McKinney-Vento Act
McKinney-Vento Education Program for Homeless Children and Youth
The Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act, which was signed into law in 1987, required states to review and revise residency requirements for the enrollment of homeless children and youth to address the challenges that they face in enrolling, attending, and succeeding in school.
This particularly vulnerable population of children has steadily increased over the years. According to Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) program data, national estimates from the 2006-07 school year to the 2013-14 school year show the total number of homeless children and youths doubling from 679,724 to 1,301,239 students.
The Stewart B. McKinney-Vento Education of Homeless Children and Youth (McKinney-Vento EHCY) program now provides students experiencing homelessness with protections and services to ensure they enroll in and attend school; complete their high school education and be positioned for success after graduation, so they may avoid poverty and homelessness as adults. Of the over 1.2 million children and youth experiencing homelessness in the United States, more than 17,000 were identified in the state of New Jersey during the 2023-2024 school year.
Under the McKinney-Vento Act, state educational agencies (SEAs) must ensure that each homeless child and youth has equal access to the same free, appropriate public education, including a public preschool education, as other children and youths. Homeless children and youths must have access to the educational and related services that they need to enable them to meet the same challenging state academic standards to which all students are held. In addition, homeless students may not be separated from the mainstream school environment. SEAs and local educational agencies (LEAs) are required to review and undertake steps to revise laws, regulations, practices, or policies that may act as barriers to the identification, enrollment, attendance, or success in school of homeless children and youths.
The tenets of the law provide children and youth experiencing homelessness with the following:
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Immediate enrollment even when records not present;
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Right to remain in the school of origin, if in the student's best interest;
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Transportation to the school of origin; and
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Support for academic success.