Education for Homeless Children and Youth: Understanding the McKinney-Vento Act

Education for Homeless Children and Youth Request for Applications for County Offices of Education TONY THURMOND State Superintendent of Public Instruction DECEMBER 2023

Welcome Thank you for being a part of this presentation This presentation will not be recorded; however, slides will be posted on the California Department of Education s (CDE s) Request for Applications (RFA) web page at https://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/fo/r8/ehcycoe24.asp 2

The Law: McKinney-Vento (1) Originally passed in 1987 Reauthorized in 2015 by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) which went into effect on October 1, 2016 Designed to improve the educational stability, access, support, and academic achievement of children and youth experiencing homelessness 3

The Law: McKinney-Vento (2) Title 42 United States Code (U.S.C.) Section 11431 et seq. at https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title42/chapter119 /subchapter6/partB&edition=prelim Sections 721 and 722 of the McKinney-Vento Act Local educational agencies (LEAs), including county offices of education (COEs) are required to ensure that homeless children and youth are not stigmatized or segregated on the basis of their homeless status 4

Homeless Definition (1) Individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. Fixed, regular and adequate are defined as: A fixed residence is one that is stationary, permanent, and not subject to change A regular residence is one that is used on a normal, standard, and consistent basis An adequate residence is one that is sufficient for meeting both the physical and psychological needs typically met in home environments 5

Homeless Definition (2) Examples of homelessness include children and youth living in: Shared housing due to economic hardship, loss of housing, or natural disasters Motels or hotels Public or private places not designed for sleeping Trailer parks or campgrounds Cars, parks, and abandoned buildings Emergency or transitional shelters 6

Homeless Definition (3) To determine if a homeless child or youth lives in substandard living conditions, consider: Health and safety concerns Number of occupants per square foot Age of occupants State and local building codes 7

Equal Access School meal program Gifted and Talented Education Before and after school programs Special education Migrant education Homeless preschoolers may be given priority enrollment English learner programs Vocational education Unaccompanied youth Title I 8

Causes and Barriers BARRIERS TO ACCESSIBILITY CAUSES OF HOMELESSNESS High mobility accompanying homelessness Lack of affordable housing Poverty Lack of documents necessary for enrollment Health problems Domestic violence Lack of transportation Natural and other disasters A shortage of classroom slots Abuse, neglect, and/or abandonment Lack of awareness 9

Introduction and Purpose Release of the Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program s (EHCY) RFA Application and instructions can be accessed on the CDE s COE EHCY RFA web page: https://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/fo/profile.asp?id=6097 Facilitate enrollment, attendance, and success in school for homeless children and youth Offer supplemental funding and activities 10

Important Dates to Remember Important Events Important Dates Tuesday, December 5, 2023 And Monday, December 11, 2023 COE EHCY RFA Webinar EHCY Letter of Intent for COEs (Attachment 1) Due to the CDE COE-EHCY Application Due to the CDE EHCY Readers Conference Conducted by the CDE Friday, January 5, 2024, by 5 p.m. Thursday, March 7, 2024, by 4 p.m. Week of April 1, 2024 Grant Award Notification Letters Mailed to the Subgrantees After July 15, 2024 11

16 Authorized Activities (1) 1. Tutoring, supplemental services, and enriched educational services 2. Expedited evaluations 3. Professional development 4. Referral services 5. Assistance to defray the cost of transportation 6. Early childhood education programs 12

16 Authorized Activities (2) 7. Services to attract, engage, and retain students in programs 8. Before school, after school, and summer programs 9. School supplies 10.Fees for tracking, obtaining, and transferring records 11.Parent education and training 12.Coordination between school and agencies 13

16 Authorized Activities (3) 13. Student services and referrals 14. Activities to address issues related to domestic violence 15. Adaption of space and purchase of supplies for any non-school facility 16. Other extraordinary or emergency assistance to attend school 14

Eligibility (1) All COEs are eligible and encouraged to apply for the EHCY Grant Program funds regardless of the number of homeless children and youth enrolled Those COEs that have not enrolled any homeless students can still apply for the minimum amount of $15,000 There is a different and separate RFA for just LEAs and COEs this was new in the last cycle of the RFA 15

Eligibility (2) The number of enrolled homeless children and youth should be consistent with the enrollment found in the 2022 23 DataQuest reports. The full directions for these reports are addressed on slides 30 and 31 of this presentation. COEs are to use their countywide enrollment count including charter schools and all LEAs. 16

New Submission Protocols All applications will be screened for compliance with the RFA requirements and Scoring Rubric. The application must: Be submitted via email to HERFA@cde.ca.gov by Thursday, March 7, 2024, by 4 p.m. The email must include a contact name, email address, phone number, and the name of the COE. The applicant will receive email confirmation when the application is received by the CDE. 17

