Partnerships and Collaboration

HETAC Resources

Building School-Community Partnerships in Support of Children, Youth, and Families Experiencing Homelessness (archived webinar)

This May 2023 HETAC webinar "makes the case" for the importance of school-community partnerships in support of children, youth, and families experiencing homelessness; explores partnership considerations, strategies, and action steps; spotlights school-community partnerships in San Diego County; and shares practical resources from the HETAC School-Community Partnerships Toolkit.

Homeless Education and Community Schools: A Crosswalk of Partnership Opportunities

This HETAC tip sheet provides key information about the Education for Homeless Children and Youths (EHCY) program and the Community Schools (CS) strategy; recommends best practices for partnering across the EHCY program and CS strategy to serve children, youth, and families experiencing homelessness; and links to resources for more information throughout. The tip sheet serves as a more comprehensive companion piece to the HETAC’s Homeless Education and Community Schools: A Primer on Pillar Alignment resource.

Homeless Education and Community Schools: A Primer on Pillar Alignment

This HETAC primer explores alignment of the Education for Homeless Children and Youths (EHCY) Program and the
Community Schools (CS) strategy across the four CS pillars. This primer serves as a summary companion piece to the HETAC’s Homeless Education and Community Schools: A Crosswalk of Partnership Opportunities tip sheet.

School-Community Partnerships Toolkit

This HETAC resource aims to support schools and community agencies in building mutually-beneficial, stable, and responsive partnerships that benefit partner agencies and the children, youth, and families experiencing homelessness they serve. It includes the following informational resources and practical tools:

• Understanding Federal Definitions of Homelessness
• Navigating Different Definitions of Homelessness in Partnership Work
• Legislative Requirements for Collaboration in Support of Children, Youth, and Families Experiencing Homelessness
• Building School-Community Partnerships in Support of Children, Youth, and Families Experiencing Homelessness (customizable slide deck)
• Considering School-Community Partnerships Along a Spectrum
• School-Community Partner Inventory (customizable contact gathering and organization tool)
• Creating a Partnership Organization Charter or Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) (customizable tool)
• School-Community Partnership Meeting Agenda Template and Task List (customizable tool)
• Engaging People with Lived Experience of Homelessness

Stronger Together: Aligning Homeless Education and Community Schools (archived webinar)

This October 2025 HETAC webinar introduces the HETAC's new Homeless Education and Community Schools: A Crosswalk of Partnership Opportunities tip sheet and companion two-pager entitled Homeless Education and Community Schools: A Primer on Pillar Alignment. Presenters highlight key information about the homeless education and community schools initiatives, recommend practical strategies for partnership, and share resources for how homeless education and community schools partners can work together to improve student outcomes..

Other Resources

National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE): 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) and McKinneyVento Education for Homeless Children and Youths (EHCY) Programs

This NCHE fact sheet, developed collaboratively with the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) National Technical Assistance Center (NTAC), aims to help state and local 21st CCLC and Education for Homeless Children and Youths (EHCY) program leaders understand shared priorities, identify opportunities for and benefits of coordination and collaboration, and collaborate strategically.

National Center for Homeless Education: Collaboration webpage

This NCHE webpage provides informational and practical resources on partnering across educational programs and partner systems (housing, homeless response, workforce development, and more) in support of children, youth, and families experiencing homelessness.

National Center for Homeless Education: Understanding and Navigating Federal Definitions of Homelessness

This NCHE issue brief explores key federal definitions of homelessness, including eligibility criteria and role groups authorized to determine eligibility; shares how relevant school and community partners can apply knowledge of federal definitions of homelessness in their daily work (“use cases”); and links to resources for more information throughout. 

SchoolHouse Connection: Coordination Guidance for Integrating Homelessness into Working Agreements and MOUs between Head Start Grantees and Local Educational Agencies

This SchoolHouse Connection webpage provides framing information and recommendations for developing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Head Start program grantees and local educational agencies to serve children experiencing homelessness and their families.

SchoolHouse Connection: Pathways to Partnership: Early Childhood Education

This SchoolHouse Connection webpage is designed to help local educational agency (LEA) homeless liaisons and homeless service providers develop a basic understanding of, and build partnerships with, five early childhood programs that have specific requirements to serve children and families experiencing homelessness. The five focal early childhood programs include child care services (Child Care and Development Fund), Early Head Start and Head Start, state educational agency and LEA preschool, special education preschool for children with disabilities, and early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities.