Resources for Homeless Children and Youth

Sample forms and templates are provided for districts to meet federal and state program compliance. Items related to Consolidated Program Review are identified by item number.

Dispute Resolution

• Dispute Resolution Process Program Review item 10.2.
  • Also available in Amharic | Cambodian | Dari | Hmong | Korean | Marshallese | Punjabi | Russian | Spanish | Tagalog | Ukrainian | Vietnamese
• Sample Dispute Process Paperwork
  • Also available in Amharic | Cambodian | Dari | Hmong | Korean | Marshallese | Punjabi | Russian | Spanish | Tagalog | Ukrainian | Vietnamese

Transportation Toolkit

Program Review item 10.3

• Sample In Lieu of Transportation Agreement
• Sample Student Transportation Request
• Sample Transportation Agreement
• Sample Transportation Referral Form
• Transportation Q & A
• Access & Opportunity in Education and Student Transportation Transportation Technical Assistance Paper

Sample Forms

• McKinney-Vento Enrollment Checklist
• Child Find Screening - Program Review Item 10.8. Also available in Amharic | Cambodian | Kinyarwanda | Korean | Marshallese | Pashto | Punjabi | Russian | Spanish | Tagalog | Tigrinya | Ukrainian | Vietnamese
• FAFSA-Independent Student Verification Form - Program Review Item 10.7
• Housing Questionnaire - Program Review Item 10.5. Also available in Amharic | Cambodian | Korean | Marshallese | Punjabi | Russian | Spanish | Tagalog | Ukrainian | Vietnamese
• Intake Form | Spanish - Program Review Item 10.6
• Sample End of School Year Letter for McKinney-Vento Parents/Guardians. Also available in Amharic | Arabic | Burmese | Chinese | Khmer | Kinyarwanda | Korean | Marshallese | Nepali | Pashto | Persian | Punjabi | Russian | Somali | Spanish | Tagalog | Tigrinya | Ukrainian | Vietnamese
  *Please use your school district's letterhead.
• Sample Informed Consent for Health Care authorization form RCW 7.70.065 authorizes school nurses, school counselors, or homeless student liaisons to provide consent for non-emergency outpatient primary care services for unaccompanied homeless students.
• Sample Statement of Attestation - Program Review item 10.4

Legislation, Bulletins, and Guidance

Legislation

• McKinney-Vento Education of Homeless Children and Youth Assistance Act
• FAQ on the Educational Rights of Children and Youth in Homeless Situations (NAEHCY)
• RCW 28A.320.192: On-time grade level progression and graduation of students who are homeless, dependent, at-risk youth or children, or have been released from an institutional education facility—Rules.
  • On-Time Grade Level Progression and Graduation for Highly Mobile Students—A Guide to Implementing RCW 28A.320.192 Awarding partial credit and credit accrual.
• RCW 7.70.065: Informed consent—Persons authorized to provide for patients who are not competent—Priority
  • Informed consent for health care for students experiencing homelessness.
• Homeless Student Stability education Program (HSSeP) SB5324 - Homeless Student Stability and Opportunity Gap Act
• RCW 28A.3220.142: Unaccompanied and homeless youth—Building point of contact—Duty of district liaison for students experiencing homelessness.

Bulletins

• Bulletin 045-25 regarding local homeless liaison contact information/required training surveys.
• Bulletin 038-25 and Attachment 1: Identification of Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness regarding annual McKinney-Vento student data collection.
• Bulletin 048-18 regarding participation in extracurricular activities for students experiencing homelessness. 

Guidance 

McKinney-Vento Guidance 

• Non-Regulatory Guidance: U.S. Department of Education
• Designating and Supporting a Local Homeless Liaison: A Guide for School District Administrators in Washington guidance designed to assist SDs to assign a liaison who can fulfill the duties outlined in the law.
• FAQ on the Educational Rights of Children and Youth in Homeless Situations (NAEHCY)
• Guidance for Substandard Housing Determination 

