to better understand and learn how to build partnerships with five key early childhood programs, and review this document to better understand preschool responsibilities.
9. Read this document series, Deeper Dives for Schools, to learn practical strategies serving young children experiencing homelessness. Each one-page tip sheet shares strategies on a different aspect of access, including such content areas as enrollment and inter-agency collaboration.

Suggestions for Homeless Assistance and Housing Providers

More than one million American children under the age of six experience the trauma of homelessness. Public schools have identified 1.3 million children experiencing homelessness in grades K-12. Ten percent of 13-17-year-old girls experiencing homelessness are pregnant or parenting, and 44 percent of 18-25-year-old young women experiencing homelessness are pregnant or parenting.

Homelessness in early childhood is associated with delays in language, literacy, and social-emotional development, putting children at risk for later academic problems. Connecting parents with quality early childhood and education programs can change the trajectory of a child’s life, mitigating and even preventing many of the harmful lifelong effects of homelessness on education, health, and well-being. Early care and education also can change the lives of parents, enabling them to obtain stable employment so that they can obtain and maintain their own housing.

Here, we provide some tips for how you as a homeless assistance or housing provider can use Sesame Street in Communities homelessness resources and other materials to help children and families experiencing homelessness.

1. Give families in your program an opportunity to reflect on their positive associations with the concept of “home.” Make photocopies of the Home is Where the Hugs Are coloring book  and “We Got This: Storybook.” Create a space for families to read and color together. You can also make copies of the “We Got This: “A Together Poem” and encourage parents to read them with their children.
2. Young children understand the attachment to objects like a favorite pillow or a soft toy. Show children and families the Special-Special Comfort video or do the Comfy Cozy Nest imagination activity with children. Be prepared to provide children with a comfort item if needed, and/or to show them comfort activities like stretching or breathing that can be done without props, anywhere at any time.
3. Consider making the resources available to older siblings to help destigmatize homelessness and to support their relationships with their younger siblings. Show children the “Home Is” video to show how siblings can talk about “home” in a positive way.
4. Show children the Rainbow Kind of Day video and ask them to share examples of a time they had “big feelings.” Help them understand that it’s okay to talk about sadness or disappointment and to remember that, no matter where they live or whenever they feel sad, “there’s always hope and love.” Similarly, show children the Ribbons of Hope video and/or the Dot to Dot video to remind them that, with the support of their friends and loved ones, they’ve “got this.” Follow the prompts for guidance in talking about the healing power of supportive connections.
5. Show children and parents the “Home Is” video and follow the prompts; after hearing what the children in the video have to say about what home means to them, talk together about what home means to everyone. Review the article Creating a Sense of Home for suggestions on maintaining a sense of home despite high mobility. Consider doing the Comfy Cozy Nest imagination activity to show children they can make any place feel like “home.”
6. Print and share the article Talk About It: For Children Experiencing Homelessness to help parents answer difficult questions their children may ask.  Share this article with all parents in your program to help families who may not have disclosed their homelessness know it is safe to talk about their situation with you. 
7. Review this short document for homeless assistance and housing providers for basic information about advocating with your families and youth for appropriate educational services, from birth through higher education. The rights and protections outlined here apply to all children and youth experiencing homelessness, as defined by the education subtitle of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
8. If parents need child care to make employment or education possible, share this tip sheet with them so that they can find high-quality, free (or reduced fee) care in their community.
9. Be mindful of incorporating child-friendly, developmentally supportive practices at all levels of programming. Make sure your spaces, practices, and policies are safe for infants, young children, and school-aged children by reviewing this child-proofing checklist and ACF’s early childhood self-assessment.
10. Children who have suffered trauma are highly attuned to their environment. Consider creating a trauma-informed play area in your client-facing workplace.  
11. Share the Sesame Street resources and the Sesame Street press release with local media. Encourage reporters to write a story about family homelessness (including families headed by young parents) in your community; recent trends; the services your program provides; and what actions need to be taken locally to support children and families experiencing homelessness.
12. Share the Sesame Street content with your local Child Care Resource & Referral agency, your local Head Start provider(s) and other early childhood education providers and ask them to share it with all of their parents. Explore how you can work together to improve the identification, enrollment, and support of children experiencing homelessness.
13. Reach out to your school district’s Homeless Liaison to brainstorm ways to use the Sesame Street content to increase awareness of and support for families experiencing homelessness in your community. If you can’t find the contact information for your school district liaison on your school district’s website, visit this directory of state coordinators for the education of homeless children and youth to find your State Coordinator, who can share local contact information.
14. Share the Sesame Street resources with your partners, donors, and prospective donors, to help them understand the important work you do to support young children and families experiencing homelessness.

Suggestions for the General Public

More than one million American children under the age of six experience the trauma of homelessness, and public schools have identified 1.3 million children experiencing homelessness in grades K-12. As a compassionate member of the Sesame Street community, you may wonder what you can do to help these children and their families. 

