The McKinney-Vento Education of Homeless Children and Youth Assistance Act is a federal law that ensures immediate enrollment and educational stability for homeless children and youth. McKinney-Vento provides federal funding to states for the purpose of supporting district programs that serve homeless students.

McKinney-Vento Awareness

Produced by Seven Griddle Media through a contract with OSPI, this McKinney-Vento Awareness video series is intended to help school districts bring awareness to the services available for students and families experiencing homelessness in Washington state under the federal McKinney-Vento Act.

Defining Homeless

The McKinney-Vento Act defines homeless children as "individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence." The act provides examples of children who would fall under this definition:

• Children and youth sharing housing due to loss of housing, economic hardship or a similar reason
• Children and youth living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camp grounds due to lack of alternative accommodations
• Children and youth living in emergency or transitional shelters
• Children and youth abandoned in hospitals
• Children and youth whose primary nighttime residence is not ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation (e.g. park benches, etc)
• Children and youth living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations
• Migratory children and youth living in any of the above situations

Resources

• American Rescue Plan—Education of Homeless Children and Youth (ARP-HCY)
  • Funding Information
  • Guidance for Substandard Housing Determination 
  • FAQ on Allowable Uses of ARP
• ARP-HCY Technical Support and Professional Development
  • Session 1: Supplementing Not Supplanting Part 1: Maximizing the Impact of ARP-HCY Funds
  • Session 2: Supplementing Not Supplanting Part 2: Allowable Uses of ARP-HCY Funds
  • Session 3: The Proof is in the Data: Basic Data Collection of ARP-HCY