Young Children and Families Experiencing Homelessness

According to the Institute for Children and Poverty and Homes for the Homeless, a typical homeless family includes a mother with two or three children under the age of six. Nationally, forty-seven percent (47%) of homeless children are under the age of six. Many of Wisconsin's early care and education programs support young children whose families are homeless, including child care, public and private preschools, Head Start, 4-year-old kindergarten, and Title 1 preschool programs.

Homeless children are at risk of experiencing poor emotional and physical health as well as beginning school academically behind their peers. Early care and education programs provide learning environments that support homeless children's physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development. Early education programs can provide additional resources available that homeless families may need.

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act includes requirements for identification and enrollment of young children into programs administered by public school districts. The Education for Homeless Children and Youth program (EHCY) at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction provides information to early care and education programs to help identify, enroll, and support children and families who are homeless at http://dpi.wi.gov/homeless/