Pennsylvania's Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program
The main purpose of the Pennsylvania's Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program is to make sure homeless youth have access to appropriate education while removing barriers that homeless children face. Its goal is to have the educational process continue as uninterrupted as possible while the children are in homeless situations. Some of the other main objectives of the Pennsylvania's Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program are to inform local school districts of their responsiblities to homeless children and youth, to increase awareness about the needs of homeless children, explain current legislation and policies, and provide practiacal tips for working with homeless children.
| McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Improvements Act of 2001 |
On July 22, 1987, the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act became public law. This was the first comprehensive federal law dealing with the problems of homelessness in America. Recently included in the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act, it is now called the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Improvements Act of 2001.
Homeless Education Liasion Toolkit and McKinney-Vento Issue Briefs discussing sleected issues pertaining to the McKinney-Vento
Homeless Assistance Act:
Pennsylvania's Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program State Plan:
- Informs school districts of their responsibility to homeless children and youth;
- Provides policies that bring the state into compliance with federal law; and
- Outlines assurances to be sure homeless students have equal access to a quality education.
The goal of the program is to ensure homeless children and youth are provided with a free and appropriate public education on an equal basis with all other children in the state. Program objectives and activities are intended to remove and/or ease the barriers to enrollment and educational success for homeless children.
Some key components of the State Plan, as quoted from the McKinney-Vento Act are:
- Each state educational agency shall ensure that each child of a homeless individual and each homeless youth has equal access to the same free, appropriate public education, including a public preschool education, as provided to other children and youths.
- In any state that has a compulsory residency requirement as a component of the state's compulsory school attendance laws or other laws, regulations, practices, or policies that may act as a barrier to the enrollment, attendance, or success in school of homeless children and youths, the state will review and undertake steps to revise such laws, regulations, practices, or policies to ensure that homeless children and youths are afforded the same free, appropriate public education as provided to other children and youths.
- Homelessness alone is not sufficient reason to separate students from the mainstream school environment.
- Homeless children and youths should have access to the education and other services that such children and youths need to ensure that such children and youths have an opportunity to meet the same challenging state student academic achievement standards to which all students are held.
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