McKinney-Vento Act

Contact Information

Melinda Dyer
McKinney-Vento Education of Homeless Children and Youth Assistant Director

Keith Woodruff
McKinney-Vento Program Supervisor
District duties | Rights of students

Vivian Rogers Decker
Homeless Student Stability Education Program Supervisor

Melissa Rilette Burnce
McKinney-Vento Training Program Supervisor

Jill Kawulok
Program Specialist | ARP-HCY

Lydia Lemon
Administrative Assistant 

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