Training for McKinney-Vento Liaisons

The McKinney-Vento Act requires State Coordinators to provide professional development opportunities for LEA personnel and the LEA liaison to assist them in identifying and meeting the needs of homeless children and youths, and to provide training on the definitions of terms related to homelessness. [42 U.S.C. § 11432(f)(6)] - Title 42 of the U.S. Code

In addition, the law requires States to adopt policies and practices to ensure participation by liaisons in professional development and other technical assistance activities. Based on this guidance, as determined appropriate by the Office of the State Homeless Education Program Coordinator, McKinney-Vento Liaison(s) in the State of Arizona will meet the required minimum of eight professional learning hours each school year to ensure that the McKinney-Vento requirements and best practices are current. [42 U.S.C. § 11432(g)(1)(J)(iv)] - Title 42 of the U.S. Code

April 2025 

Required End-of-Year Procedures for Local Homeless Education Programs

This 1.5-hour-long professional learning session will provide McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaisons and support personnel with the information and tools necessary to:

  • Effectively prepare for and carry out “end-of-year” procedures to ensure access to services, school stability, and school of origin rights are maintained for students experiencing homelessness throughout the summer months into the upcoming school year
  • Ensure reporting requirements are met for the end of the school year, summer programming, and upcoming school year

The Arizona HEP team will dedicate 30-minutes of time following the session for “Office Hours” to answer participant questions related to the content covered.  

 

Please choose one of the following sessions to attend. The content covered will be the same at each session.

Session 1:

 

Session 2:

 

May 2025

Arizona Homeless Education Program and Housing Partners Convening

Are you an employee of an organization that provides housing support for families experiencing homelessness? Have you ever wondered what the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is? Are you eager to build strong working relationships with McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaisons that serve your families? Have you ever wondered how transportation for students housed in shelters and other transitional housing or housing assistance programs receive transportation to their school of origin? What are the qualifying living situations of children and youth in the McKinney-Vento Act, and who makes a qualifying determination? 

We have great news! The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) Homeless Education Program (HEP) is excited to facilitate a free, in-person professional learning opportunity exclusively for members of the community that serve children, youth, and families experiencing homelessness as providers of emergency, transitional and permanent housing. 

At this event, attendees will learn about the educational rights of homeless children and youth in order to collaborate with school districts and advocate for families that qualify under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Additionally, attendees will have the opportunity to meet and collaborate with other housing providers to enhance practices to support the identification of students experiencing homelessness.   

 

Event Details:

  • When?
    • Tuesday, May 20th, 2025 from 9am-12pm
  • Where?
    • Helios Education Foundation: 4747 N 32nd St, Phoenix, AZ 85018
  • Who should attend?
    • Members of the community that serve children, youth, and families experiencing homelessness as providers of emergency, transitional, and permanent housing.
  • How do I sign up?

The Arizona Homeless Education Program (HEP), in collaboration with SchoolHouse Connection, is eager to provide access for McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaisons and other stakeholders to the high-quality information provided at the 2025 Arizona HEP State Conference aimed at better supporting students experiencing homelessness! Recordings and presentation slides for each of the ten information-filled sessions are linked in the 2025 Arizona HEP State Conference Recordings and Materials One Pager.

Topics include: 

  • McKinney-Vento 101
  • Identification of substandard and doubled-up living situations
  • Unaccompanied Homeless Youth (UHY)
  • Immigrant students experiencing homelessness
  • Supporting young children under six experiencing homelessness
  • FAFSA
  • Liaison self-care strategies and avoiding compassion fatigue
  • And more!

Eligibility Determinations, Best Interest Determinations (BIDs), Managing Disputes, & Providing Written Notification

This hour-long professional learning session and following Q&A Office Hour will inform McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaisons of requirements related to making eligibility determinations, conducting Best Interest Determinations (BIDs), managing disputes, and ensuring that written notification is provided. 

Session Materials

 

 

Supporting Unaccompanied Homeless Youth (UHY) - Part II

This 1.5-hour-long professional learning session and the following 30-minute Q&A opportunity will inform McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaisons of the requirement to identify and support the unique needs of unaccompanied students experiencing homelessness. This session is designed as a continuation from the “Supporting Unaccompanied Homeless Youth (UHY)” session offered in February 2024.

Session Materials

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions - Part II

This two-hour-long professional learning session will provide McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaisons and support personnel with a brief description of requirements followed by an opportunity to ask questions and discuss solutions related to frequently requested topics. This session is designed as a continuation from the “Frequently Asked Questions: Office Hours for Discussion and Collaboration” session offered in November 2023.