Trainings and Webinars

McKinney-Vento Training

Training for Liaisons and Building Points of Contact

• Session 1: September/October 2025 McKinney-Vento Fall Liaison Training | Presentation Slides
• Session 2: September/October 2025 McKinney-Vento Fall Liaison Training | Presentation Slides
• McKinney-Vento Orientation for New Liaisons
• Building Points of Contact Training February 1, 2023 or February 22, 2023
  • Part 1: Building Points of Contact Basics
  • Part 2: Understanding the Housing Continuum
  • Part 3: Migrant Education and Credit Conversions and Equivalencies
  • Part 4: Graduation, FAFSA/WAFSA, and Postsecondary Opportunities
• NCHE Webinars
• McKinney-Vento: Deeper Dive series, presented by Building Changes. 
  • This series was contracted by OSPI in collaboration with Building Changes.  
    • McKinney-Vento Deeper Dive into Practice January 18, 2023
    • Capturing Data for McKinney-Vento Storytelling February 15, 2024
    • Navigating the Housing System March 8, 2023
    • School/Housing Community Partnership March 22, 2023
    • Serving Specific Student and Family Populations April 5, 2023
    • Navigating the School System July 12, 2023
    • Diversion in Schools: A Snapshot September 28, 2023

The Liaison Training Survey is required to document the completion of any of the above trainings. 

Training for School and District Staff

• McKinney-Vento PowerPoint Slides for District-Level Staff Training
• Companion Activity Guide to Accompany McKinney-Vento PowerPoint Slides for District-Level Staff Training
• McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program: School Staff Resource This resource is designed to assist the various roles in a school district with supporting students experiencing homelessness.
• McKinney-Vento Awareness Video Series
• "We Need a Little Time..."
  • This training video on Family and Youth Homelessness in Washington state features students and parents sharing their experience with homelessness. The video also includes interviews with school district liaisons and staff. Filming and production were done by Diane Nilan with Hear Us Inc.

Webinars

• Migratory and Multilingual Students Experiencing Homelessness Presentation Slides | January 14, 2026
• McKinney-Vento and School Health Services | Presentation Slides | April 15, 2025
• McKinney-Vento New Liaison Training and Refresher | Presentation Slides | February 19, 2025
• McKinney-Vento and the Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) | Presentation Slides | January 29, 2025
• McKinney-Vento and Foster Care: Building Points of Contact | Presentation Slides | January 6, 2025
• McKinney-Vento Collaborations and Connections | December 5, 2024
• McKinney-Vento and the Department of Licensing | Presentation Slides | November 21, 2024
• McKinney-Vento vs. Foster Care | Presentation Slides | November 7, 2024
• McKinney-Vento: Building Bridges with Warm Hand-Offs | Presentation Slides | October 8, 2024
• McKinney-Vento and Refugees and Immigrants Presentation Slides | October 2, 2024
• McKinney-Vento Back to School Basics | Presentation Slides | August 7, 2024
• McKinney-Vento End-of-Year Tasks Webinar | Presentation Slides | June 3, 2024
• McKinney-Vento Discipline Webinar | Presentation Slides | May 15, 2024
• McKinney-Vento Attendance Webinar Presentation Slides | May 9, 2024
• McKinney-Vento Basics Webinar | Presentation Slides | April 16, 2024
• McKinney-Vento Transportation Webinar | Presentation Slides | February 13, 2024
• Healthy Youth Survey and Students Experiencing Homelessness | Presentation Slides
• Accessing and Using Data to Improve Your McKinney-Vento Program | Presentation Slides | June 2021
• Identification of Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness | Presentation Slides | 2022
• SchoolHouse Connection Webinars
  • Accessing Health and Mental Care for Students Experiencing Homelessness | Presentation Slides
  • Serving Immigrant Students Experiencing Homelessness
  • Serving Native American Students Experiencing Homelessness
• NCHE Webinars

ARP-HCY Technical Support and Professional Development Series

SchoolHouse Connection, in partnership with OSPI, has provided technical support for recipients of American Rescue Plan – Homeless Children and Youth grant funding (ARP-HCY).

• 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

State and National Partners

• National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY): Law and Federal Guidance, National Conference
• National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE): Law and Federal Guidance, Webinars, Legislative Updates, Issue Briefs
  • Educating Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness: Summary of Research 2015-2022
  • NCHE Helpline: 1-305-306-8495 or NCHE.helpline@safalpartners.com
• SchoolHouse Connection: Webinars, Legislative Updates, Q&A, Chapin Hall Study
• Washington Commerce Office of Homeless Youth (OHY)