• This issue of the ZERO TO THREE Journal (Vol. 39, No. 4) is dedicated to young children and families experiencing homelessness. SchoolHouse Connection’s own Dr. Grace Whitney, Director of Early Childhood Initiatives, is guest editor of the Journal’s March issue, which includes a sampling of policies, practices, challenges, and opportunities at the intersection of homelessness and infant-toddler services. The authors cover topics ranging from early care and early childhood programs to parenting supports, housing, pediatrics, and young families.

• This two-page fact sheet summarizes existing data on young children who are homeless and their families, including the impact of homelessness on health, development, early learning, and well-being.

• This one-pager summarizes access to early learning for children experiencing homelessness, including the following topics: preschool under the McKinney-Vento Act, Head Start and Early Head Start, Child Care Subsidies, Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV), and support for young children with developmental delays or disabilities.

• The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) amended the McKinney-Vento Act in several important ways to increase access to preschool programs. This resource features frequent questions and answers about preschool and homelessness, and links to resources to help implement the new policies.

• The American Rescue Plan Act (ARP), Congress’ most recent package for COVID-19 relief, includes billions of dollars dedicated to infants, toddlers, and children under the age of six. In addition to the $800 million in education funding included for identifying and supporting children and youth experiencing homelessness, there are opportunities across other funding streams to target supports for young children and families experiencing homelessness. This document provides recommendations for home visiting, child care providers, head start and early head start programs, and local education agencies.

• Many housing and homeless service systems and programs are ill-equipped to provide the resources and support that infants, young children, and school-aged children and their families need. This tool is designed to help housing and homeless service providers make their spaces safe for children, to help promote their health and well-being.

• This short document provides basic information to help housing and homeless assistance providers advocate with their 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 Act.

• Child care can help you reach your educational and career goals to support your family.  It is important to find quality child care that meets your needs, and your child’s needs, and to learn about assistance that is available to you. This tip sheet will help you get started.

• 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.

• The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published final regulations to implement the Child Care and Development Fund program (CCDF) in September 2016. Here is an explanation and summary of the final Child Care and Development Fund regulations on homelessness.

• For many young children experiencing homelessness, remaining in the school of origin provides their only access to preschool; when children move into a new community due to homelessness, enrolling in a local preschool usually is impossible, either because there are no preschool programs available, or those that are available already are full.

• Many states have passed laws, regulations and policies to enhance federal protections that help children experiencing homelessness access child care and preschool. This document summarizes those state provisions.

• In the midst of the current crisis, the role of schools and early childhood programs has never been more critical – whether remote, hybrid or in person. Schools are required to identify, enroll, and serve homeless children and youth, but distance learning and other COVID-related complications mean it is easier than ever for them to fall through the cracks. It’s vital that families and youth who are homeless know that help is available – that they have educational rights, and know how to exercise them. To help spread the word and give communities a starting place for outreach and identification, SchoolHouse Connection is promoting three public service announcements aimed at reaching youth, families, educators, community organizations, and leaders.

• A training for child care programs in Idaho helps participants identify concrete strategies for promoting protective factors in families experiencing homelessness.

• This interactive learning series is intended for professionals in Head Start, Early Head Start, and child care, including early childhood and school-age child care providers, CCDF Lead Agency or designated entity staff, and other key stakeholders. Learn how to identify families experiencing homelessness, conduct community outreach, and much more.

• The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a report entitled “Well-being of Young Children after Experiencing Homelessness.” The study collected data from families at the time they were in emergency shelters, followed the families over the next 20 months, and then surveyed them again, collecting information about the family, the parents, and up to two focal children in each family.

• This resource, created in partnership with David Douglas School District in Oregon, is designed to provide schools and district staff with practical strategies to serve young children experiencing homelessness. Each one-page tip sheet shares strategies on a different aspect of access.

• This guide is designed to help LEA liaisons and homeless service providers develop a basic understanding of, and build partnerships with, five key early childhood programs.

