Project REACH Procedures Manual Anne McInerney Supervisor Project REACH 1

Project REACH “..is a St. Paul Public Schools shelter and street-based program that promotes school stability and academic success of homeless children and youth. Our program staff serve Pre K and school age children who are in temporary housing situations.” 2

McKinney Vento services Stay in the same school they attended before they became homeless and receive transportation to that school Eligible for the same programs and services that are provided to all SPPS students Automatically qualify for free school meals May enroll in any school without proof of resident status, immunizations, school records, guardianship or other documents 3

Students and families receive: On site assistance with school enrollment Donations of school supplies and uniforms Referrals to community and county agencies that help with medical, legal, food, clothing and housing needs Assistance with early childhood registration and screening Advocacy for Special Education services Evening academic support in several St. Paul shelters 4

Information about our youngest homeless students Infants who are born into homelessness need special care right after birth at four times the rate of other children. Homeless babies show significantly slower development than other children do. Homeless children have very high rates of acute illness. More than one-fifth of homeless children between three and six years of age have emotional problems serious enough to require National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY) Fall

Project REACH families are referred 2 ways: 1) Through the school homeless contact who complete inclusion report through REACHREF.spps.org 2) Through shelters when a family enters. Shelter staff has family complete a release of information which is faxed to Project REACH. Liaisons then contact family and refer to school homeless contact. 6

Basic Information/Data Privacy School homeless contact can only access this site on a district connected computer (no home access) You can only access this site if you have access to Campus. There are confidential addresses listed in this website that should NOT be entered into Campus. Continue to use the confidential address codes for Campus purposes. Do not disclose anything you learn on the database to anyone outside of the district or not working with the student directly without a signed consent form from the parent (FERPA) Contact Anne with questions. 7

Access to Project REACH referral website Once logged into the district network, enter this link into your internet browser All staff with Campus access can refer a student but we prefer that the homeless contact at each school or Student Placement staff initiate the referral for services for a student experiencing homelessness. Please let us know if you are experiencing any such problems. Bookmark the page or you can find it on our website at 8

Requesting Service for a Student You will need the following information to complete the request: Name Current address (or name of shelter, hotel or emergency foster care provider) Contact information of guardian or unaccompanied youth Some information on how the student became homeless Any additional information that would be helpful The correct and most current address of the student in Campus What services are being requested If transportation is being requested, we need to know what adaptations are needed If an aide is required, the school must provide this before transportation can begin 9

Accessing the Project REACH Online System Login Using your Campus Login 10 E Directory password

Search the student by name or ID Select the student Select current enrollment or school. 11

If you select shelter, hotel, or emergency foster care, you will be given a list of pre-entered options to select from. The addresses will automatically be entered. For those not pre- entered, you can enter them manually. If the student is living on the street, outside, in a car, or other place not designated for human habitation, select ‘community’ Guardian is ‘legal guardian’. Unaccompanied youth means ‘not in the physical custody of a guardian’. Click here to populate same address as child. 12

Please enter this information if the student is living with someone other than the guardian (non-guardian aunt or uncle, for example). Entering this information is not necessary if you have entered it above. 13

Please enter any helpful information in these three spaces. Please check off the services the student and family are in need of. The EA’s assist with the first 4 listed. If you select one of the last 4, the program social workers will get involved. Click submit to send completed request to Project REACH. If completed correctly, you will receive a message indicating the message was sent successfully. 14 If you select yes for transportation, you will be able to select what adaptations are needed.

15 The referral has now been sent to Project REACH Inclusion Request