McKinney-Vento Information for Service Providers

The MKV Act defines homelessness as children and youth who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. This includes those who are:

• • • Sharing the housing of others due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or similar reasons.

    • Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodation.

    • Living in emergency shelters or transitional housing programs.

    • Living in cars, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, or similar settings.

    • Unaccompanied homeless youth, including any child or youth who is not in the physical custody of a parent or legal guardian. This includes youth who have run away from home, been abandoned, or separated from their parents for any reason.

    • Any situations listed above as the child of a migrant, refugee, or immigrant parent.

Download the MKV Information for Service Providers handout. 

To promote educational success and stability, the MKV Act mandates that students experiencing homelessness are afforded:

• • • A free, appropriate, and public education.

    • Enrollment in the local school where they are temporarily residing (school of residence) or continuous enrollment in the school they attended when permanently housed, or the school where they were last enrolled (school of origin).

    • Immediate school enrollment and full participation in all school activities, even when records/documentation usually required for enrollment are unavailable. This includes assistance with:

      • • • Obtaining supplies and clothing/uniforms necessary for school.

          • Outstanding fees/fines for all school-sponsored extracurricular activities and programs.

    • Transportation to and from their school of origin for the duration of homelessness, or the rest of the school year after becoming permanently housed.

    • The opportunity to be held to the same challenging academic standards as housed students and access to comparable services, including special education, Title I programs, and extracurricular activities.

    • A school experience free from stigmatization by school personnel.

    • Partial or full credit for all satisfactorily completed work from a prior school and assistance with credit recovery, tutoring, or other academic services as needed.

    • Referrals to relevant local social service agencies.

    • Free school meals, regardless of the family’s income level.

    • Categorical eligibility for services such as Title I, Head Start, Early Intervention, and other preschool programs.

    • The right to dispute a school’s eligibility or school placement decision.

    • Additional protections if identified as unaccompanied youth: (1) immediate enrollment and full participation without a parent or legal guardian, and (2) verification of their independent status for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Download the MKV Information for Service Providers handout. 

1)  If the shelter utilizes a release consent form, complete the form signed by the parent and submit it to the appropriate school liaison or agency.

• Forms are not required to be sent to ECYEH/BCIU unless further assistance is needed.

• All release consent forms related to the referral should be retained in the parent's file.

2)  During the shelter intake process, fill out the ECYEH intake form with the family. For all school-age youth, send the ECYEH intake form to the homeless liaison at the last school the child attended.

• If the parent wishes to transfer schools, please connect with the homeless liaison at the district in which the shelter is located.

• Encourage the family to advocate for their student’s educational needs.

• Forms are not required to be sent to ECYEH/BCIU unless further assistance is needed. Please direct any concerns to ECYEH Region 2 office at 610-987-8509 or send an email.

3)  Partner with the school to break down all educational barriers including:

• School clothing, shoes, and educational supplies.

• Immediate enrollment (without necessary documentation)

• School transportation

• Referrals to after-school programs and extracurricular activities

• Obtaining a school calendar (to monitor holiday breaks, parent conferences, etc.)

4)  Refer families with birth to five-year-olds to early childhood educational programs:

• Head Start and Early Head Start

• Pennsylvania’s Pre-K Counts

• Early Intervention 

• Early Learning Resource Center (childcare subsidy) 

Download the MKV Information for Service Providers handout. 

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