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Serving Children and Families Experiencing Homelessness

January 14, 2010

Program Self-Assessment to Increase HS/EHS Services to Families and Children Experiencing Homelessness

Recruitment

•  What types of shelters are located in your communities?

–  Family shelters

–  Domestic violence shelters

–  Substance abuse shelters

–  Transitional housing

–  Other

•  Are there campgrounds, trailer parks and motels in your communities?

•  Are there sections of your service area that have traditionally been areas where families are doubled up?

•  Have you developed relationships with these agencies, organizations, and housing advocates?

•  How can you learn more about where families are living while waiting for subsidized housing?

•  Have you developed strategies to recruit children from areas where homeless families reside in your communities?

•  Does your program update your Community Assessment with local homeless data for program planning?

•  Has your program developed specific selection criteria for prioritizing homeless children?

•  Are there questions on your application form that can alert your staff to the instability of a family’s housing situation?

Selection Criteria

•  Does your enrollment staff need training to better understand Head Start’s priority status for homeless children and families?

•  Does your enrollment staff know the addresses of all shelters and motels in your service area? Are they aware of other locations such as campgrounds, etc.?

•  How does your program document a family’s homeless status?

•  How does your program follow up with pending applications from homeless families?

Enrollment of Homeless Children

•  Does your program have a MOU with area shelters that addresses contact protocol, ongoing communication, joint staff training, transportation issues and transition plans?

•  Does your program have a plan for obtaining necessary paperwork once the child is enrolled?

Attendance Issues for Homeless Children

•  Does your program track attendance of homeless children differently?

•  Does your program have a classroom late policy that supports the attendance of homeless children?

•  Has your program developed a specialized transition plan to help homeless children and parents separate?

•  How can your program work with shelter staff to improve the attendance of homeless children?

•  How can your program help homeless parents understand the importance of regular attendance?

Stacy Dimino, Project Director MA TTA Center at the Education Development Center, Inc.

A member of the National Head Start Training and Technical Assistance Network