Transcript McKinney-Vento and Preschool

McKinney-Vento and Preschool-Aged
Homeless Children
National Center for Homeless Education
www.serve.org/nche
True or False?
• Approximately 25% of homeless children
living in shelters are under the age of 5
• Approximately 45% of homeless
preschoolers have at least one major
developmental delay
• Homeless preschoolers are enrolled in
preschool/early intervention programs at the
same rate as housed preschoolers
National Center for Homeless Education • www.serve.org/nche
True or False?
• Under McKinney-Vento, preschool programs
run by SEAs or LEAs (including Head Start)
must enroll homeless children in their
programs, even if they can’t provide
paperwork normally required for enrollment
• Head Start programs are encouraged not to
enroll homeless children due to their high
mobility and irregular attendance
National Center for Homeless Education • www.serve.org/nche
The face of
homelessness
“Homeless people often don’t fit the stereotypes.
However, the segment of the homeless population
that is most rapidly increasing does conform to
many of society’s most offensive and simplistic
conceptions about homelessness.
These homeless people do drink a lot, but it’s
mostly milk and juice. They do exhibit strange
behavior, but it is conduct most of us know as the
‘terrible twos.’”
From Bridging the Gap: Early Care and Education for Massachusetts Young
Homeless Children
National Center for Homeless Education • www.serve.org/nche
Statistics on family
homelessness
• Children are the fastest-growing segment of
the homeless population
• 3.5 million people will experience
homelessness each year; 1.35 million of
these will be children
• More than 85% of homeless families are
headed by single mothers
• 40% of homeless children living in shelters
are under the age of 5
National Center for Homeless Education • www.serve.org/nche
Effects of homelessness
on children
“A review of a well-established body of
research on childhood homelessness reveals a
profound and accumulative negative effect
on the development of children, leading many
to repeat the cycle of homelessness as adults.
Homelessness inhibits the physical, emotional,
cognitive, social, and behavioral development
of children.”
From Homelessness and Its Effects on Children, Family
Housing Fund
National Center for Homeless Education • www.serve.org/nche
Effects of homelessness
on children (cont.)
• Before birth
• Obstacles to healthy pregnancies for
homeless women
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Poor nutrition
Chronic and acute health problems
Lack of healthcare
Substance abuse issues
National Center for Homeless Education • www.serve.org/nche
Effects of homelessness
on children (cont.)
• As infants (0-18 months)
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Low birth weight
Lack of healthcare
Lack of immunizations
Poor nutrition
Unhealthy living environment
• Overcrowded home or shelter
• Exposure to disease and illness
• Lack of routine
National Center for Homeless Education • www.serve.org/nche
Effects of homelessness
on children (cont.)
• As toddlers (18 months – 3 years)
• Demonstrate significant developmental delays
by 18 months
• Begin to demonstrate reactions to continual
stress
• Insecurity, fear, distrust, irritability
• Stagnancy or regression in cognitive development
• Developmental delays are linked to
subsequent behavioral and emotional
problems
National Center for Homeless Education • www.serve.org/nche
Effects of homelessness
on children (cont.)
• As preschoolers (3 –6 years)
• 75% - at least one major developmental delay
• 40% - two or more major developmental
delays
• 35% - emotional or behavioral problems
• Cry more easily
• Intense reactions to “minor events”
• Anxiety
National Center for Homeless Education • www.serve.org/nche
Effects of homelessness
on children (cont.)
• As preschoolers (3 –6 years)
• 35% - emotional or behavioral problems
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Depression
Withdrawal
Aggression and hostility
Hoarding of food and possessions
• 20% - extreme emotional distress warranting
professional intervention
• Receive less preschool services than housed
peers
National Center for Homeless Education • www.serve.org/nche
Benefits of Early Childhood
Programs
• Offer children positive experiences with
peers and other nurturing adults
• Bolster parental efficacy with their children
• Connect families with schools, agencies,
and service providers
• Help address developmental delays and
disabilities early
National Center for Homeless Education • www.serve.org/nche
Barriers to preschool
participation
• Lack of identification of preschool-aged
homeless children
• Lack of program availability
• Waiting lists
• Inflexible policies and structures of
preschool programs
• Lack of parent involvement strategies
National Center for Homeless Education • www.serve.org/nche
Barriers to preschool
participation (cont.)
• Lack of documents resulting in delays in
enrollment and attendance
• Lack of transportation
• Lack of outreach to homeless families
(shelters, health clinics, laundromats)
• Lack of understanding of homelessness
on the part of staff
National Center for Homeless Education • www.serve.org/nche
Who is homeless?
Lacking a fixed, regular, and adequate
nighttime residence:
• Doubled-up (living with others due to loss of
housing or economic hardship – not by choice)
• Motels, hotels, campgrounds (lack of alternative)
• Emergency or transitional shelters
• Awaiting foster care placement
• Public or private place not designed for human
living
• Cars, parks, abandoned buildings, substandard
housing bus/train stations
• Migrant children fitting the definition
MVHAA - Sec 725(2)
National Center for Homeless Education • www.serve.org/nche
Local Liaisons
• Every LEA (school district) must designate
a local homeless education liaison.
• Responsibilities:
• Ensure that homeless children and youth are
identified
• Ensure that homeless students enroll in and have full
and equal opportunity to succeed in school
• Post public notice of educational rights
• Arrange services and transportation
• Resolve disputes
• Coordinate and collaborate with agencies
National Center for Homeless Education • www.serve.org/nche
McKinney-Vento and
Preschool
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act
• Originally authorized in 1987
• Reauthorized in 2001 as Title X, Part C of
NCLB
• Provides stability, access, and support for
academic success for homeless children and
youth, including preschool-aged children
National Center for Homeless Education • www.serve.org/nche
McKinney-Vento and
Preschool (cont.)