• A new book published by the California Department of Education’s Early Learning and Care Division provides early childhood teachers, administrators, and program staff factual information so that they can create welcoming, inclusive, and strength-based environments that are responsive to the unique needs of young children and families experiencing homelessness. The book provides effective strategies and trauma-informed practices that can be implemented in early childhood programs to support children and their families experiencing homelessness. It also includes authentic vignettes created from interviews with children and families experiencing homelessness across California, in addition to the diverse professionals who serve them.

• The Sesame trauma initiative features new, bilingual content that presents coping strategies to help children feel safe and become more resilient in a range of situations, and gives adults the tools they need to foster nurturing connections. The initiative also includes professional development resources and simple strategies for parents and community providers.

• Sesame Street Workshop launched a national initiative on family homelessness to bring awareness and support to young children and their parents who are homeless, and those who serve them, including early childhood programs, schools, and service providers. Lily, a sweet and resilient 7-year-old muppet whose family experienced homelessness, is featured throughout the new resources, which include a storybook, videos, activities, and materials for providers.

• In September 2016, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued final regulations to implement the Head Start Act. These regulations, known as the Head Start Program Performance Standards, apply to Head Start and Early Head Start programs.

• The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released two briefs on young children experiencing homelessness. The first brief “Identifying Children Experiencing Homelessness in Early Care and Education” is designed to help understand the challenges states and communities face using data and potential opportunities for strengthening data collected to estimate rates of early childhood homelessness and identify young children experiencing homelessness. The second brief “Facilitating Access to Early Care and Education for Children Experiencing Homelessness” discusses the barriers in accessing ECE among families experiencing homelessness and describes ways in which states and communities support the enrollment of children experiencing homelessness in ECE.

• This issue of the ZERO TO THREE Journal (Vol. 39, No. 4) is dedicated to young children and families experiencing homelessness. SchoolHouse Connection’s own Dr. Grace Whitney, Director of Early Childhood Initiatives, is guest editor of the Journal’s March issue, which includes a sampling of policies, practices, challenges, and opportunities at the intersection of homelessness and infant-toddler services. The authors cover topics ranging from early care and early childhood programs to parenting supports, housing, pediatrics, and young families.

• What is the definition of homelessness for schools, and what are some common signs of homelessness? This resource covers both topics.

• We teamed up with National Center on Homeless Education (NCHE) for a primer on ESSA and homelessness. This PowerPoint can be downloaded and used in your own trainings.

• Recently Asked Questions and Answers on Displaced Immigrant Families and Education
• Strategies for Supporting Immigrant and Migrant Students Experiencing Homelessness
• Immigrant Students Experiencing Homelessness: Liaisons’ Strategies
• Immigrant Students: How Schools Can Help
• Other National Resources

Federal Coronavirus Relief Funds and Students Experiencing Homelessness: How to Make “ESSER II” Funds Work for Your McKinney-Vento Students
This brief provides specific strategies for, and examples of, directing COVID relief funds for children and youth experiencing homelessness at the local level. State education agencies should promote these practices by including and prioritizing them in local educational agency (LEA) applications, guidance, and monitoring.

• SchoolHouse Connection is thrilled to partner with the American Bar Association on the 5th edition of “Educating Students Experiencing Homelessness: A Primer on Legal Requirements and Implementation Strategies for Educators, Advocates and Policymakers.”

• This memo explains the legal requirements to use state and local McKinney-Vento funds to benefit homeless children and youth exclusively.

• 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 youths enroll in school and have the opportunity to succeed academically. Under the law, the liaison must be able to carry out the duties included in the law. This short document describes those duties.

• This resource shares real students’ situations and walks through making the legal case for providing the support the student needs.

• This resource shares real students’ situations and walks through making the legal case for providing the support the student needs. Making the Case Issue #2 focuses on extra-curricular activities. Making the Case Issue #2 focuses on extra-curricular activities.

• On June 16, 2019, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) issued a Non-Regulatory Information Document entitled, “Supplement Not Supplant Under Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as Amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act.” This is a summary of the memo.

• This brief document summarizes ESSA’s provisions on homelessness, with links to key implementation resources.

