McKinney-Vento (Homeless)

The McKinney­-Vento Act is a federal law developed to ensure enrollment and educational stability for homeless children and youth. Every homeless youth has access to the same free, appropriate public education, including preschool education, as other children and youth. The law seeks to remove any barriers created by other laws, regulations, practices, and policies that might keep children experiencing homelessness from receiving the same educational experience. Students who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence are eligible for services guaranteed under the McKinney­-Vento Act.

This provision includes: 

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

OSSD Policy JQN