Growing Your program in 10 easy steps

1. Growing Your program in 10 easy steps National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth 2013 National Conference Atlanta, Georgia

2. Contact Information Heather Denny, MEd State Coordinator for Homeless Education Montana Office of Public Instruction PO Box 202501 Helena, MT 59620-2501 (406) 444-2036 hdenny@mt.gov

3. 1. Start with a Needs Assessment

4. Community needs assessment • Ask if the district did a previous assessment • Check with local non-profits to determine if anyone has done a needs assessment as part of a grant application • Check with your local HUD CoC to determine if they have done a local needs assessment • All of this data can be used in combination with a district level assessment to determine larger community issues

5. How many homeless children are in my district? • Approximately 10% of the students who receive free or reduced lunch experience an episode of homelessness during the school year. • Approximately 50% of all homeless children are between the ages of 0 and 5 (not enrolled in school). • Look at community factors that may affect homeless rates: • Unemployment rates • Availability of affordable housing • Access to housing support (HUD/Section 8) • Is your community an access point for services? • Do you have shelters (homeless, domestic violence, etc.)

6. How many homeless students are in my district? • What are their ages? • Which schools are they in? • Are there certain times of year that families become homeless? • Are homeless students moving in and out of my school? Why? From/to where? • Are their other categories they fit into? • LEP – 13-14% nationally • Migrant – 1% nationally • Special Education – 13-14% nationally • Unaccompanied Youth – 6-8% nationally • Indian Education • Gifted & Talented

7. Where do homeless families live in my community? • Doubled up – 75% nationally • Often living with other low-income families • May be living with elderly parents • They can be in any community. • Shelters – 15% nationally • Emergency Homeless Shelters, Domestic Violence Shelters, Youth Shelters, Transitional Living Facilities (drug/alcohol, mental health, veterans, youth, etc.) • Hotels/Motels – 6% nationally • Low cost, extended-stay, may offer “suites” or “kitchenettes” • Unsheltered – 4% nationally • Campgrounds, parks, wooded areas, bus stations, barns, abandoned homes/campers/buses, areas which may provide “shelter”

8. 2. Assess Your Physical Assets

9. Physical Assets in the Building • Cafeteria – Are you providing meals (breakfast and lunch) to homeless students? • Gym – Do you have shower facilities that students could access before/after school? • Laundry – Do you have a washer and dryer that students could access? (In a life skills classroom or in the locker rooms?) • Do you have extra lockers for unaccompanied youth to use to store clothing and personal items?

10. Physical Assets in the Building • Does your library or computer lab stay open during lunch/after school so students can access computers to do homework? • Do you have space in a closet or empty room where you could create a food pantry? • Do you have space to create a closet for used (recycled) clothing? • Does the district own vehicles that could be used to transport students or parents? • Driver’s Ed vehicles, delivery vans

11. 3. Assess Your Personnel Assets

12. Staff Positions – Who is in my Building? • Homeless Liaison • School Counselor/Social Worker • Mental Health Programs • School Nurse • Parent Liaison (Home-School Coordinator) • Special Education • Title I Staff • Title VII Staff (Indian Education) • Title III Staff (Limited English Proficient) • Migrant Coordinator (not in your building – but serving your kids)

13. Homeless Liaison • This person should have the capacity and the ability to do the job • Have a heart for the population • The Liaison should serve as an entry point • The Liaison acts as an advocate • The Liaison connects students to school based services • The Liaison may also make referrals to community agencies • The Liaison may assist with transportation of parents to school meetings • The Liaison may provide direct academic assistance • The Liaison participates in a number of community agency meetings and works with community agencies to develop programs to meet the needs of homeless families and students.

14. School Counselor/Social Worker • This is the ideal staff person to serve as a homeless liaison • They are trained to provide holistic support to students • They can provide “trauma informed” care • The ASCA code of ethics allows school counselors to share information about a child’s homeless status with other school personnel • School counselors can provide both one on one and group counseling • School counselors can assist with college applications, FAFSA, and scholarships

15. Mental Health – CSCT • Comprehensive School & Community Treatment • Paid for by Medicaid or private insurance • Unaccompanied Youth can apply for Medicaid without a parent/guardian • Homeless Youth may suffer from a wide array of mental health disorders • Depression, PTSD, ADHD, ODD, SED • Also drug/alcohol addiction

16. School Nurse • Homeless students can be screened by the school nurse upon enrollment • Vision • Dental • Diabetes/Malnutrition • Provide basic health education to older students • Hygiene/Basic self care • Nutrition • Assist students in obtaining necessary immunizations • Refer families to County Health Dept. or other free or low-cost health care

