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McKinney-Vento Act
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
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)
- ARP-HCY Technical Support and Professional Development