Title I and Homeless Education Requirements

1. Title I and Homeless Education Requirements Patricia McGuirk Homeless Education Program Manager August, 2008

2. Title I, Part A set-aside All students in temporary housing (homeless) are eligible for Title I services. • LEAs must reserve (or set aside) funds for homeless students who do not attend Title I schools. • Even if no homeless children or unaccompanied youth are currently identified, a reserve must be included for homeless children who may enroll during the school year. • Set-aside funds can also be used for homeless students who do attend Title I schools.

3. Title I Plan for Services for Homeless Students • LEAs must submit a Title I Plan to NYSED with a description of the Title I services provided to homeless students and the amount of the Title I set-aside • NCLB requires that school districts coordinate their Title I plans with the McKinney-Vento Act and with their district’s homeless liaison to identify needs of homeless students and provide needed services (e.g. tutoring and/or counseling). • Articulate clearly how the district’s homeless liaison will be able to access Title I, Part A, set-aside funds

4. Title I – Required Enrollment Form/Residency Questionnaire All Title I districts are required to use an Enrollment Form/Residency Questionnaire that identifies families or unaccompanied youth who may be protected by the McKinney-Vento Act. The form must ask specific questions about housing arrangements to determine whether they are permanent or temporary. A sample Enrollment Form/Residency Questionnaire is available online at http://nysteachs.org/info-forms/nysed/.

5. NOTE TO SCHOOLS/LEAS: Please assist students and families filling out this form. Do not simply include this form in the registration packet, because if the student qualifies as residing in temporary housing, the student is not required to submit proof of residency and other required documents that may be part of the registration packet. MODEL ENROLLMENT FORM - RESIDENCY QUESTIONNAIRE Name of LEA: Name of School: Name of Student:: Last First Middle Gender: 􀂈 Male Date of Birth: / / Grade: ID#: 􀂈 Female Month Day Year (preschool-12) (optional) Address: Phone: The answer you give below will help the district determine what services you or your child may be able to receive under the McKinney-Vento Act. Students who are protected under the McKinney-Vento Act are entitled to immediate enrollment in school even if they don’t have the documents normally needed, such as proof of residency, school records, immunization records, or birth certificate. Students who are protected under the McKinney-Vento Act may also be entitled to free transportation and other services. Where is the student currently living? (Please check one box.) • In a shelter • With another family or other person because of loss of housing or as a result of economic hardship (sometimes referred to as “doubled-up”) • In a hotel/motel • In a car, park, bus, train, or campsite • Other temporary living situation (Please describe): • In permanent housing Printname of Parent, Guardian, or Signature of Parent, Guardian, or Student (for unaccompanied homeless youth) Student (for unaccompanied homeless youth) Date If the student is NOT living in permanent housing, proof of residency and other documents normally needed for enrollment are not required and the student is to be immediately enrolled. After the student has been enrolled, the district/school must contact the previous district/school attended to request the student's educational records, including immunization records, and the enrolling district's LEA liaison must help the student get any other necessary documents or immunizations. NOTE TO SCHOOLS/LEAS: If the student is NOT living in permanent housing, please ensure that a Designation Form is completed.

6. Title I Services for Homeless Students Examples of services that can be provided with Title I Set-Aside funds: • Before-school, after-school, and/or summer programs; • Counseling services; • Outreach efforts to identify children and youth living in homeless situations and help them access school programs; • Basic needs such as clothing, uniforms, school supplies, and health-related needs; • Transportation once the student is permanently housed; • The work of the liaison; • Tutoring services; • Parental involvement programs that make a special effort to reach out to parents in homeless situations; • Research-based programs that benefit highly mobile students; and • Data collection to assess the needs and progress of homeless and other highly mobile students. • Other services that are not ordinarily provided to permanently housed Title I students and are not available from other sources

7. Some Strategies for Determining the Title I Set-Aside Amount • Review needs and costs involved in serving homeless students in the current year and use those figures to project for the following year. • Multiply the number of homeless students by the Title I Part A per pupil allocation. • For districts with subgrants, reserve an amount greater than or equal to the McKinney-Vento subgrant funding request. • Reserve a percentage based on the district’s poverty level or total Title I Part A allocation.

8. Title I Resources • “Title I and Homelessness”: A guide with information about how Title I funds can be used to support students who are homeless: www.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/titlei.pdf • Online Training, Homeless Education and Title I: Collaboration and Compliance: www.serve.org/nche/training.php#breeze • Title I Program Narrative: A description of what LEAs must include in their Title I Plan related to students who are homeless: www.nysteachs.org • Four Methods for Determining New Mandatory Title I, Part A Set-Aside for Homeless Children, NCLB Compliance Insider: www.nysteachs.org/media/INF_Fed_TitleI_SetAside_QA.pdf

9. Questions

10. Thank You Patricia McGuirk NYSED Homeless Education Program Manager emschomeless@mail.nysed.gov 518-473-0295 New York State Technical and Education Assistance Center for Homeless Education http://nysteachs.org/ 800-388-2014