17. Parent Liaison/Home-School Coordinator • Elementary schools should consider this position for homeless liaison • Usually aware of community supports available to families • Trained to work with parents and help them engage in their child’s education • Can act as a go between for parents and schools • Is often familiar with families who are struggling • Families see this person as non-threatening (they are not a teacher or administrator)

18. Special Education Staff • Homeless children have a higher than average rate of learning disabilities or cognitive delays • Malnutrition • Pre-natal drug exposure • Exposure to toxins – before and after birth • Stress and trauma • Homeless students may have expedited screenings and IEPs • Pre-school siblings should be referred for Child Find screenings • Parents may need help to attend meetings • Help parents understand their child’s educational needs • Help youth learn life skills • Help youth plan for graduation

19. Title I Staff • Homeless and highly mobile students often have critical gaps in their learning • All homeless students must be screened for Title I services • Encourage schools to screen homeless students upon entry • Classroom teachers should work closely with Title I teachers to provide support to homeless students • Title I parent engagement programs should serve as a model for engaging homeless parents

20. Title III Staff • Homeless students struggling with language arts skills should be referred for LEP testing if • Parents/caregivers speak another language in the home • The student spoke another language at home prior to entering public school • The student was adopted from a foreign country after acquiring language skills • This includes students who seem to have good verbal skills but are struggling to pass written exams • Being a second language learner is not a learning disability!

21. Title VII Staff • Serve tribally enrolled American Indian students • Work with Title VII staff to provide culturally appropriate programming for homeless students and families • Communicate with students and parents to determine eligibility • Assist homeless students in obtaining tribal enrollment documents if necessary • Utilize tutoring and support services for eligible students • This program is available in the 23 states with federally recognized tribes

22. Migrant Education • Students may qualify as both migrant and homeless based on their parents’ employment and the family’s living situation • Migrant services should be accessed first (they usually have higher levels of funding) • Homeless services may help to provide educational stability to migrant students • Contact the Migrant Education Program to determine if students are eligible for services • Contact Title III (LEP) staff if the student is struggling with language skills and you suspect this may be related to being a second language learner

23. 4. Assess Your Program Assets

24. What Programs Does My School/District Offer? All the Basics • Federal Programs – Title I, III, VII • Special Education • School Nutrition Programs • School Counseling Programs • Bullying Programs • Drug/Alcohol Resistance Programs • Health/Sex Education Programs • Graduation Prep Programs

25. Special Courses • Credit Recovery or online courses • AP/Honors Courses (Calculus and other high level courses) • Dual enrollment or early college programs • JROTC • Technical Courses – Auto-CAD, Business, Computers, Drafting • Vocational Courses – Medical Science, Agriculture, Culinary, Automotive, Welding, Woodworking • Life Skills, Personal Finance, Health & Nutrition, Child Development & Parenting, Basic Cooking

26. Extra-curricular Courses • Homeless students must have equal access to all programs, including extra-curricular activities • Students who are engaged in extra-curricular activities are engaged in school • School engagement = success • Fine Arts – Band, Choir, Orchestra, Dance, Drama • Athletics – Football, Basketball, Track • Academics – Academic Decathlon, Quiz Bowl, Literary Criticism • Clubs and Honor Societies – NHS, Key Club, Leo Club, FFA

27. Extra Supports? • Response to Intervention (RtI) • Differentiated Instruction – Meeting the needs of individual students, filling “gaps” in education created by high mobility • Tiered Intervention – including homeless students with other students struggling with the same subjects, working one-on-one as needed • Assessment – assessing homeless students at non-traditional times in order to properly place them and continue ongoing progress monitoring • Behavior Interventions – used with students who may be exhibiting PTSD-like symptoms

28. PBIS • Recognize the signs of trauma and PTSD • Understanding that poverty is a “disease” • There are documented neurological effects • Recognizing the non-traditional contributions of students • Homeless youth are often altruistic, they understand sacrifice for the “greater good” • They create unique communities of support

29. GEAR-Up or Graduation Matters • Work from a strength based perspective • Help students understand how to set goals and achieve them • Start with small steps • Praise often – you may be the only one • Talk college basics • Talk about college early and often • Actively seek out homeless and homeless unaccompanied youth • Explain how to answer FAFSA questions to get Pell grants and other need-based financial aid

30. Out-of-School Time Learning and Support • After School Programs • Community Sports - AYSO • Summer School • Credit Recovery • Enrichment • Summer Nutrition • Job Training/Mentoring • Leadership • Spring Break/Christmas Break Programs

31. 5. Assess Your CommunityAssets

32. Community Supports • Government Agencies – Federal/State/Tribal/County/Local • SNAP/WIC • Section 8 or other income based housing • Medicare/Medicaid/IHS/Health Departments • Homeless Advocacy Group – think of this as “one stop shopping” • Transportation – Routes? Cost? • Food Bank – Where? How much? How often? • Backpack Buddy Program • Social Organizations – most have a component that involves children and education • Lions Club, Elks Lodge, Rotary, Kiwanis, Masons, etc.

