Our Invisible Students: Homeless Children and Youth Pam Kies-Lowe State Coordinator for Homeless Education Michigan Department of Education Office of Field Services Special Populations Unit

McKinney-Vento Definition of Homelessness Children who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence:  Sharing the housing of others due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or similar reason  Living in motels, hotels, RV/trailer parks, camping grounds due to lack of adequate alternative accommodations  Living in emergency, domestic violence, or transitional shelters  Temporary foster care placement or awaiting placement  Living in a public or private place not designed for humans to live or sleep  Living in cars, parks, abandoned buildings, bus or train stations, under bridges, etc.  Migratory children living in above circumstances 5

McKinney-Vento Preschool Requirements  The McKinney-Vento Act’s Education for Homeless Children and Youth program, reauthorized as part of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002 (now known as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act – ESEA), entitles homeless children to a free, appropriate public education, including a pre-school education. [721(1)]  States must ensure that homeless children have equal access to the same public preschool programs, administered by the State Education Agency, as provided to other children in the State. [722(g)(i)(F)(i)] 6

McKinney-Vento Preschool Requirements  Under the McKinney-Vento Act, every LEA must designate a liaison for students in homeless situations. [722(g)(1)(J)(ii)]  Contact information for LEA Liaisons can be located in the Educational Entity Master (EEM):  LEA homeless liaisons must ensure that ensure that homeless children are identified, immediately enrolled in school, informed about educational rights, including transportation, and receive educational services for which they are eligible, including Head Start, Even Start programs and preschool programs administered by the LEA. [722(g)(6)(A)(iii)]  State Coordinators for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth must coordinate with social services agencies, child development and preschool program personnel and other agencies to provide comprehensive services to preschoolers. [722(f)(4) and (5)(A)] 7

 Local liaisons must ensure that young homeless children have access to Head Start, Great Start, and other preschool programs sponsored, funded, or administered by the LEA  State Education Agency plans must describe procedures that ensure that homeless children have access to public preschool programs  The reauthorized Head Start legislation (Dec. 2007) includes many provisions designed to provide greater access to Head Start programs for young children experiencing homelessness  New resources from HHS Admin. for Children & Families (Jan. 2013) Federal Laws on Homeless Preschoolers 8

Michigan Preschool Requirements  Head Start Act of 2007 Performance Standards  Eligibility and enrollment  Access to community services and resources  Great Start Readiness Program  Because GSRP programs are funded through ISDs, these programs fall under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Act as “public preschool programs authorized by LEAs”  ALL McKinney-Vento requirements apply to Michigan GSRP programs  Public School Preschool Programs  ALL McKinney-Vento requirements apply to Michigan LEA-authorized/sponsored preschool programs 9

10  ALL MI COUNTIES and ISDs represented in M-V Homeless Education Grant Consortia  Over 96% of MI LEAs participating in M-V Grant Consortia  33 separate M-V grant consortia and M-V grant coordinators  Michigan’s “Safety Net” for homeless children and youth McKinney-Vento Grant Consortia

Homeless Prevalence 22 Source: The National Center on Family Homelessness, America’s Youngest Outcasts 2010, Children 0-18  Nationally, more than 1.6 million homeless* children; of which more than 42% are younger than 6 years old.  African American disproportionately represented (47%).  Single-mothers in their 20s with multiple young children at higher risk. * Based on HUD definition of homelessness 11

Sources: Single Record Student Database ( ) and Michigan Student Data System, unduplicated ( ) (13.6%) (12.5%) (70.0% * ) (68.0% * ) *A data collection change to align with a risk factor consolidation prevents a discrete count for homelessness separate from environmental risk. Michigan Great Start Readiness Program Head Start in Michigan (1.55%) (1.81%) (2.80%) (#.#%) PRESCHOOL (Total Counts Ages 3-5, not Kdgn) Enrolled NA Served NA Michigan Homeless Student Data 12

 42% of children in homeless families are under 6 years old, yet are significantly under-represented in preschool programs  1 in 5 homeless children 3 – 6 years old have emotional problems severe enough to require professional care  16% of homeless preschoolers have behavioral problems, including severe aggression and hostility  Are 4 times more likely than housed preschoolers to show developmental delays  Have 2 times the rate of learning disabilities as non- homeless peers  Are categorically eligible for Head Start/Early Head Start Homeless Preschoolers 13

FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO HOMELESSNESS  Lack of Affordable Housing  Economic Insecurity  Violence at Home  Behavioral Health  Lack of Social Support  Involvement in the Child Welfare System 14

FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO HOMELESSNESS Source: Children 0-18, The National Center on Family Homelessness, 15

NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES of HOMELESSNESS ON YOUNG CHILDREN  Family history and stresses are cumulative and impact how children and adults think, feel, behave and relate to others.  Cumulative nature increases risk and negative consequences  Research associates with trauma and changes in brain development  For young children, we must take into account the impact of homelessness on their mothers as well.  Children who are homeless are more likely to:  Suffer from acute and chronic medical illnesses  Have greater risk of exposure to environmental risks  Go hungry at twice the rate of other children  Have three times the rate of emotional and behavioral problems  Have difficulty in school  Much more data available… 16

Research on School Mobility  It takes children an average of 4-6 months to recover academically after changing schools.  Mobile students score 20 points lower on standardized tests than non-mobile students.  Mobile students are less likely to participate in extracurricular activities and more likely to act out or get into trouble.  Average test scores for non-mobile students were significantly lower in high schools with high student mobility rates.  Students who changed high schools even once were less than half as likely as stable students to graduate, even controlling for other factors. Project Forum at NASDSE, March 2007 National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth,

Impact of Homelessness on Children and Youth Research shows that homeless children are more likely to suffer from:  Health problems  Emotional and mental health problems  Developmental problems  4 times more likely to show delayed development  2 times as likely to have learning disabilities as non-homeless children. 18

Impact of Homelessness on Children and Youth Research shows that homeless children are more likely to suffer from:  Academic performance problems  2.5 times more likely to perform below grade level in math  1.5 times more likely to perform below grade level in reading  1.5 times more likely to perform below grade level in spelling 19

The Duties of Local Liaisons Local liaisons must ensure that:  Homeless children and youth are identified by school personnel and through coordination activities with other entities and agencies;  Homeless students enroll in, and have full and equal opportunity to succeed in, the schools of the LEA;  Homeless children and youth and their families receive educational services for which they are eligible, including  Head Start, Great Start & other LEA preschool programs  Special education services (including Part C)  Title I, Part A academic support services  Referrals to health, mental health, dental, and other appropriate services 20

The Duties of Local Liaisons continued Local liaisons must ensure that:  Parents or guardians of homeless children and youth are informed of educational and related opportunities available to their children, and are provided with meaningful opportunities to participate in the education of their children  Parents and guardians and unaccompanied youth are fully informed of all transportation services, including transportation to and from the school of origin, and are assisted in accessing transportation services  Enrollment disputes are mediated in accordance with the requirements of the McKinney-Vento Act  Public notice of the educational rights of homeless students is disseminated to locations where they receive services under the McKinney-Vento Act 21

Identifying Eligible MV Students Why don’t families or students just TELL THE SCHOOL?  Students and parents may try to hide their situation because they are embarrassed by their homelessness.  Parents fear of having children taken away often prevents families from revealing their living circumstances to school officials.  Unaccompanied youth may not report their homeless status for fear of being returned to unsafe family environments.  School personnel often do not understand the nature of homelessness and its causes, or the breadth of the federal definition of homelessness. 22

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Administration for Children and Families NEW RESOURCES (January, 2013):  ACF Dear Colleague Letter on the importance of providing early care and education (ECE) services to homeless children  ACF Fact Sheet: Policies and Procedures to Increase Access to ECE Services for Homeless Children and Families  ACF Fact Sheet: Strategies for Increasing ECE Services for Homeless Children  ACF Fact Sheet: Early Childhood and Family Homelessness Resource List 23

FOCUS ON THE INTERSECTION OF IDEA & McKINNEY-VENTO 24

Homeless Children and Youth with Disabilities  Nationally -  14% of homeless children are diagnosed with learning disabilities, double the rate of other children  54% of homeless children experience some sort of developmental delay  : 66,306 homeless students with disabilities were reported by public school districts  Michigan –  school year: 7,892 homeless students with disabilities were served by LEAs 25

IDEA and McKinney-Vento  IDEA specifically defines “homeless children” to include all children and youth considered homeless by McKinney-Vento. 1402(11);  IDEA specifically requires each public agency to ensure that the rights of unaccompanied homeless youth are protected (a)  Child Find - The State must ensure that all students with disabilities who need special education are identified, located, and evaluated: specifically includes homeless students, infants, and toddlers 1412(2)(3)(A); ( 26

Barriers to Special Education Caused by Homelessness  Not being identified as needing special education services  Difficulty with diagnosis due to mobility and other stressors  Lack of timely assessment, diagnosis, or service provision  Lack of continuity of services due to school transfers  Lack of timely or efficient records transfer when enrolling in a new school  Lack of an available parent or surrogate to represent the child or unaccompanied youth 27

How IDEA Serves Homeless Students  Federal law does not assign financial responsibility to any particular school district for special education placements when homeless students are crossing district lines to remain in their school of origin. States generally have their own policies, such as requiring the school district receiving state and federal money for the student to pay, or requiring the involved districts to share the cost. 34 CFR §  Evaluations for homeless children suspected of having disabilities should be expedited, as should the provision of required meetings and services. 28

What about Part C of IDEA?  Part C of IDEA requires States that accept Part C funds to make appropriate early intervention services available to infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families located in the State, including infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families who are homeless. 20 U.S.C. §§1434(1) and 1435(a)(2)  The State’s child find system provides that the State may conduct outreach to primary referral sources such as family shelters for the homeless, health service offices, and public schools by providing these entities with public awareness materials about the State’s Part C program. 34 CFR §

Coordinating IDEA and McKinney-Vento  Create and promote policies and practices for regular, ongoing communication and collaboration among IDEA and McKinney-Vento staff.  Review and, if necessary, revise state and local policies and practices so the necessary tools are available to address complex situations creatively, flexibly, and expeditiously.  REPEAT ANNUALLY!  When a complex situation arises, work as a team, utilizing a clear and consistent process to resolve the situation. 30

Questions? 31

Why we do what we do… “…Through it all, school is probably the only thing that has kept me going. I know that every day that I walk in those doors, I can stop thinking about my problems for the next six hours and concentrate on what is most important to me. Without the support of my school system, I would not be as well off as I am today. School keeps me motivated to move on, and encourages me to find a better life for myself.” Carrie Arnold, LeTendre Scholar,

Contact Information Homeless Education Program Office State Coordinator for Homeless Education Pam Kies-Lowe 33