Skip To Main Content

Education for Homeless Children & Youth

image-colorful-hands-reaching-across-racial-divides-solidarity-juneteenth

Back to School

Back to School supply delivery from Schools' First Credit Union!

Education for Homeless Children & Youth:

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (McKinney-Vento Act) (42 U.S.C. § 11431-11435) is federal legislation that ensures the educational rights and protections of children and youth experiencing homelessness and provides these students with much-needed stability, safety, and support. This means that all local educational agencies (LEA) must ensure that each child and youth experiencing homelessness has equal access to the same free, appropriate public education as other children and that barriers to identification, enrollment, and retention in school are identified and removed.

The Yuba County Office of Education, Prevention Support and Services provides support and resources to the school districts, county community schools, and county-wide charter schools under its jurisdiction in the implementation of McKinney-Vento. Technical assistance and training are available to district homeless liaisons and other staff who work with homeless children and youth and their families.

Additionally, the Program Coordinator serves as the County Liaison to resolve the appeal of the LEA dispute decision regarding eligibility, school selection, and enrollment before the appeal to the California Department of Education (CDE) Homeless Education Program.​

  1. Definition of Homeless. The McKinney-Vento Act defines homeless children and youth as individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. This definition also includes:
    • Children and youth who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason
    • Children and youth who may be living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, shelters
    • Children and youth who 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
    • Children and youth who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings, or
  2. Dispute Resolution
    • For appeals of dispute decisions from the district – Provide description of process and timelines to file an appeal.
    • For resolving disputes at the county-operated schools – Provide description of process and timelines for the dispute resolution.
    • Enrollment Dispute Resolution Forms
  3. Resources