33. Community Supports, Cont. • Faith-based Organizations (Churches) • University or Community/Tribal College • Fraternity/Sorority, Honor Society • Faculty, Extension Agents • Dual enrollment programs • Office of Student Support, Financial Aid Office • Local Businesses • Gift Cards, “SWAG”,Donations of “out of season” items • Thrift Shops • Gift cards • Interview Outfits • Graduation Outfits • Prom dresses

34. 6. Laying the Foundation

35. Program Basics • Enrollment • How do you discreetly identify students? • Have you removed barriers to enrollment? • Have you created a process? • School Meals • Streamline the process – Add liaison info to the school meal form • Transportation • Create a point of contact • Plan ahead for possible new routes or drop off locations • Title I • Create a referral process • Access to other programs • Plan for extra-curricular activities

36. One size fits all? • Create one general program that meets the basic needs of all students in your school/district • Every department should be aware of the role they play in the plan • Include others in the creation of this plan so that everyone is on board (Even if this is just via email.) • Create “option packages” that can be added on based on the needs of the family/student • Special Education, Migrant, Athlete, Honors Student, Parenting Teen, LEP (Remember that some students may need multiple option packages.) • Be flexible!

37. 7. Building the Program

38. Building with Legos • Have a vision, but be flexible • Use the best blocks, but realize you may have to make due with what you’ve got • Stack and restack until you get it right • Build for strength and sustainability • Will I have to do all this work again next year? • Can I keep adding on to my existing structure? • Can I fit new things in without tearing apart the whole thing?

39. Sustainability • The program must stand the test of time • Should be able to function in the face of decreased or zero federal/state funding • Build solid infrastructure – think about a VISTA to help with this (it’s what they do) • Reach out to your community for long term funding sources

40. 8. Creating a “Brand”

41. What’s in a name? • Try not to use the word “Homeless” in your program name • Families in Transition • Program names can reflect the unique cultural characteristics of your community • SSP Program – Si, Se Puede! (Yes, it is Possible!) • The name should reflect the positive nature of the assistance that is being offered • Student Success Coordinator

42. Create easy recognition • Use the same colors for all of the printed materials that you put out • Have someone design a logo for the program • Graphic designers can be found at your local high school • Make it a contest! • Boil things down to a few key points • Can you tell someone what you do in the time it takes to ride the elevator up a few floors?

43. Write your own guidance materials. • Use the US Department of Education Non-Regulatory guidance or the NAEHCY FAQ document as a guideline • Add in state-specific or district-specific laws, regulations, and policies • Give examples using local program names or mention regional situations that may be occurring (natural disasters, oil/gas booms, high foreclosure areas) • Explain to staff how to use district programs and data-bases

44. 9. Launching a Public Relations Campaign

45. Create Printed Materials • Do not reinvent the wheel! – Borrow from others and make it your own! • Always include contact info! • Make Posters! • Hang them in every school building. • Put them in high school bathrooms. • Hang them in the community. • Create Brochures! • Tri-fold brochures are the most effective • Limit yourself to a few key points • Include key community resources

46. Creating a website • Don’t bury it! – If parents/students can’t find it quickly, they won’t access it • Make it informative • Explain who qualifies – but try not to say “homeless” • Clearly explain district/school policies • Make it useful • Include contact info for enrolling in school • Include links to basic community resources – immunizations, food, shelter, clothing • Ask about your district’s policies on using social media – Facebook, Twitter, etc. to get the word out

47. Personal Advertising • You need business cards! – They are the adult version of Pokemon (Magic the Gathering, etc.), we are all trading them! • You need to become the “homeless person” in everyone’s mind. • Give everyone your “elevator” spiel • Hand out your brochures • Share information on your Facebook page • NAEHCY and NCHE are on Facebook too!

48. Working the Room (Even when it isn’t your room.) • Talk to everyone, everywhere, all the time! • Step out of your comfort zone – Remember it’s all about the kids. • Look for the connections! (Layers of connectivity.) • Ask people what they do, who they serve, how they serve them? • Help other people make connections – It’s all about who you know. • Become the “point of entry” – Help your community to become a part of your school.

49. Have An Answer for Everything/Everyone • Remember that people can be motivated to do the same thing for different reasons • Why help homeless kids? • Faith based group – It’s the moral thing to do. Helping children and the less fortunate is a basic tenet of every major world faith (Christian, Muslim, Jewish, etc.) • Community – It’s an investment in our future. We are helping to raise good citizens. • Businesses – It’s a great community service project and free advertising. • School Officials – It will raise your AYP scores. More students will pass the (insert painful standardized test name)test. More students will graduate

50. 10. Building Collaborative Partnerships