McKinney-Vento Education and Support Awareness for Families Experiencing Housing Instability

Author Type

Undergraduate Student

Publication Date

Winter 3-11-2026

Document Type

Instructional Material

Executive Summary

McKinney-Vento Support and Education Awareness for Families Experiencing Housing Instability

Our leadership team, consisting of six nursing students, partnered with an agency dedicated to supporting families experiencing housing instability. A significant portion of the families served have school-aged children who require additional support to navigate daily challenges. In collaboration with agency staff, we identified that although 80% of children served are enrolled in school, approximately 70% are not participating in the McKinney-Vento program. The gap in awareness of available educational protections and resources informed the development and implementation of a low-literacy, culturally sensitive McKinney-Vento educational booklet and digital flyer designed for sustained use by the agency. The goal of this project was to increase awareness and understanding of McKinney-Vento educational protections among families served by the agency, with the intention of improving program participation and school stability.

Background

Children and youth experiencing housing instability face significant barriers that can adversely affect their academic performance, school attendance, and overall well-being. Frequent relocation, transportation challenges, language barriers, mistrust of institutions, and limited awareness of educational rights often disrupt consistent access to schooling (Masten et al., 2018). The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is a federal law designed to promote school stability for students experiencing housing instability (National Center for Homeless Education [NCHE], n.d.). Despite these protections, many families remain unaware of available services, including immediate school enrollment, transportation assistance, and guidance from designated school liaisons. Our project was designed to provide clear, accessible educational materials to help families understand their rights and connect with appropriate school district resources.

Activities with rationale

In partnership with the agency, this project aimed to bridge the knowledge gap regarding McKinney-Vento rights and available resources within the unhoused community. Based on the agency’s guidance on improving accessibility, we determined that developing a handheld, concise booklet would be the most effective (Heaslip et al., 2021). A printed version can be distributed to families during outreach, and a digital version can be shared during intake and assessment. To maximize impact, the booklet and digital flyer were developed using clear, accessible language appropriate for low-literacy audiences and are available in both English and Spanish (Singh et al., 2024). The content was intentionally structured to provide a clear, comprehensive overview of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, eligibility criteria, and the resources available to qualifying families.

In collaboration with the agency, both resources we created will be distributed across all organizational locations and integrated into their outreach initiatives. A QR code included in the booklet directs families to additional information about the McKinney-Vento Act and its benefits. The flyer also addresses common questions and misconceptions about the McKinney-Vento Act to reduce apprehension and support informed decision making. By embedding these tools into the agency’s network, we have created a centralized, accessible resource designed to empower families with knowledge of their rights under the McKinney-Vento Act. This approach promotes sustainable systems-level change by integrating educational outreach into routine agency operations rather than relying on one-time interventions.

Outcomes

The project increased participating families’ knowledge of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and the educational protections available to children experiencing housing instability. By using low-literacy, culturally appropriate educational materials, families were better able to understand eligibility requirements, immediate school enrollment rights, transportation services, and the role of school liaisons.

Greater awareness of McKinney-Vento services is expected to improve program participation and school enrollment among eligible children who were not previously receiving these resources (U.S. Department of Education, n.d.). By addressing common misconceptions and reducing barriers related to language, mistrust, and limited access to information, this intervention supports improved school stability and more consistent access to education.

Providing increased access to educational and community resources through printed pamphlets, digital flyers, and QR-code-linked information is anticipated to support improved overall health and well-being of participating children. Improved educational stability and stronger support systems may contribute to better academic engagement, increased social connectedness, and more positive long-term developmental outcomes for children experiencing housing instability (McGuire et al., 2021).

Due to the limited timeframe of the project, long-term enrollment data was not available at the time of evaluation. Key facilitators included strong collaboration with agency leadership and integration of materials into existing workflows. Barriers included limited time for direct follow-up with families and challenges in tracking program enrollment outcomes across school districts.

Conclusion

In partnership with the agency, this initiative identified gaps in knowledge related to the McKinney-Vento Act, as well as associated risks such as failure to thrive and impaired social connectedness within the target community. To address these needs, sustainable, reusable educational pamphlets and an adaptable digital flyer were created and successfully implemented to increase the awareness of available education rights and resources. Positive feedback from agency staff supports the relevance and usability of these resources with potential for expansion into additional community settings. This work promoted health equity by addressing key social determinants of health, including access to education and consistent support systems, while empowering families to advocate for their children’s stability and well-being. Overall, this initiative encourages coordinated community action and supports healthier, more stable futures for children experiencing housing instability. The project met its goal of increasing awareness of McKinney-Vento protections by providing sustainable, accessible educational resources integrated into agency practice.

References

Heaslip, V., Richer, S., Simkhada, B., Dogan, H., & Green, S. (2021). Use of technology to promote health and wellbeing of people who are homeless: a systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(13), 6845. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18136845

Identifying and supporting students experiencing homelessness from pre-school to post-secondary ages. U.S. Department of Education. (n.d.). https://www.ed.gov/teaching-and-administration/supporting-students/identifying-and-supporting-students-experiencing-homelessness-from-pre-school-to-post-secondary-ages-us-department-of-education

Masten, A. S., Cutuli, J. J., Herbers, J. E., Hinz, E., Obradović, J., & Wenzel, A. J. (2018). Academic risk and resilience in the context of homelessness. Child development perspectives. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5882194/

McGuire, A., Gabrielli, J., Hambrick, E., Abel, M. R., Guler, J., & Jackson, Y. (2021). Academic functioning of youth in foster care: The influence of unique sources of social support. Children and youth services review. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7939138/#:~:text=Further%2C%20the%20positive%20association%20between,support%2C%20especially%20teacher%20social%20support

Singh, H., Samkange-Zeeb, F., Kolschen, J., Herrmann, R., Wiebke Hübner, Núria Pedrós Barnils, Brand, T., Zeeb, H., & Schüz, B. (2024). Interventions to promote health literacy among working-age populations experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage: systematic review. Frontiers in Public Health, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1332720

‌The McKinney-vento homeless assistance act. NCHE. (n.d.). https://nche.ed.gov/legislation/mckinney-vento/

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