2011 OSEP Leadership Mega Conference Collaboration to Achieve Success from Cradle to Career 2.0 Working with Highly Mobile Children Strategies and Supports to Help Better Serve Migrant Children and Children Experiencing Homelessness Angela Branch Guadalupe Cuesta Jennifer Pringle Strand Presentation #

About Us National Migrant and Seasonal Head Start (MSHS) Collaboration Office – Convene stakeholder groups for information sharing and planning. Be a conduit of information between the regional office and the State and local early childhood system. – Facilitate Head Start agencies’ access to, and utilization of, appropriate entities so Head Start children and families can secure needed services and critical partnerships are formalized. – Support policy, planning, and implementation of cross agency State systems for early childhood. School Transitions - Professional Development - Child Care and Early Childhood Systems - Regional Office Priorities 2

About Us Migrant and Seasonal Head Start (MSHS) Technical Assistance Center – Provide training and technical assistance to MSHS grantees and delegate agencies in 39 states. – Support Office of Head Start Region 12 and the National MSHS Collaboration Office. 3

About Us New York State Technical and Education Assistance Center for Homeless Students (NYS-TEACHS) – Offer technical assistance to school districts, social service providers, parents, youth, and others on homeless education issues – Facilitate onsite trainings and webinars – Operate hotline ( ) and website ( 4

Agenda Overview of highly mobile populations Impact of mobility on educational outcomes Featured Programs: – Migrant & Seasonal Head Start Program – McKinney-Vento Program Strategies for working with migrant families and families experiencing homelessness 5

Examples of Highly Mobile Children Migrant children Children experiencing homelessness Children in foster care 6

MSHS Children 34,735 MSHS Children Age 3-517,190 MSHS Children Age 0-2 (including EHS children) 18,309 Pregnant Women (EHS Programs) 101 Total Cumulative Enrollment 35,600 National Data on MSHS Children 7

Up to 1.4 to 2.8 million runaway and homeless youth each year. 10% of children in poverty experience homelessness each year. Nationally, approximately 39% of the homeless population are children. National Data on Homelessness 8

Issues Facing Children Experiencing Homelessness Loss of structure, routine, stability Trauma and loss Deep poverty (mean income of homeless families is 46% of poverty; many homeless families also work and are still homeless) Higher rates of developmental delays Higher rates of chronic and acute health problems Mental health issues: stress, anxiety, and depression Disrupted or stressed attachments to caregivers Invisibility 9

36% of children who were homeless repeated a grade, twice the rate of other children. Children who have changed schools frequently are 2.5 times more likely to repeat a grade than their peers. 4 to 6 months to recover academically after each school change Research on Educational Outcomes 10

Migration Patterns of MSHS Families 11

Remain in school of origin if in best interests or Immediately enroll in local school even if student doesn’t have records and Receive transportation to school of origin Receive free school meals and Title I services Also: Each state must designate a Coordinator and Each district must designate a liaison to help students who are homeless. The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act: Key Provisions 12

Children who lack a nighttime residence that is fixed, regular and adequate, including those: Sharing the housing of others due to loss of housing, economic hardship or other similar reason Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations Living in emergency or transitional shelters Abandoned in hospitals Awaiting foster care placement Living in a public or private place not designed for sleeping Living in cars, parks, abandoned buildings, bus or train stations, etc. Migratory living in circumstances described above Who is covered under McKinney-Vento? 13

Students experiencing homelessness are entitled to immediate enrollment, even if they do not have: – School records including IEPs, – Medical records including immunization records, – Proof of residency, – Guardianship papers, – Birth certificate, or other documents normally needed. Immediate Enrollment 14

Preschoolers Liaisons must ensure that families and children receive Head Start, Migrant & Seasonal Head Start, Even Start programs and preschool programs. Head Start agencies must give prioritized enrollment to child who are homeless. Children who are homeless are entitled to immediate enrollment in Head Start programs. 15

All students in temporary housing are eligible for Title I services. Most districts must set aside funds for students who are homeless Title I Plan submitted to the State Education Agency should include a description of the Title I services for students who are homeless Title I Funds 16

Examples of services that can be provided with Title I Set-Aside funds: Before-school, after-school, and/or summer programs; Counseling services; Outreach efforts to identify children and youth living in homeless situations and help them access school programs; Basic needs such as clothing, uniforms, school supplies, and health-related needs; Transportation once the student is permanently housed; The work of the liaison; Tutoring services; Parental involvement programs that make a special effort to reach out to parents in homeless situations; Research-based programs that benefit highly mobile students; and Data collection to assess the needs and progress of homeless and other highly mobile students. Title I, cont’d 17

Strategies for Working with Highly Mobile Families Link parents with school district liaison and help them connect with services through McKinney-Vento program or Title I set-aside funding. Conduct trainings and outreach at: – local shelters – Department of Social Services – Coalition for the Homeless – Continuum of Care – School district liaison 18

Strategies for Working with Highly Mobile Families Understand that parents may have had bad experiences with schools in the past and may be overwhelmed by their efforts to provide for their family’s basic needs. Be flexible with meeting times, to accommodate parents’ work schedules. Give parents bus passes or other transportation assistance to attend meetings. Help parents advocate to expedite evaluations for highly mobile students. 19

Strategies for Working with Highly Mobile Families Help parents put together education folders for their children – see NCHE’s Parent Pack: Work with parents to navigate the intersections of IDEA and McKinney-Vento, paying particular attention to transportation, school of origin, and immediate enrollment. Form an advisory committee on special education and highly mobile students. 20

National Center for Homeless Education, (800) , State Coordinator locator: Determining Eligibility Issue Brief: Supporting Homeless Students with Disabilities Issue Brief: Students on the Move: Reaching and Teaching Highly Mobile Children and Youth: National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth, Policy organization that has information about: Reauthorization of McKinney-Vento Financial aid and scholarships for homeless youth McKinney-Vento Resources 21

Angela Branch Training and Technical Assistance (T/TA) Manager Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Technical Assistance Center Tel: Guadalupe Cuesta Director National Migrant/Seasonal Head Start Collaboration Office Tel: Website: Jennifer Pringle Director, NYS-TEACHS Tel: Toll-free hotline: Website: Contact Information 22

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