Submission (1) Application deadline is on or before 4 p.m. on Thursday, February 8, 2024 *NEW* electronic submissions must meet the 4 p.m. deadline 17 single-spaced pages for narrative only Budget narrative is not part of the 17 pages No additional attachments will be read or reviewed Mailed, faxed or late applications will not be accepted Hand delivery is no longer an option 18

Submission (2) 12-point Arial font, with one-inch margins Charts, graphs, and tables should be in 12-point Arial font, and included in the 17-page narrative Electronic signatures will be accepted Consider your readers 19

Checklist Required Pages (1) Signed Application Fact Sheet (Attachment 2) Assurances and Required Signatures electronic signatures will be accepted (Attachment 3) Narrative, 17-page limit (Questions 1 6) Itemized Budget (Attachment 4) 20

Checklist Required Pages (2) Budget Narrative, not part of the 17-page narrative Three (3) Signed Letters of Support Job descriptions and/or Duty Statements for any position paid out of EHCY and/or Title I, Part A reservation funds for homeless education No additional attachments will be read or reviewed 21

The three signed letters of support are required and may be from outside organizations that work collaboratively with the COE, including districts they are supporting. Three Signed Letters of Support Individuals should not be employees of the COE, and organizations should not be another COE. Please make sure that these letters and/or organizations are discussed in your narrative. Letters should not be additional emails, but rather a part of your electronic submission. The CDE will not accept separate emails from organizations. 22

Application Review (1) Applications will be read and scored by trained readers Scoring rubric will be used After each question, the rubric is displayed starting on page 12 of the RFA Scores will be based upon the quality of RFA, articulated need, and ability to meet such need 23

Impaction Points The CDE will calculate an impaction percentage for each applicant and award points as follows: Percent Impaction .01% 2.99% 3.00% 4.99% 5.00% 9.99% 10.00% 19.99% Over 20.00% Points 0 2 4 5 6 24

Impaction Point Calculation To calculate your countywide percentage, use your homeless student enrollment and compare it to your total enrollment. You need to divide the countywide homeless student enrollment by the countywide total enrollment. For example, if the county has 397 homeless students and 10,340 total enrollment, you would have 3 percent: 397 10,340 = .038 = 3.8 percent of total enrollment is homeless, which would give you an extra 2 points. 25

Appeals Appeals are limited to the grounds that the application process was not followed, not the actual score of the readers Late appeals will not be considered Applicants who wish to appeal, must submit a letter of appeal by email to HERFA@cde.ca.gov with an attention to: William McGee, Division Director Student Achievement and Support Division 26

Award Amounts (1) Number of enrolled homeless children and youth 0 99 100 249 250 499 500 1,499 Maximum funding $ 15,000 $ 25,000 $ 50,000 $ 75,000 27

Award Amounts (2) Number of enrolled homeless children and youth 1,500 2,499 2,500 3,999 4,000 4,999 5,000-14,999 Over 15,000 Maximum funding $100,000 $125,000 $175,000 $250,000 $300,000 28

Award Amounts (3) The number of enrolled homeless children and youth should be consistent with the enrollment found in the 2022 23 DataQuest reports. The full directions for these reports are addressed on slides 30 and 31 of this presentation. The CDE may fund applications at a lesser amount. Funds must be used to supplement and not supplant. Grantees must maintain documentation that clearly demonstrates the supplementary use of these funds. 29

DataQuest Instructions (1) Start at CDE s DataQuest web page at https://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/ Select County as the Level using the drop-down menu Select Absenteeism Data as the Subject under School Climate Data, then Submit Select 2022 23 as the Year Select your county using the drop-down menu, then Submit 30

DataQuest Instructions (2) Select Chronic Absenteeism Rate (with District data) as a Report, then Submit Select Report Options and Filters: Select All Schools for School Type Select Homeless as Program Subgroup using the drop-down menu Scroll down to Report Totals to find the number to be used for Cumulative Enrollment under: Chronic Absenteeism Eligible Enrollment column 31

Distribution of Funds (1) Three-year project period, beginning in fiscal year (FY) 2024 25 Grant funds are made available on an annual basis and contingent on federal allocations The CDE will issue Grant Award Notifications (GAN) to successful applicants after July 15, 2024 Grant award period for the first-year grant cycle will be July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025 32

Distribution of Funds (2) Grantees may not carryover unspent grant funds into the next FY Payment schedule: Initial payment of 60 percent of the grant amount will be paid after California s budget has been signed, and the grantee has returned a signed GAN, a completed Budget Request and accompanying signature form. 33

