Homelessness and Head Start: Our Imperative
This blog post is part of NHSA’s initiative, the Year of Whole Health.
Over one million children under 6 years old experienced homelessness in the United States in 2015. Of those children, only 8% were served in Head Start, Early Head Start, or through other programs authorized by the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act to help children experiencing homelessness. That leaves 92% of children who have experienced homelessness unserved and unsupported by federal programs. This shocking statistic begs our attention and raises the question, what can Head Start do to reach these children?
Head Start is committed to supporting children and families experiencing homelessness. The Head Start Program Performance Standards include specific standards dedicated to supporting the unique challenges that children and families experiencing homelessness face in order to ensure healthy development and school readiness. However, it is often unclear how we can reach families who are highly mobile. During NHSA’s Year of Whole Health initiative, the National Head Start Association is taking action to share more information with programs about how we can better identify and support children and families experiencing homelessness.
What did we learn?
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act defines homelessness as “lack[ing] a fixed regular, and adequate nighttime residence.” However, homelessness is more than simply living without a roof or having no place to house your belongings. Homelessness is about not having stability — and far too many children and families in this country live in unstable, irregular, and unsafe environments. Homelessness magnifies the negative impacts that poverty has on young children during vital years of development. The most challenging issue for children who lack a permanent home (i.e, “highly mobile”) is that successful and supportive interventions for young children are often only accessible to those who are living in stable locations. Ann Masten, in her book titled Ordinary Magic, describes it best:
“Findings strongly suggest that the goal of closing the achievement gaps observed for children in the United States is going to require explicit attention to homelessness and high mobility and that strategies that work for stable children may prove inappropriate or insufficient for mobile children as mobility itself poses challenges for interventions or policies aimed at addressing the issues of these children and families.”
The most important thing we can do to support children experiencing homelessness is to help them and their families reconnect with permanent safe housing. When families are reconnected quickly to permanent housing, they can gain stability and support while the crisis housing resources can be allocated to other families in immediate need. Once in a safe and stable home environment, it is easier for the family to access other support services to meet developmental and educational needs of their children.
What did we do this month?
During the National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, NHSA hosted a webinar to spread knowledge and resources from homelessness experts in the field about the critical role that Head Start can play to address this issue. This webinar included an overview of homelessness and its impact on early childhood, relevant policies related to homelessness in Head Start and early childhood programs, and trainings and resources for practitioners to use and reference when supporting children and families in need.
Dr. Grace Whitney from SchoolHouse Connection and Khari Garvin from Save the Children USA shared their extensive knowledge and experience to help Head Start leaders take action. They introduced policies that impact homelessness in children, strategies to combat the issue, and resources to guide future efforts.
What can you do?
Research suggests that enrollment in Head Start was associated with greater school readiness among children who had been in emergency shelters with their families. It is important for Head Start programs to continue to identify and embrace children and families who are experiencing or who have experienced homelessness. Head Start programs can provide stability to those who desperately need it and help connect children and families to appropriate support systems in the community.
Help us disrupt the cycle of poverty and homelessness by spreading awareness and taking action.
Below are some resources to get you started:
- ACF’s Office of Early Child Development website includes many tools, guides, and factsheets to help programs expand early care and education for children experiencing homelessness
- The Head Start Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center’s Series of 8 Interactive Training Lessons to Support Children and Families Experiencing Homelessness
- SchoolHouse Connection website includes information and resources to broaden your knowledge and reach to children and families experiencing homelessness
If you have any questions about this topic or any other topic within NHSA’s Year of Whole Health Initiative, please contact Sarah Neil at sneil@nhsa.org.