Session Materials

 

 

McKinney-Vento in Practice for Experienced Liaisons

This hour-long professional learning session and following Q&A Office Hour will provide McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaisons with essential information and resources needed to ensure they are prepared to identify, enroll, and support students experiencing homelessness at the beginning and throughout the school year.  Who are “Experienced Liaisons”? An experienced McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaison has been in their role for three or more years. All experienced McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaisons are invited to attend a session, including those at public non-charter districts, public charter districts, Liaisons “Of Record,” and “Site-Based” Liaisons. 

Session Materials

 

 

McKinney-Vento in Practice for New Liaisons

This hour-long professional learning session and following Q&A Office Hour will provide McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaisons with essential information and resources needed to ensure they are prepared to identify, enroll, and support students experiencing homelessness at the beginning and throughout the school year. Who are “New Liaisons”? A new McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaison has been in their role for less than three years. All new McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaisons are invited to attend this session, including those at public non-charter districts, public charter districts, Liaisons “Of Record,” and “Site-Based” Liaisons.

Session Materials

Supporting Young Children Under Age Six Experiencing Homelessness - Mandatory Compliance Training, May 2024

This 1.5-hour-long professional learning session and following Q&A Office Hour which will inform McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaisons of the requirement to identify and support the unique needs of young children under the age of six experiencing homelessness. While all LEAs may not maintain programs for children under age six, it is still a requirement for all Liaisons to ensure that "homeless families and homeless children and youths have access to and receive educational services for which such families, children, and youths are eligible, including services through Head Start programs (including Early Head Start programs) under the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.), early intervention services under part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.), and other preschool programs.”  42 U.S.C. § 11432(g)(6)(A)(iii)

We are excited to partner with SchoolHouse Connection's (SHC) Sarah Vrabic for this important session! As SHC's Early Childhood Senior Program Manager, Sarah Vrabic works to overcome homelessness through education by helping to provide practical assistance to better identify infants, toddlers, and expectant parents experiencing homelessness and connect them to high-quality early childhood developmental programs and supports. Prior to starting at SHC, Sarah worked within the Philadelphia family emergency shelter system for a decade, facilitating cross-systems collaboration between homeless housing programs and early childhood education programs, as well as managing the Everyday Learning Play Spaces initiative. This initiative worked to re-design shelter spaces to be more developmentally friendly for young children and their families, elevating the family perspective by integrating child and caregiver needs and wishes into each design. 

Session Materials

 

 

End-of-Year Process and Procedures – Mandatory Compliance Training, April 2024

This 1.5 hour-long professional learning session and following 30-minute Q&A opportunity will inform McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaisons of requirements and strategies to notify parents, guardians, caregivers, and students of McKinney-Vento eligibility end dates, prepare to conduct timely re-eligibility determinations for the coming school year, and ensure data reporting compliance at the conclusion of the current school year.  

Session Materials

 

 

Partnering with Community-Based Organizations – Mandatory Compliance Training, March 2024

This 1.5-hour-long professional learning session and following 30-minute Q&A opportunity will inform McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaisons of the requirement to establish and develop partnerships with community-based organizations (CBOs) to participate in the diverse network of collaborative partners supporting children, youth, and families experiencing homelessness. 

Throughout this session, Liaisons will learn effective methods to establish and maintain partnerships through the sharing of ideas and examples from the field. 

Session Materials

 

 

Supporting Unaccompanied Homeless Youth (UHY) - Mandatory Compliance Training, Early March 2024

This 1.5-hour-long professional learning session and following 30-minute Q&A opportunity will inform McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaisons of the requirement to identify and support the unique needs of unaccompanied students experiencing homelessness. In this session, Liaisons will also learn about the latest provisions of the FAFSA Simplification Act.

We are excited to collaborate with SchoolHouse Connection in this informative session.

Session Materials

 

 

Data-Driven Decision-Making – Mandatory Compliance Training, January 2024

This 1.5-hour-long professional learning session and following 30-minute Q&A opportunity will inform McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaisons of requirements related to collecting, maintaining, utilizing, and reporting reliable, valid, and comprehensive data related to children and youth experiencing homelessness. 

We are excited to collaborate with NCHE in this session to provide additional context as the U.S. Department of Education’s technical assistance and information center for the federal Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) Program. 

Session Materials

 

 

Eligibility Determinations, Best Interest Determinations (BIDs), Managing Disputes, & Providing Written Notification – Mandatory Compliance Training, December 2023

This hour-long professional learning session and following Q&A Office Hour will inform McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaisons of requirements related to making eligibility determinations, conducting Best Interest Determinations (BIDs), managing disputes, and ensuring that written notification is provided.

Session Materials

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions: Office Hours for Discussion and Collaboration, November 2023

This two-hour-long session will provide McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaisons and support personnel with a brief description of requirements, followed by an opportunity to ask questions and discuss solutions related to frequently requested topics such as forms and guidance documents, eligibility determination scenarios, internal data tracking procedures, and transportation for students experiencing homelessness. 

