Purpose

The McKinney-Vento Program is designed to address the problems that homeless children and youth face in enrolling, attending, and succeeding in school. Under this program, the SCDE must ensure that each homeless child and youth has equal access to the same free, appropriate public education, including a public preschool education, as other children and youth.

Homeless children and youth must have access to the educational and other services that they need to enable them to meet the same challenging State student academic achievement standards to which all students are held. In addition, homeless students may not be separated from the mainstream school environment based solely on the fact that they are experiencing homelessness.

Who is homeless?

The Federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act defines children and youth who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence as homeless. This includes children and youths who:

• share the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason (sometimes referred to as “doubled-up”);

• live in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to lack of alternative adequate accommodations;

• live in emergency or transitional shelters;

• are abandoned in hospitals;

• have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings;

• live in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing (e.g., housing that lacks any one of the fundamental utilities, does not have working a kitchen or plumbing, is overcrowded, or infested),  bus or train stations, or similar settings; and

• Migratory children who qualify as homeless because they are living in circumstances described above.

• Unaccompanied youth who qualify as homeless because they are living in circumstances described above.

Students whose living situations meet this definition have educational rights and are eligible to receive services under the McKinney-Vento Act.

What You Need to Know to Help Your Child in School - English

Lo que Necesita Saber para Ayudar a Su Hijo en la escuela - Spanish

School Help for Homeless Children with Disabilities:  Information for Parents

Educational Rights of Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness

Find Child Care 

Birth to 5:  Watch Me Thrive - Families  

Every family looks forward to seeing a child’s first smile, first step, and first words. Regular screenings help raise awareness of a child’s development, making it easier to celebrate milestones and identify possible development concerns as early as possible. With early and regular screening, you can make sure that your children get the support they need to succeed in school and thrive alongside their peers. 

• Information for Parents on How Schools Can Help After Disasters

• Five Key Policies for Schools to Support Children & Youth Displaced by Disasters

• Disaster Resources

School Level Coordinator Resources

Enrollment Survey Resources

Homeless Funds Request Form

Determining Eligibility

SC Homeless Youth Birth Certificate Assistance Flow Chart 

McKinney-Vento Eligibility Verification Form for Shared Housing

McKinney-Vento Eligibility Verification Form for Shared Housing - Spanish

Flowchart for McKinney-Vento Eligibility Determinations

Identifying Children and Youth in Homeless Situations

Confirming Eligibility for McKinney-Vento Rights and Services

Potential Warning Signs of Homelessness

Serving Homeless Children and Youth in Charter Schools

Educational Rights of Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness

Highly Mobile Students and Reading Instruction

Transporting Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness

Child Trauma Toolkit for Educators - The National Child Traumatic Stress Network

McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act

McKinney-Vento Non-Regulatory Guidance

NAEHCY Multilingual McKinney-Vento Information Posters 

U.S. Department of Education Guidance on Homeless Children with Disabilities

Foster Care and Homelessness Training 1/26/2021

Preschool/Early Childhood Resources

Here are a few things to keep in mind at the beginning of the year to ensure the school is meeting the needs of students and families experiencing homelessness:

Collect Enrollment Surveys

• 1. If a family checks a box other than "single family house/apartment/trailer," those should be forwarded to the Homeless Liaison for further eligibility evaluation and needs assessment.

  2. If it is determined that the student is experiencing homelessness, code the student appropriately in PowerSchool, and conduct a needs assessment. (Homeless PowerSchool Coding Directions)

  3. See page 6 of the Enrollment Survey Guidelines for more information.

  4. If it is determined that the student has educational needs, such as uniforms, transportation, supplies, etc., please reach out to Becky Huggins, Federal Grants Coordinator, at rhuggins@sccharter.org for further instructions on how to meet those needs.  

Post Information for Parents Poster and other Resources

Also, be sure that the school has the Information for Parents poster visible for parents in a language that they can understand.  You can order free resource materials for your parenting center here. Multilingual Posters can be found here. 

August 20, 2025 McKinney-Vento/Homeless: Staying on Track with Compliance & Claims for Student Support Breakout (PowerPoint)

September 05, 2024 Federal Programs/Finance Kick-Off Homeless Breakout (PowerPoint)

September 28, 2022 Federal Programs University, Guest Kimberly Humphrey, SCDE, McKinney-Vento.org (PowerPoint, Recording)

February 2023 - Homeless Liaison Training Part I (PowerPoint, Recording)

February 2023 - Homeless Liaison Training Part II (PowerPoint, Power School Coding PowerPoint, Recording, Breakout Session Notes, Liaison Time Log)

January 2022 - Agenda:  McKinney-Vento/Homelessness, Grant Updates and Reminders, Amendments, Expiring Grants  (PowerPoint, Recording)

Sample Questions to Ask the Students or Parents for Information Gathering

Determining Eligibility

Enrollment Survey Resources

Flowchart for McKinney-Vento Eligibility Determinations

Identifying Children and Youth in Homeless Situations

Confirming Eligibility for McKinney-Vento Rights and Services

Potential Warning Signs of Homelessness

Serving Homeless Children and Youth in Charter Schools

Educational Rights of Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness

Highly Mobile Students and Reading Instruction

Transporting Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness

Child Trauma Toolkit for Educators - The National Child Traumatic Stress Network

McKinney-Vento Enrollment Process

McKinney-Vento Transportation Process

McKinney-Vento Dispute Resolution Process

McKinney-Vento Dispute Resolution Appeal Form

McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act

McKinney-Vento Non-Regulatory Guidance

U.S. Department of Education Guidance on Homeless Children with Disabilities