Homeless Youth – The McKinney-Vento Act
The McKinney-Vento Education of Homeless Children and Youth Assistance Act is a federal law that ensures immediate enrollment and educational stability for homeless children and youth. McKinney-Vento provides federal funding to states for the purpose of supporting district programs that serve homeless students. PA Leadership Charter School works with families and agencies to provide a coordinated placement for the children while working with families to help them stabilize their situations.
Children and youth are eligible for services under the McKinney-Vento Act if they have been displaced from their homes and are living in a place that is not fixed, regular, or adequate, such as:
- Sharing the housing of others due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or similar reason
- In a place not designated as regular sleeping accommodation, such as a vehicle, park, hotel, or campground
- In a homeless or domestic violence shelter or transitional housing placement
- Outside of his/her home as an unaccompanied youth
- Awaiting foster care
- In any of the situations listed above as the child of a migrant family
Download a copy of the McKinney-Vento Act from the Berks County Intermediate Unit
Your Rights
Children and youth experiencing homelessness have the right to:
- Continue their education in their current school, and receive transportation OR enroll immediately in the school where they are temporarily housed, even if lacking the paperwork normally required
- Participate in all applicable school programs, including supplemental services
- Receive free lunch
- Receive assistance with school-related expenses
Below are several web sites for additional information:
PA Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness (ECYEH) Program: Region 2
PDE Directory for Liaisons and Shelters in the State (click on the word “Liaisons” or “Shelters” for each website)
PDE Homeless Education
PALCS Community Resource and Homeless Liaison:
Alicia Ryberg
Phone: 484-883-5448 or 610-701-3333 ext. 1473
Email: aryberg@palcs.org
For PALCS students eligible for services under the McKinney-Vento Act, additional support is available through our PALCS Community Closet and virtual PALCS Community Resource Center.