Handbook for Shelter Staff

Contents:

The Educational Rights of Homeless Children and Youth

Who is homeless?

What You Can Do To Assure Homeless Children & Youth Receive Their Educational Rights

School District Collaboration

Establish Rapport with the District(s) Local Homeless Education Liaison

Enrollment Information

Newsletters form District

Communications from Teachers

First Steps When a Student Enters the Shelter

Guiding the Student through the Enrollment Process

Additional Steps to Assure the Students’ Educational Success

After school programs

Free breakfast and lunch

Tutoring

Early Childhood Education

Social Service Resources

Region 6 Contact

Additional Resources

Consent to Release Information

The Educational Rights of Homeless Children & Youth

The Federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act states;

Homeless children and youth shall have equal access to the same free, appropriate public education, including a public preschool education, as provided to other children and youths to ensure that such children and youth have an opportunity to meet the same challenging State student academic achievement standards to which all students are held.

Homeless children and youth have the following educational rights:

  1. Choice of school of origin (when feasible) or school of current residence
  2. Immediate enrollment
  3. Assistance from the distant to obtain necessary documentation required
  4. Prompt access to appropriate education services (e.g., special education, Title I, gifted, tutors, after-school programs, etc.)
  5. Transportation
  6. Free breakfast and lunch

Who is Homeless?

As defined by the Federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, a homeless child or youth means:

  1. Individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence
  2. Includes:
  • Living in a public or private shelter
  • Public or private places not designated for or ordinarily used as regular sleeping accommodations such as vehicles, parks, motels, campgrounds, etc.
  • Living with a parents in a domestic violence shelter
  • Individuals and/or families living with relatives or friends due to lack of housing
  • Living in transitional housing programs
  • Runaway children (under 18) and youth who have been abandoned or forced out of the home by parents or their caretaker. They may be in temporary shelters awaiting assistance from social service agencies, or may live alone on the street or move from place to place among family members, friends or acquaintances.
  • Children of migrant families who lack adequate housing
  • Children abandoned in hospitals or awaiting foster care
  • School-age, unwed mothers or expectant mothers living in houses for unwed mothers when they have no thither available living accommodations

What You Can Do To Assure Homeless Children & Youth Receive Their Educational Rights

School District Collaboration

Each school district in the United States has a designated local homeless education liaison

  1. Find out who the designated local homeless education liaison is for each district your clients may attend by contacting your Region 6 representative for the PA Homeless Children’s Initiative
  2. Work with the Regional Coordinator in the best interest of your students that are living in the shelter.
  3. Ask to receive any handbooks, newsletters, or other information the district sends to families
  4. Find out the extracurricular activities/programs that are available and the criteria for participation.

First Steps When a Student Enters the Shelter

  1. Get the students recent education history
  2. Last school attended
  3. Length of attendance
  4. Grade
  5. Special Program involvement
  1. Find out if the student has any school records, including heath information
  2. Discuss the student’s school options with the parent and/or student. The options include:
  3. School of origin (where the student was last permanently housed or the school where the student was last enrolled)-when feasible
  4. Factors affecting feasibility may include:
  5. Distance
  6. Safety Issues
  7. Age of Child

OR

  1. School where the student currently resides
  1. Contact the Regional Coordinator or the local homeless liaison in the district chosen by the parent/child to:

a)Arrange for next-day enrollment

b)Find out pick-up and drop- off times for transportation

c)Assure that the student will be enrolled in the free breakfast and lunch program

d)Ask about the procedures for contacting the teachers for the homeless student

e)Make district aware of any special educational need’s the student may have

f)Ask if the teacher requires any special equipment for the class

  1. Using the information provided by the district, review with the parent and/or child:

a)Dress Code

b)Allowable and unallowable items to bring to school

c)Behavior

d)Consequences for misbehavior

e)Typical school day routine

f)Attendance policy

g)School Calendar

h)Media sources for unexpected changes in school calendar

i)Parents’ participation (open house, parent-teacher conferences, volunteering, etc.)

j)Contact information for the school and teacher(s)

k)If not attending school, who to contact to cancel transportation

l)Extracurricular activities

  1. Assist the parent and/or student with the completion of any paperwork for enrollment
  2. Assure that the student has all necessary items for school attendance
  3. Assure that the parent and/or student knows exactly what to do on the first day of school or accompany them to school.
  4. Take the following to the first day of school:
  5. Any completed paperwork
  6. Any school records
  7. Any required school supplies
  8. Contact Regional Coordinator if special items are needed, school will be able to help with supplies.

Guiding the Student through the Enrollment Process

Additional Steps to assure the Students’ Educational Success

After School Programs

Free breakfast and lunch

Tutoring

Title I- Funds available through the School district

**Always contact Regional Coordinator for assistance with the School District the student will be attending.

Early Childhood Education

Preschool Programs

Early/Preschool Head Start

Day Care

Pre-K Counts

Parent-Child Home Program

Early Intervention

Social Service Resources (These are a few examples, please check your local area)

ARIN IU 28724-463-5300/ 1-800-272-2746 ext. 1235

(Armstrong and IndianaCounties)

Homeless Education---(All Counties)

Parenting

Early Intervention

Adult Education

AppalachiaIU 8814-940-0223

(Blair and CambriaCounties)

Early Intervention

Central IU 10814-342-0884/1-800-982-3375

(Centre, Clearfield and ClintonCounties)

Riverview IU814-887-5512

(JeffersonCounty)

Seneca Highlands IU 9

(Cameron, Elk and PotterCounties)

Career Link

Job Placement

Children and Youth

Parenting

Foster Care

Food Bank

Local Community Action

Clothing

Salvation Army

Saint Vincent DePaul Society

Katie’s Closet

Craig List (internet)

Good Will

Local Assistance Office

Food Stamps

Cash Assistance

Health Insurance

Housing Authority

Section 8

Apartments

Region 6 Contacts

Andrea Sheesley724-463-5300 or 1-800-272-2746 ext. 1235

Regional Homeless Coordinator

Maureen Bourke 724-463-5300 ext. 1208

Site Coordinator

Additional Information

The Pennsylvania Dept. of Education Homeless Website

Homes for the Homeless

NationalCenter for Homeless Education at Serve