• State McKinney-Vento plans must ensure that
homeless children have access to preschool
programs
• State coordinators must coordinate with social
service agencies, child development and
preschool program personnel and other
agencies to provide comprehensive services to
preschoolers
• Local liaisons must ensure that families and
children receive Head Start, Even Start
programs and preschool programs
National Center for Homeless Education • www.serve.org/nche
McKinney-Vento and
Preschool (cont.)
• Identification of homeless preschool-aged
children
• Immediate enrollment in SEA (state department
of education) or LEA programs, even if lacking
documentation
• Comparable transportation
• Can use subgrant funds to provide early
childhood programs that serve homeless
preschoolers
• General mandate to provide access and remove
barriers to enrollment and retention
National Center for Homeless Education • www.serve.org/nche
McKinney-Vento and Title I
• Homeless children and youth are
automatically eligible for Title I services
• A state must include in its Title I plan a
description of how the plan is coordinated
with the McKinney-Vento Act
• Districts may reserve (set aside) funds to
provide services for homeless students
that are not available from other sources
National Center for Homeless Education • www.serve.org/nche
Head Start
• Head Start programs run by SEAs or LEAs
must adhere to McKinney-Vento preschool
guidelines
• 1992 memo from USHHS/ACF to all Head
Start Grantees
• Identified barriers to the participation of
homeless children and provided strategies for
addressing these barriers
National Center for Homeless Education • www.serve.org/nche
Head Start Memo
Encourages programs to
• Target homeless families for enrollment,
including collaborating with shelters and
other agencies for recruitment purposes
• Modify the program as needed to serve
homeless children
• Prioritize homeless children for enrollment
• Reserve slots (number or percentage)
• Prioritize on waiting lists
National Center for Homeless Education • www.serve.org/nche
Head Start Memo (cont.)
• Encourages programs to
• Provide transportation
• Keep homeless children in the same program,
even if the child moves
• Include homeless parents on Policy Councils
• Clarifies misconceptions about ADA
(average daily attendance)
• 85% minimum ADA is a tool for evaluating
attendance, not a rigid mandate
Memo at: www.serve.org/nche/downloads/hhs_preschool_memo.pdf
National Center for Homeless Education • www.serve.org/nche
IDEA 2004
• IDEA now includes a definition of homeless
that is consistent with the McKinney-Vento
definition
• IDEA’s Child Find provisions require that
children with disabilities experiencing
homelessness be identified, located, and
evaluated for early intervention (Part C) or
preschool special education (Part B) services
National Center for Homeless Education • www.serve.org/nche
IDEA 2004 (cont.)
• IDEA requires early intervention services to be
made available to all infants and toddlers; the
new law specifically mentions homeless children
• States are required to meaningfully involve
homeless families and wards of the state in their
special education programs for infants and
toddlers
• Helpful resources
• www.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/idea.pdf
• www.childfindidea.org
National Center for Homeless Education • www.serve.org/nche
Strategies for Serving
Homeless Preschoolers
School districts:
• Identify all preschool programs, both public and
private
• Create awareness of the needs of homeless
families and young children
• Train SEA and LEA preschool staff on
McKinney-Vento rights and provisions
• Post notice of rights under McKinney-Vento in
places where homeless families with young
children frequent
National Center for Homeless Education • www.serve.org/nche
Strategies for Serving
(cont.)
• Provide transportation to preschool programs
• Utilize McKinney-Vento subgrant funds and/or
Title I set aside funds for preschool needs of
homeless children
• Enlist the help of school personnel, including
secretaries, in identifying preschool-aged
children among the homeless families who enroll
their school-aged children
• Initiate interagency communication and
collaboration
National Center for Homeless Education • www.serve.org/nche
Strategies for Serving
(cont.)
Preschool programs:
• Include homelessness as a criteria for priority enrollment
• Establish slots for preschool-aged homeless children
(these slots may be subsidized by programs or business
partners)
• Reach out to homeless families prior to enrollment and
on an ongoing basis
• Be flexible with policies that may serve as barriers
(enrollment requirements, policies on absences, etc.)
• Adjust program schedules to accommodate homeless
families, particularly parents who work
National Center for Homeless Education • www.serve.org/nche
Additional Resources
• NCHE’s preschool page:
www.serve.org/nche/ibt/sc_preschool.php
• McKinney-Vento full text and Policy Guidance:
www.serve.org/nche/m-v.php
• Project HOPE’s publications page:
www.wm.edu/hope/infobrief/infobrief.html
Helping Young Children Grow & Learn: A Guide for Families &
Shelter Providers
Using the Best That We Know: Supporting Young Children
Experiencing Homelessness
Unlocking Potential! What Families and Shelters Need to
Know About Homelessness and Special Education 2003
Unlocking Potential! What Educators Need to Know About
Homelessness and Special Education 2003
National Center for Homeless Education • www.serve.org/nche
National Partners
• National Association for the Education of
Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY)
www.naehcy.org
• National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE)
www.serve.org/nche
• National Law Center on Homelessness and
Poverty (NLCHP)
www.nlchp.org
NCHE publications are supported through a contract with the U.S.
Department of Education’s Student Achievement and School
Accountability Programs.
National Center for Homeless Education • www.serve.org/nche