The purpose of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Children and Youth Program is to ensure that all children and youth, including preschoolers, have equal access to the same free and appropriate public education, as non-homeless children and youth.

McKinney-Vento Homeless Definition

Homeless students can be highly mobile and lack long-term housing. Students who are experiencing homelessness often experience interruptions in their education and fall behind in school. Maintaining educational stability should be a priority for schools and districts when working with students who are experiencing homelessness.

WHO MEETS THE DEFINITION OF HOMELESS?

Students meet the McKinney-Vento definition of homeless when they lack a fixed, regular, adequate nighttime residence. Students who are sharing the housing of another person (doubled up) due to loss of housing, economic hardship or similar reason meet the definition of homeless. This includes students living in motels, hotels, RV parks or campgrounds due to lack of alternative adequate accommodations, as well as those living in emergency or transitional shelters or abandoned in hospitals.

ARE MIGRANT STUDENTS CONSIDERED HOMELESS?

While migrant students are not always homeless, some may meet the definition of homeless under McKinneyVento. If a student is a migrant worker or has parents who are migrant workers and the student lacks a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence, the student is eligible for McKinney-Vento benefits. The living arrangements of migrant students should be considered on a case-by-case basis. It might be helpful to ask questions about the type of housing, mailing address, stability of utilities or how many families are living in the student’s home to better determine if the Act applies to the student.

from ODE’s McKinney-Vento Homeless Act Guidance │ November 2017

McKinney-Vento Resources