Welcome to the Foster Youth and McKinney-Vento Homeless Youth Education Services Program at the Humboldt County Office of Education. Our goal is to support and help improve the educational outcomes for the foster and homeless students youth and children. We are here to help ensure the full implementation of all federal and state laws aimed at making sure our foster and homeless students receive the full benefits of a free and appropriate public education that all students are entitled to, including preschool through postsecondary settings.

In collaboration with our schools, the Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services, Probation, Tribal agencies and other key community based agencies, we work to build the capacity throughout the county in order to create the supports and services needed to assist our foster and homeless youth in order to for them to reach their fullest potential as students and as healthy young adults.

Foster and homeless youth often experience numerous traumatic events in their lives including changes in placement of and living situations that cause interruptions in their educational settings. The emotional adjustments to these experiences combined with a sense of falling behind at school can be overwhelming for these students. This can result in poor academic performance, increase in absenteeism and problematic behaviors leaving them feeling isolated and disconnected from their school peers.

We can assist students and their families by helping with:

• Immediate enrollment in school
• School of origin process in order to maintain educational stability
• Timely transfer of educational records
• Locat ing and obtaining immunization and medical records
• Transportation plans from the current residence to the school of origin
• Referral and connection services to community resources
• Linkage to university, community college and vocational/technical programs

We also provide technical assistance and formal trainings for organizations throughout the region in regards to the laws governing foster and homeless education and model strategies to help better engage and support this vulnerable population. This includes the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the McKinney-Vente Homeless Education Act, AB 490 and AB 854 Foster Youth Education legislation and much more.

California Department of Education State Contacts

 

McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Services

Leanne M. Wheeler
Coordinated School Health & Safety Office
1430 N Street, Suite 6408
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 319-0383 | Fax: (916) 319-0123
lwheeler@cde.ca.gov