Welcome

McKinney-Vento Homelessness Virtual Training

2026-2027

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Purpose: To focus on collaboration, communication, and coordination in identifying and providing services for children and youth affected by homelessness in Arkansas.

McKinney-Vento Definition of Homeless

Homeless children and youth are “individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence”.

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• Fixed – Stationary…permanent…not subject to change
• Regular – Used on a predictable, routine, consistent nightly basis
• Adequate – Meets physical and psychological needs

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Housing Situations for Identification

• Sharing housing due to economic hardship or lack of housing---Doubled Up
• Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camp grounds due to lack of alternative accommodations---Hotel/Motel
• Living in emergency or transition shelters---Shelter
• Primary nighttime residence is not ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation---Inadequate
• Living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, etc…---Unsheltered

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Duties of the District Homeless Liaison

• Each local educational agency liaison for homeless children and youths, designated under paragraph (1)(J)(ii), shall ensure that—
• (i) homeless children and youths are identified by school personnel through outreach and coordination activities with other entities and agencies;
• (ii) homeless children and youths are enrolled in, and have a full and equal opportunity to succeed in, schools of that local educational agency;
• (iii) homeless families and homeless children and youths have access to and receive educational services for which such families, children, and youths are eligible, including services through Head Start programs (including Early Head Start programs) under the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.), early intervention services under Part C of the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.), and other preschool programs administered by the local educational agency;

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Duties of the District Homeless Liaison

• (iv) homeless families and homeless children and youths receive referrals to health care services, dental services, mental health and substance abuse services, housing services, and other appropriate services;
• (v) the parents or guardians of homeless children and youths are informed of the educational and related opportunities available to their children and are provided with meaningful opportunities to participate in the education of their children;
• (vi) public notice of the educational rights of homeless children and youths is disseminated in locations frequented by parents or guardians of such children and youths, and unaccompanied youths, including schools, shelters, public libraries, and soup kitchens, in a manner and form understandable to parents and guardians of homeless children and youths, and unaccompanied youths;
• (vii) enrollment disputes are mediated in accordance with paragraph (3)(E); and

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District Liaisons Duties

• viii) the parent or guardian of a homeless child or youth, and any unaccompanied youth, is fully informed of all transportation services, including transportation to the school of origin, as described in paragraph (1)(J)(iii), and is assisted in accessing transportation to the school that is selected under paragraph (3)(A);
• (ix) school personnel providing services under this subtitle receive professional development and other support; and
• (x) unaccompanied youths –
1. are enrolled in school;

(II) have opportunities to meet the same challenging State academic standards as the State establishes for other children and youth, including through implementation of the procedures under paragraph (1)(F)(ii); and

• (III) are informed of their status as independent students under section 480 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087vv) and that the youths may obtain assistance from the local educational agency liaison to receive verification of such status for purposes of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid described in section 483 of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1090).

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McKinney-Vento

• The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) amended the McKinney-Vento Act to include preschools specifically within the definition of “school of origin.”[i] As a result, children experiencing homelessness can remain in the preschool they attended when permanently housed, or the preschool in which they were last enrolled, if that is in their best interest.[ii] This right to remain in the same preschool includes the right to receive transportation to preschool (even if preschool transportation is not typically provided)[iii], and continues for as long as the child is homeless, and until the end of the academic year in which the child moves into permanent housing.[iv]
• [i] 42 U.S.C. §11432(g)(3)(I).
• [ii] 42 U.S.C. §11432(g)(3)(A).
• [iii] 42 U.S.C. §11432(g)(1)(J)(iii).
• [iv] 42 U.S.C. §11432(g)(3)(B).

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Preschool under the McKinney-Vento Act�

• Children experiencing homelessness can remain in the preschool they attended when permanently housed, or the preschool in which they were last enrolled, if that is in their best interest. This includes the right to receive transportation to preschool (even if preschool transportation is not typically provided), and continues for as long as the child is homeless, and until the end of the academic year in which the child moves into permanent housing.
• Local educational agencies (LEAs) must enroll children experiencing homelessness immediately, even if they do not have typically required documents, or have missed application or enrollment deadlines during any period of homelessness. Therefore, if a preschool program has space, children experiencing homelessness must be enrolled immediately, even if they cannot produce proof of age or immunizations, or have missed an application or enrollment deadline.
• In order to ensure that preschool programs can accommodate children experiencing homelessness who come into the area after the enrollment period, LEAs should allocate and hold open slots for such children, or prioritize them on wait lists. LEA liaisons should help families experiencing homelessness enroll in preschool programs as early as possible, as these programs often begin enrollment well before the start of the school year.

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This will conclude our annual training.

If you come across a student that you feel is experiencing homelessness then contact:

Charla Morgan-Ayala or Carla Wardlaw at 870-226-8500.