The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act ensures educational rights and protections for children and youth experiencing homelessness. In Placer County there are an estimated 1550 homeless children and youth. The Placer County Office of Education's Educational Services Department provides support and resources to the 18 school districts in the county and county-wide charter schools to implement McKinney-Vento. Technical assistance and training is available to the district homeless liaisons and other staff who are involved in working with homeless children and youth.
The term homeless children and youth means individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. This definition also includes:
Children and youth who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason
Children who may be living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, shelters, or awaiting foster care placement
Children and youth who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings
Children and youth who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings, or
Migratory children who qualify as homeless because they are children who are living in similar circumstances listed above
The Placer County Homeless Network (PCHN) is a county-wide consortium, composed of four lead School Districts who share responsibility in ensuring educational opportunities for students in homeless situations. PCHN is committed to providing needed resources to students who lack fixed, regular, or adequate residency through a multi-district approach to assist students in reaching their maximum educational and vocational potential and overall well-being. PCHN members are working interdependently to ensure all students and families have equal and appropriate access to all services and programs available to them, including but not limited to, Gifted and Talented Education, AVID, Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, Special Education, Indian Education, English Learner Programs, Career Technical Education Pathways, Title I, school meal programs, before and after-school programs, Transitional Kindergarten, Seal of Bi-literacy, and preschool programs, without being stigmatized or segregated on the basis of their homeless status. School enrollment, school stability, and academic success for all Placer County McKinney-Vento eligible students are the primary goals of PCHN.
For more information regarding the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act visit the California Department of Education – Homeless Education at http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/hs/.
