The McKinney-Vento Act’s Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) program and Title I Part A provide students experiencing homelessness with protections and services to ensure they can enroll in and attend school, complete their high school education, and continue on to higher education — their best hope of avoiding poverty and homelessness as adults. The “Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015,” (ESSA), strengthens and improves these programs and the education of over 1.3 million children and youth experiencing homelessness, from early childhood through high school graduation.
The amendments to the McKinney-Vento Act went into effect on October 1, 2016. The educational stability amendments for children in foster care went into effect on December 10, 2016. The homelessness amendments to Title I, Part A will take effect after the 2016-2017 academic year.
ESSA RESOURCES AND TOOLS
- Legislation, Guidance, and Regulations – This page contains summaries of amendments, links to the text of the law, and links to U.S. Department of Education guidance and regulations.
- Implementation and Technical Assistance Tools – This page contains answers to Frequently Asked Questions; guides on transportation, designating liaisons, and school fees; sample local policies, monitoring checklists, and other state and local documents to assist implementation.
- Training and Professional Development Resources – This page contains powerpoint presentations, pop quizzes, scenarios, and videos for training schools and communities.
- ESSA and Children in Foster Care – This page contains information and resources on the ESSA amendments related to children and youth in foster care.