The reality is that families in every community–rural, suburban, and urban–experience homelessness, and homelessness can look different for each family. Sesame Street’s “Lily” stayed in “all different kinds of places” with her family before they found a place of their own. Children and families experiencing homelessness sometimes stay with other people (including people they may not know very well), in hotels or motels, or in shelters. It is common for them to be highly mobile and not to know how long they will be able to stay in any one place. 

Here, we provide tips for how you can help children and families experiencing homelessness in your community.

1. Contact your school district’s homeless liaison to ask if they have students who need supplies or gift cards, or whether there are other opportunities to support local families experiencing homelessness. If you can’t find the contact information for your school district liaison on your school district’s website, visit this directory of state coordinators for the education of homeless children and youth to find your State Coordinator, who can share local contact information.
2. Use this link to find your local Head Start provider(s) and ask them how you can help young children and families experiencing homelessness in your community.  
3. Reach out to other organizations in your community who may be providing services to families experiencing homelessness, including your local United Way, Family Promise Affiliate, Family and Youth Services program, Salvation Army, or HUD homeless assistance programs.
4. Reach out to your local community college or university to ask if they offer supports for students experiencing homelessness. Studies show that many college students are parents, and that parents are disproportionately likely to experience homelessness. Find out how can you support these young parents and their children so they can stay in school and receive quality early childhood services.
5. Stay informed about local, state, and federal policy related to student homelessness by following SchoolHouse Connection on Facebook and Twitter.

Suggestions for Children and Youth

More than one million American children under the age of six experience the trauma of losing their homes. Public schools have identified 1.3 million children experiencing homelessness in grades K-12.

If you are an educator or a parent, it is very probable that you work with children experiencing homelessness or that your own child goes to school with children who have experienced or currently are experiencing homelessness—but it also is probable that housed children are unaware of their classmates’ living situations. Here, we provide some tips for talking about child and family homelessness with children, encouraging empathy, and showing children how they can support and be sensitive to other children experiencing homelessness.

1. Talk to your child about the concept of “home” by watching the “Home Is” video  with her and following the conversation prompts provided by Sesame Workshop. Ask your child if she feels the same way as any of the children in the video. What does “home” mean to her? Draw a picture together showing what “home” means to both of you. You also can print the Home is Where the Hugs Are coloring book and follow the conversation prompts provided on the printable.
2. Read the “We Got This: Storybook” and follow the prompts provided by Sesame Workshop to help guide a discussion about what it means to be homeless and better understand some of the reasons children and families are homeless. Help your child understand that families in all communities experience homelessness, and that homelessness can look different for each family, emphasizing that children and families are not “at fault” for experiencing homelessness. Sesame Street’s “Lily” character is staying with someone she knows, but this is not always the case: children and families experiencing homelessness sometimes stay with strangers, or in hotels or motels, or in shelters. With age-appropriate discretion, show your child pictures of some of the places where children experiencing homelessness might stay. Parents are encouraged to reassure their children that they will take care of them and to be responsive to any expressions of fear or anxiety about becoming homeless.   
3. Help your child understand that one of the most important ways they can help their peers who may be experiencing homelessness is to be kind to their friends who might be sad or lonely. Watch the Ribbons of Hope video and discuss how Elmo was such a good friend to Lily while she was experiencing homelessness. Watch the Hooray for Hands video together. Follow the conversation prompts in the video script to remind your child to be a loyal friend and help other children in need. Also reassure her that she can always “reach out” for help when she needs it, too.
4. Show children the Rainbow Kind of Day video and ask them to share examples of a time they had “big feelings.” Help them understand that it’s okay to talk about sadness or disappointment and to remember that, no matter where they live or whenever they feel sad, “there’s always hope and love.” Similarly, show children the Ribbons of Hope video and/or the Dot to Dot video to remind them that, with the support of their friends and loved ones, they’ve “got this.” Follow the conversation prompts to talk about the healing power of supportive connections. Consider doing the Comfy Cozy Nest imagination activity to show children they can make any place feel like “home.”        
5. Young children understand the attachment to objects like a favorite pillow or a soft toy. Watch the Special-Special Comfort video or do the Comfy Cozy Nest imagination activity with your child. Engage her in a conversation about favorite objects and how these might bring comfort to a child experiencing homelessness. Consider initiating a blanket or stuffed animal drive at your child’s school or in your community and ask your child if she wants to share one of her gently-used toys or blankets.
6. For older school-age children, consider assigning a project or report on homelessness: encourage children to research what homelessness looks like in their immediate community or in their state by contacting their local homeless liaison or area homeless assistance providers. Students then can ask these providers what local families need and facilitate a fundraiser or clothing drive as applicable. If you can’t find the contact information for your school district liaison on your school district’s website, visit this directory of state coordinators for the education of homeless children and youth to find your State Coordinator, who can share local contact information.