The California Department of Education (CDE) has issued instructions regarding the definition of homeless for purposes of child care eligibility.  Families who are homeless can be eligible for child care and development services.  CDE child care programs now use the definition of homeless in the federal McKinney-Vento Act.

The McKinney-Vento Act defines homeless children and youth as individuals lacking a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime address and includes: 1) Children and youths who are sharing the housing because of loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason;  2) Children and youths who may be living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to lack of alternative adequate accommodations; 3) Children and youth living in emergency or transitional shelters or are abandoned in hospitals; 4) Children and youths who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings; 5) Children and youths who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; or 6) Migratory children who qualify as homeless because they are children who are living in similar circumstances listed above.

To meet child care eligibility requirements for being homeless, families must provide either 1) a written referral from a legal, medical or social services agency; a local education agency liaison for homeless children; a Head State Program; or an emergency or transitional shelter or 2) a written parental declaration that the family is homeless and a statement describing the family’s current living situation.

To meet the need requirement for receiving services as homeless, the family must either 1) provide a written referral from one of the entities listed above or 2) a written parental declaration of homelessness supported by documentation of at least one need requirement which includes seeking permanent housing for family stability, seeking employment, engaging in vocational training, participating in an education program for English Language Learners, or participating in a program to obtain a high school diploma or GED.

Agencies should support homeless families by enrolling homeless families pending submitting eligibility and need documentation, allowing immediate enrollment of homeless families without immunization records and giving a grace period to submit proof of immunization, not requiring a fixed address or mailing address, conducting outreach to homeless families, and providing or participating in training and technical assistance on identifying the homeless and serving homeless families.  (Management Bulletin 18-04, July, 2018.)

The California Department of Education (CDE) has issued instructions implementing AB 273 which makes parents engaged in English Language Learners (ELL) programs, high school diploma programs or GED certificate program eligible for child care and development services.  There is no longer a requirement that these educational programs be related to attaining a vocational goal to confer eligibility for child care.

Contractors should approve a family for child care and development services when the parent has a need for services based on enrollment in an ELL, high school diploma or GED program.  Once certified, families will be certified for have a need for child care for at least 12 months.  Families must submit written documentation of enrollment in an ELL, high school diploma or GED program to the contractor.  Child care hours should be based on the number of hours attending the program and reasonable hours for travel and study time.  (Management Bulletin 18-02, February, 2018.)