Session Materials:

 

 

Transportation for Students Experiencing Homelessness – Mandatory Compliance Training, October 2023

This hour-long professional learning session and following Q&A Office Hour will inform McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaisons of requirements and best practices to provide students experiencing homelessness with transportation to their school of origin. We are excited to partner with Jason Nelson, Transportation Program Manager with Arizona School Risk Retention Trust, Inc. for this session. With over 13 years in the transportation industry, Jason has driven a bus, held positions of dispatch and routing, and supervised a transportation department of more than 100 employees. He demonstrates his passion for pupil transportation, having served as a board member for the Arizona Association of Pupil Transportation (AAPT) and the Transportation Administrators of Arizona (TAA) presidency. Jason has a "can-do" attitude and is passionate about enhancing school bus transportation in the state of Arizona.

Session Materials:

 

 

Awareness and District Professional Development – Mandatory Compliance Training, September 2023

This hour-long professional learning session and following Q&A Office Hour will inform McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaisons of their requirements to ensure student, parent/guardian, and community awareness of the McKinney-Vento Act as well as provide professional development for all district and school personnel.

Session Materials:

 

 

McKinney-Vento in Practice - Mandatory Compliance Training, August 2023

This professional learning session will prepare district and site McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaisons and other personnel responsible for identifying, enrolling, and servicing students experiencing homelessness to ensure compliance with the federal statutory requirements of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

This session will cover the following topics:

  • a quick and comprehensive overview of the Homeless Education Program (HEP);
  • an overview of programmatic requirements to ensure compliance with federal statute; and
  • required tools to equip and empower designated program personnel.

Session Materials:

McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaison Training - End-of-Year Process, May 2023

Learn best practices to properly notify parents, guardians, caregivers, and students of McKinney-Vento eligibility end dates for the current school year. Review end-of-year data reporting requirements to ensure your LEA/Charter is in compliance.

 

McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaison Training - Determining Eligibility, Written Notification, & Dispute Resolution Process, April 2023

Learn tips to guide your conversation to make McKinney-Vento eligibility determinations.  Incorporate best practice principles for proper notification of the decision, including the Dispute Resolution process.

 

McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaison Training - Attendance & Transportation Best Practice, March 2023

Learn best practices and strategies to address chronic attendance issues with homeless children and youth. Attendance often impacts transportation services; learn how to develop communication strategies to increase consistent usage of transportation and increase attendance overall.

 

Awareness, Identification, District Training, and How It’s All Tied to Data, February 2023

Topics that will be covered in this training include the identification, awareness, and district training strategies that can be implemented at your LEA. We will also demonstrate how these processes are critical to data collection.

 

FY24 Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) Competitive Grant Application - What to Expect and How to Apply, February 2023

In this session, we will provide a project overview of the FY24 EHCY Competitive Grant by detailing eligibility requirements, joining a consortium, allowable uses of funds, how to apply, and what to expect when applying. LEAs will leave prepared to develop and apply for a data-centered program to address the unique needs of children and youth experiencing homelessness. McKinney-Vento Liaisons are strongly encouraged to attend, along with any LEA staff that make programmatic and funding decisions related to homeless children and youth, such as Federal Grants Coordinators, Title I Directors, etc.

 

FY24 EHCY Grant Application Webinar for Consortia, February 2023

This webinar will cover the details and requirements when forming and applying for the FY24 EHCY grant as consortia.

 

Mandatory McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaison Training, January 2023

The McKinney-Vento Act requires State Coordinators to provide professional development opportunities for LEA personnel and the LEA liaison to assist them in identifying and meeting the needs of homeless children and youths, and to provide training on the definitions of terms related to homelessness. If you are the McKinney-Vento Liasion of record, or a building-level Homeless Liasion, or given the authority or responsibility of making McKinney-Vento eligibility determinations, you must satisfy the minimum professional learning requirement. Read more here: Guidance for attending Professional Learning Provided by ADE's Homeless Education Program.

 

Additional Resources

The Arizona Department of Education’s Office of Homeless, Foster Care, and Refugee Education Programs is excited to announce a webinar designed specifically for education leaders. This four-hour professional learning opportunity will prepare district and site leaders in developing and enhancing essential programs for students experiencing homelessness and those placed in foster care.

This collaborative session will cover the following topics:

  • a quick and comprehensive overview of the Homeless Education Program (HEP) and Foster Care Education Program (FCEP);
  • an overview of programmatic requirements to ensure compliance with federal statute;
  • required tools to equip and empower designated program personnel; and
  • an opportunity to reflect on current programs to further develop robust HEP and FCEP at your LEA, Charter District, or school site.

Webinar Materials