Welcome to the Arizona Homeless Education Program
Arizona Homeless Education Program Mission
The mission of the Arizona Homeless Education Program is to ensure positive comparable academic outcomes for children and youth experiencing homelessness through implementation of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
Our Governing Statute
The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in December 2015, serves as the primary federal legislation detailing the educational rights of children and youth experiencing homelessness.
The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act requires that children and youth experiencing homelessness have equal access to the same free, appropriate public education, including a public preschool education, as provided to other children and youth. To ensure access to educational and other services necessary to meet the same challenging State academic standards to which all students are held, State educational agencies and local educational agencies are required to develop, review, and revise policies and procedures to remove barriers to the identification, enrollment, attendance, and academic success of children and youth experiencing homelessness (42 U.S.C. §§11431-11432).
The Arizona Homeless Education Program Overview Video provides more information on the Arizona Homeless Education Program and McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
Parents, Guardians, and Youth
For more information regarding eligibility, educational rights of children and youth experiencing homelessness, and contact information for your school district’s McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaison, please visit the Parents, Guardians, and Youth webpage.
McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaisons
Every local educational agency is required to designate a McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaison with the capacity to effectively carry out the statutorily required roles and responsibilities (42 U.S.C. §11432). For more information including sample forms, guidance documents, and professional learning materials, please visit the McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaisons webpage.
If you are not a McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaison and are interested in receiving updates from the Arizona Homeless Education Program, please sign-up for our mailing list!