Distribution of Funds (3) Second payment of 30 percent released after receipt of the Expenditure Report 1 (ER1) due January 1, and grantee has expended at least 50 percent of its initial payment If at least 50 percent of the initial payment has not been spent, an Expenditure Plan must be completed and submitted to the CDE. Payment will be withheld until the Expenditure Plan has been approved and or COE has spent at least 50 percent of its initial payment by the following expenditure report 34

Distribution of Funds (4) Final payment, up to 10 percent, will be reimbursed after receipt and approval of the Final Expenditure Report (ER3) due July 31 All fiscal forms will be available on the CDE s Fiscal Forms web page at https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/hs/mv/index.asp 35

Letter of Intent Complete, scan, and email to the Homeless Education dedicated email box for RFAs at: HERFA@cde.ca.gov by 5 p.m. on Friday, January 5, 2024 Refer to the CDE s COE EHCY Letter of Intent at https://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/fo/r8/documents/ehcycoeloi24.pdf Please keep a record of the submission of the Letter of Intent (LOI) and the confirmation email received from the CDE for your LOI 36

Application Fact Sheet Submit with application The intent is to replace an application s abstract to assist readers with a summary of the COE Attachment 2 of the RFA An application without a Fact Sheet will be disqualified Superintendent or Designee must sign, electronic signatures accepted 37

Assurances and Required Signatures Submit with application Attachment 3 of the RFA All signatures are required: Superintendent Categorical Programs Director Homeless Liaison 38

Narrative Recommendations (1) Please, carefully read the entire RFA The application should connect the program with: Needs, goals, and objectives Activities Expenses Services are intended to supplement the regular academic program 39

Narrative Recommendations (2) The COE should view the grant as a program, not a set of activities. The program should be an integrated and comprehensive approach to providing education and services to support districts, including charter schools. Proposed program should be aligned to the identified needs, and the budget should be aligned to the proposed program. 40

Narrative Recommendations (3) Applicants are required to conduct a needs assessment and the needs assessment should focus on homeless children, youth, their families, and all LEAs in the county Services and resources should be provided through existing programs and mechanisms Narrative Recommendations are detailed on page 11 and 12 of the RFA 41

Narrative Recommendations (4) Activities that encourage the program s sustainability (collaboration, coordination, and professional development) will be weighed more heavily in the scoring process for questions 4, 5, and 6 Please be sure to describe your collaboration, coordination, and professional development activities as they relate to other entities and all LEAs 42

Narrative Question #1 Describe the COE s countywide demographics, and the COE s current homeless education program. COEs must address how the COE supports each LEA in the county, including technical assistance, professional development, trainings, and collaboration activities. Include the COE s understanding of the different LEAs that are in the county as it relates to their demographics, needs, and capacity. 43

Narrative Question #2 Describe the needs determined by the needs assessment, how the COE plans to meet those needs, and how the COE intends to evaluate the effectiveness of that plan. Include how EHCY funding will support implementation. 44

Narrative Question #3 Describe how the COE plans to support LEAs in the development, support, training and approval of Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) goals that align to serving students who are experiencing homelessness as a subgroup. 45

Narrative Question #4 (1) Describe types, intensity, and coordination efforts that foster cross- collaboration and coordination with other entities that will enhance the COE s ability to serve and support the LEAs countywide, in order to better meet the needs of their homeless children, youth, and their families. Other entities may include, but are not limited to, nearby LEAs, community-based organizations Continues on the next slide. 46

Narrative Question #4 (2) Continued: nonprofit agencies, post-secondary programs, service providers, local shelters Continuum of Care, local food closets, preschool programs, and other entities working with homeless children, youth, and families. Please describe any resources or services provided by the entity that benefits homeless children, youth, and their families; reduces the use of EHCY funding; or that enables the COE to maximize its use of EHCY funding. 47

Narrative Question #5 Describe how the COE will support LEAs and their homeless liaisons with coordination and collaboration efforts as it relates to internal capacity building within the LEA beyond training and support for the designated district liaison to include district leadership, school counselors, transportation, and others mentioned in district reporting. Include the types, intensity, and coordination that will be provided to all LEAs within the county and will enhance the LEA s ability to serve its homeless children and youth. 48

Narrative Question #6 (1) In order to ensure that COEs are equipped to build the capacity of their LEAs to support the continuous improvement of student performance within the state priorities and address the gaps in achievement between student groups, COEs must describe how they will serve as a facilitator, resource connector, and capacity builder for all LEAs countywide. Continues on the next slide 49

Narrative Question #6 (2) Continued: COE s must also describe a detailed professional development plan. The plan should address how LEAs should use data from the California School Dashboard, Consolidated Application and Reporting System (CARS), California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS), and any other local data to improve the performance and achievement of homeless students. 50