If a Head Start program is administered through a community nonprofit (not a school district), is it required to follow the McKinney Vento Act?

Answer: No. The McKinney-Vento Act applies to preschool programs that are operated, administered or funded, in whole or in part, by local educational agencies. Details on this definition are available in our preschool flowchart. Head Start and Early Head Start programs for which school districts are not the fiscal agent must meet Head Start Program Performance Standards. Those rules use the McKinney-Vento Act’s definition of homelessness and have multiple requirements around immediate enrollment and improved access to services for families experiencing homelessness.

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