• This document includes states with laws allowing minors, including unaccompanied homeless minors, to consent for routine health care. It does not address state laws that empower minors to consent for substance abuse treatment, mental health care, treatment for contagious diseases or reproductive health.

• The Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA) places great emphasis on high school graduation for students experiencing homelessness. This document summarizes state laws that complement these federal requirements.

• State policy change is an important strategy to address youth homelessness, since many of the laws that most directly impact youth experiencing homelessness – the rights of minors, health care, housing, employment, education, and child welfare – fall within the purview of state legislatures. This publication provides information on four categories of state laws that support youth experiencing homelessness.

• 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. These resources are designed for liaisons to use when training school staff – for example, teachers, counselors, bus drivers, and principals.

• In the midst of the current crisis, the role of schools and early childhood programs has never been more critical – whether remote, hybrid or in person. Schools are required to identify, enroll, and serve homeless children and youth, but distance learning and other COVID-related complications mean it is easier than ever for them to fall through the cracks. It’s vital that families and youth who are homeless know that help is available – that they have educational rights, and know how to exercise them. To help spread the word and give communities a starting place for outreach and identification, SchoolHouse Connection is promoting three public service announcements aimed at reaching youth, families, educators, community organizations, and leaders.

• We are pleased to share our ESSA PowerPoint template. All are welcome to download, edit and use this template, which includes the latest guidance from the U.S. Department of Education, research, a pop quiz, an interactive exercise, sound clips from youth, and resources.

• Of all of the amendments to the McKinney-Vento Act made by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the new requirement for local educational agency (LEA) liaisons to be “able to carry out” ten specific duties in the law has the potential to have the greatest impact on children and youth who are experiencing homelessness. But what does it mean for a liaison to be able to carry out his or her legal duties? And how can local educational agencies determine where improvements must be made? We developed a simple tool to help LEAs quickly identify and prioritize areas where greater capacity is needed to carry out the law.

• There are approximately 1.5 million K-12 students and an additional 1.4 million children under the age of six experiencing homelessness across the United States. While many of these students attend traditional public schools, a growing number, at least 60,000, are enrolled in charter schools. Charter schools are independently-operated public schools that have additional flexibility to design classrooms that meet their students’ academic and other needs. All charter schools operate under a contract with a charter school authorizer – usually a nonprofit organization, government agency, or university – that holds them accountable to the high standards outlined in their “charter.” The purpose of this report is to begin to paint a clearer picture of the experiences and outcomes of students experiencing homelessness enrolled in charter schools. In this document, we offer basic information about the McKinney-Vento Act, case studies highlighting best practices across charter schools and networks, and key questions for charter school educators, administrators, authorizers, support staff, advocates, and others. We hope charter schools and partners will use this document as a starting point for conversations and action within your schools, networks, communities, and states.

• Schools provide safety, stability, and services for children and youth experiencing homelessness, as well as the education that is necessary to avoid homelessness as adults. However, in order to benefit from targeted educational protections and services, children and youth must first be identified as experiencing homelessness. New survey data suggests that an estimated 420,000 fewer children and youth experiencing homelessness have been identified and enrolled by schools so far this school year – despite evidence of increasing homelessness, and despite proactive identification efforts by many school district homeless liaisons. This decrease in homeless student enrollment, combined with previous estimates of under-identification, means that as many as 1.4 million children and youth experiencing homelessness may be un-identified and unsupported by their school during the pandemic. Survey responses also demonstrate significant unmet basic needs, as well as the failure of federal CARES Act dollars to reach children and youth experiencing homelessness. If our nation is ever to recover from COVID-19, we must increase outreach to and support for children, youth, and families experiencing homelessness through public schools and early childhood programs, and prioritize their education and well-being in all public systems of care.

• This report provides insights into the challenges that unaccompanied homeless youth face in accessing federal financial aid. As indicated by the title of the report – a quote from a young adult who experienced homelessness in high school and in college – many young people are keenly aware of the role of higher education in improving their lives. Yet without financial aid, these young people cannot access post-secondary education.

