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Early Care and Education for Young Children Experiencing Homelessness

HETAC Resources

California Early Care and Education Resource Guide (in English | en español)

This HETAC resource outlines key California early care and education (ECE) programs and shares information with California homeless liaisons and service providers on how to connect families experiencing homelessness to needed ECE supports.

Local Early Care and Education Programs: A Resource for Families in Transition (in English | en español)

This resource outlines key California early care and education (ECE) programs and shares information with parents and caregivers about how to help their children access needed ECE supports. This resource is customizable to the local community context and is intended to serve as a companion resource to the HETAC's California Early Care and Education Resource Guide (above).

Supporting Young Children Experiencing Homelessness: Identification and Access to Early Childhood Programs (archived webinar)

This February 2023 HETAC webinar, offered in partnership with SchoolHouse Connection, provides an overview of early childhood programs and access strategies for families with young children experiencing homelessness. Panelists also share best practices for identifying young children at the district and county levels and establishing local partnerships to better support California's earliest learners.

OTHER Resources

Head Start California: County Office of Education Homeless Liaison and Head Start Agency Contact List

This Head Start California resource provides cross-referenced contact information for County Office of Education homeless liaisons and Head Start agencies to facilitate cross-program partnership and referrals of families experiencing homelessness.

My Child Care Plan California

This website, hosted by a network of child care resource and referral (CCR&R) agencies across California, helps families find child care that meets their unique needs.

National Center for Homeless Education: Early Childhood/Preschool webpage

This National Center for Homeless Education webpage provides informational and practical resources on connecting families with young children experiencing homelessness to early care and education.

Responsive Early Education for Young Children and Families Experiencing Homelessness

This resource by the California Department of Education’s Early Learning and Care Division provides early childhood teachers, administrators, and program staff with the resources and information needed to create welcoming, inclusive, and strength-based environments that are responsive to the unique needs of young children and families experiencing homelessness. California Department of Education (CDE) resource .

SchoolHouse Connection: Early Childhood webpage

This SchoolHouse Connection webpage provides informational and practical resources on connecting families with young children experiencing homelessness to early care and education.

Sample Materials

Continuum of Care Memorandum of Understanding with Service Provider (Fulton County, GA)

This memorandum of understanding (MOU) outlines the responsibilities of the Fulton County Continuum of Care (CoC) as the collaborative applicant and the funded service provider as the CoC funding applicant, including responsibilities related to connecting households with early childhood programs such as Head Start, Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and McKinney-Vento education services. This sample MOU may be customized and adapted by other communities for their own use.

ESSA Title I, Part A and Head Start Act: Local Educational Agency/Head Start Coordination Guidance (North Carolina)

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act) and the Head Start Act, require LEAs receiving Title I funds and Head Start programs, respectively, to coordinate both with each other and other early childhood providers. This North Carolina guidance document provides a framework for developing formal MOUs for coordination across local programs, and may be adapted by other states to develop their own guidance.

Georgia Head Start Memorandum of Agreement

This memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the Georgia Department of Education and the Georgia Head Start Association outlines how local Head Start and Early Head Start Programs will collaborate with the State Coordinator for Homeless Education and local homeless education liaisons to serve young children experiencing homelessness. This sample MOA may be customized and adapted by other communities for their own use.

Serving Children in Temporary Housing: A Tip Sheet for Head Start Programs (New York)

This tip sheet, developed collaboratively by the New York State Head Start Collaboration Project and the New York State Technical and Education Assistance Center for Homeless Students, provides helpful hints for serving young homeless children in Head Start programs. The tip sheet provides an overview of the definition of homeless, Head Start rights and protections for homeless children, strategies for identifying and verifying the eligibility of homeless children, and strategies for prioritizing homeless children for services. The tip sheet may be customized and adapted by other communities for their own use.