Casting a Wide Net to Support Young Children Experiencing

Homelessness

Patricia A. Popp, Ph.D.

The College of William and Mary

Creating Connections to Shining StarsJuly 23, 2013

Agenda

• Why we need to work together– Legislation

– Research

• Virginia’s story

• Promising practices & resources

• Questions and your ideas

Risk Factors

• Housing

• Inconsistent and inadequate health care

• Inadequate nutrition

• Adolescent mothers

• Disrupted or limited family support

• Emotional stress or depression

WARM UP QUESTIONS

How many new neural connections are made each second?

1. 200

2. 400

3. 500

4. 700

5. 850

At what age do disparities in vocabulary appear?

1. 6 months

2. 12 months

3. 18 months

4. 2 years

5. 3 years

When children experience 6-7 risk factors, what is the chance of development delay?

1. 25 – 50%

2. 50 – 75%

3. 75 – 85%

4. 90 – 100%

What are the odds of adult heart disease after 7-8 adverse childhood experiences (ACE)?

1. 3:1

2. 5:1

3. 10:1

4. 20:1

What is the estimated return on investment for early childhood programs? (for each dollar spent)

1. $2 - $4

2. $4 - $9

3. $10 - $15

Why We Need to Work Together

…because we have to…

The laws say so…

Who is Homeless?

• McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act - ESEA, Title X, Part C

• Same definition referenced in – IDEA 2004– Child Nutrition Act– Head Start Act– Higher Education Act

McKinney-Vento ESEA, Title X, Part C

“(f) FUNCTIONS OF THE OFFICE OF COORDINATOR- The Coordinator for Education of Homeless Children and Youths established in each State shall--

(1) gather reliable, valid, and comprehensive information on the nature and extent of the problems homeless children and youths have in gaining access to public preschool programs and to public elementary schools and secondary schools, the difficulties in identifying the special needs of such children and youths, any progress made by the State educational agency and local educational agencies in the State in addressing such problems and difficulties, and the success of the programs under this subtitle in allowing homeless children and youths to enroll in, attend, and succeed in, school;” (Section 722(f)(1))

Head Start State Collaboration Office

“ The state receiving the [HSSCO] grant shall…ensure that the collaboration described …involves coordination of Head Start services with …services for homeless children.”

Head Start Act Section 640(a)(5)(c )

IDEA: Child Find

• The State must ensure that all students with disabilities who need special education are identified, located, and evaluated: specifically includes students experiencing homelessness, including infants and toddlers.

1412(a)(3)(A), 1435; 300.111

• Part C, too: A statewide system must include “a comprehensive child find system, consistent with Part B, including a system for making referrals to service providers … that ensures rigorous standards for appropriately identifying infants and toddlers.”

1435; 303.301(b)

• Since McKinney-Vento liaisons must identify children and youth who are homeless, this is an excellent area for cross-program collaboration

An individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, including children and youth :

sharing housing due to loss of housing or economic hardship

living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to lack of alternative adequate housing

living in emergency or transitional housing

Defining homelessness for EHCY

Including children and youth :

abandoned in hospitals

awaiting foster care

having a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, regular sleeping accommodations

Defining homeless-ness (cont’d)

living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations

migratory students meeting the description unaccompanied youth meeting the

description

How eligibility is determined by a liaison: http://center.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/det_elig.pdf

Defining homeless-ness (cont’d)

What Does the McKinney-Vento Act Ensure?*

• Immediate enrollment and full participation in classes

• Access to programs and support• School stability• Child-centered best interest decision making

*compulsory education

…because we need to…

What we do changes lives…

Children Experiencing Homelessness

• One in 45 children (NCFH, 2011)

• Families with young children are the fastest growing subgroup

Young Children Experiencing

Homelessness

• Nationally, more than half of all sheltered children were under age 6

• Virginia, 45% of children in homeless shelters under age of five. (3470 of 5552 in 2010)

Poverty & Special Needs

• “Poverty and its attendant stressors have the potential to shape the neurobiology of the developing child in powerful ways…” (Duncan, Ziol-guest, Kalil, 2010)

• Experiences build brain architecture– Connections and pruning

Homeless and Special Needs

• “Compared to middle class peers and low-income children who are housed, “young homeless children experience more developmental delays, emotional problems such as anxiety and depression, and behavior issues.”

Education Law Center, 2010

Center on the Developing Child

• Jack Shonkoff

• http://developingchild.harvard.edu

Virginia retrospective

Some past and current initiatives

• ECEN

• VA Commission on Youth Study – Shelter Child Services Coordinators

• ECSE PP

• ECSE homeless grant (2003)

• CCSSC

• Head Start Task Force

• VICC

• http://eipd.vcu.vcu

What’s your landscape?

Promising Practices and Resources

• http://center.serve.org/nche/pr/parent_pack.php

• Parent Pak adapted for younger children

• Summary of state early childhood programs

• “One stop shop” website

• Good connections

• Training – implementation focus

Tips for discussing/identifying

• Avoid using “homeless”• Focus on temporary nature of housing or

being in transition• Describe the type of residence:

– Shelter, transitional housing– Hotel/motel– Living temporarily with family or friends due to

economic hardship– Other

• Reluctance

Homelessness Online Lessons

From the National Center on Parent, Family, and Community Engagement

http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/family/Family%20and%20Community%20Partnerships/Crisis%20Support/Homelessness/homelessness.html

Implementation Challenges

• Verification: who is homeless

• Enrollment records

• Building relationships – shelters and liaisons

• Lack of space

• Mobility and lack of notice• Transportation

Enrollment Records

• Caution: sensitive residence verification

• New on-line immunization database

• Coordination with schools

• Parent Pack

• Need for extended timeline?

No room in the inn!

• Early registration timelines: Current families register and allow another homeless family to take the space?

• Help before office enrollment– Invite to socialization activities– Provide books or toys

• Home visiting when doubled up or shelter space are inappropriate– Open up HS place space, classrooms, etc.

Mobility and lack of notice

• Build trust

• Have other contacts on file – release of information

• Emphasize mobility, transition rather than “homeless”

• Recognize fear to share what basics are not available

Transportation

• Significant barrier to participation• If parent has a car, reimburse for mileage or

use gas cards• Explore coordination with schools:

preschool, ECSE programs• Use public transportation bus/metro

tickets/passes• Use feasibility worksheet to determine

school of origin for stability:

• State– Training - Regional, Part C Early Intervention Specialists

on MV

• Head Start/Early Head Start/VPI– MV training for registrars, home visitors, and teachers– Procedures ensure programs adhere to MV– MV Point-of-Contact

• Registration for Head Start/Shelters• Enrollment prioritized for MV students• Data collection (tracking form)

Discussion

• What is the current “ecosystem” in your community?– What are the strengths/challenges?

• What action is necessary to develop a comprehensive early childhood program on State and Local levels?

Helpful Web Sites

• Head Start: www.ECLKC.ohs.hhs.gov • Project HOPE-VA: www.wm.edu/hope • CoC - http://www.hudhre.info • NCHE -

http://center.serve.org/nche/ibt/sc_preschool.php • NLCHP - www.nlchp.org • NAEHCY – www.naehcy.org • Project FORUM -

http://projectforum.org/docs/HomelessandSpecialEducationAdministrativeCollaboration.pdf

Why We Need to Work Together

• Because we have to…mandates

• Because our children and their families have complex needs and the only way to truly make a difference is through sharing our strengths

Thanks for all you do!• HMSE_PICS.mpg