• This resource, created in partnership with David Douglas School District in Oregon, is designed to provide schools and district staff with practical strategies to serve young children experiencing homelessness. Each one-page tip sheet shares strategies on a different aspect of access.

• Many housing and homeless service systems and programs are ill-equipped to provide the resources and support that infants, young children, and school-aged children and their families need. This tool is designed to help housing and homeless service providers make their spaces safe for children, to help promote their health and well-being.

• This short document provides basic information to help housing and homeless assistance providers advocate with their 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 Act.

State Laws on Minor Consent for Housing and Related Services

• Several state legislatures have recognized that unaccompanied homeless youth under age 18 need legal rights to access housing, shelter, and other basic services. States can provide critical protections, such as empowering minors experiencing homelessness to enter into contracts and to consent to shelter services. Below is a summary of such state laws, including new legislation SchoolHouse Connection helped pass with partners in Utah in 2019.

• This tax season, qualifying youth experiencing homelessness and youth from foster care are eligible for up to $1,502 in a tax refund through the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The Center on Law and Social Policy, First Focus, John Burton Advocates for Youth, SchoolHouse Connection, and Youth Law Center have partnered on a FAQ that provides basic information for young adults with experience in foster care or homelessness about the benefits of filing federal taxes.

• This tax season, there are special rules for homeless and foster youth that were achieved through the American Rescue Plan Act, and the tremendous leadership of U.S. Congressman Danny K. Davis (D-IL). Qualifying youth experiencing homelessness and youth from foster care who are at least 18 years old are eligible for a $1,502 tax refund through the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), even if they are full-time students. This is a departure from previous tax years, and of special importance to vulnerable youth who are still in high school or pursuing higher education.

• Taxes can be confusing, especially for young adults who have never had to file taxes before. Yet when beginning college, it is important to learn about and understand how scholarships impact your taxes, so that you are prepared at tax time. There are simple guidelines from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that help you determine if you will claim all or part of your scholarship amounts as income on your taxes, meaning you are required to pay taxes on them.

• For students experiencing homelessness, on-campus housing is critical. While on-campus housing provides stability during the fall and spring semester, unfortunately, many on-campus housing options close for winter and summer break. This can leave you scrounging for alternative housing options to fill those gaps until the campus housing opens again. As you look through the housing options available and make plans for breaks when your campus is closed, here are some important things to consider.

• It is never too early to prepare to apply for college. Regardless of when you begin, a good first step is to reach out to a high school counselor or a McKinney-Vento liaison to ask about your high school’s graduation requirements and steps you can take to prepare to apply for college. This resource provides an overview of items to consider when applying to college.

• Federal rules on immigrant youth and families are changing rapidly. Our regularly updated brief provides basic information about eligibility for education services, and practical suggestions for schools.

• School counseling staff provide important support to students experiencing homelessness. The Every Student Succeeds Act recognized this role by adding requirements that counselors advise students experiencing homelessness and improve their readiness for college. SchoolHouse Connection’s new quick guide, written by a school counselor, provides practical tips and strategies for supporting students experiencing homelessness, helping meet their basic needs, and planning for graduation.

• Another ESSA amendment to the McKinney-Vento Act requires school district liaisons to inform unaccompanied homeless youth of their status as independent students for financial aid (the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA) and help them obtain verification of that status. To help implement this policy, we’ve prepared a sample form letter to determine the independent student status of unaccompanied homeless youth for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (Microsoft Word). This form letter may be edited as appropriate for your school district, institution of higher education, shelter, transitional living program, or street outreach program.

• A lease is a contract you sign to rent an apartment or house. You should always get a written lease. Read the lease before you sign it. If you have any questions about the lease, take pictures of every page and talk about it with someone you trust before you sign it. It is your right to read, understand, and agree with the lease before you sign it. What should you look for in the lease?

• This report provides insights into the challenges that unaccompanied homeless youth face in accessing federal financial aid. As indicated by the title of the report – a quote from a young adult who experienced homelessness in high school and in college – many young people are keenly aware of the role of higher education in improving their lives. Yet without financial aid, these young people cannot access post-secondary education.