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McKinney-Vento Homeless Education
Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program Request for Applications 2025-2028
The Colorado Department of Education is currently accepting grant applications for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) grant program. This year’s application process will take place via CDE’s Grant Administration, Implementation and Navigation System (GAINS). To learn more about GAINS please visit the CDE website. The following Word version of the Request for Applications can serve as a guide to the online application through GAINS.
The intent of EHCY awarded through the CDE is to increase access to school and school activities, offer the opportunity for greater stability and engagement in school, and provide wraparound services to offset the barriers created by housing instability and homelessness.
Applicants will be asked to frame their strategies, activities and performance measures around the following focus areas:
- Attendance
- School Stability
- School Day Engagement
- Academic Progress
Grant awards are for a consecutive three-year period. Approximately $950,000 is available for the 2025-2026 school year, with funding contingent on approval of appropriations from the U.S. Department of Education. CDE anticipates awarding 12 - 15 grants each year for a three-year period. The expected range of funding per year per subgrantee is $60,000 - $80,000. Funding in subsequent years is contingent upon continued appropriations and upon the subgrantee meeting all program, fiscal, reporting and participation requirements.
For the 2025-2028 cohort, applicants will be required to demonstrate at least a 50% match for basic need items purchased with these funds.
The submission of an Intent to Apply is not required but highly encouraged. Please submit by Wednesday, April 9, 2025 if you are planning to submit an RFA.
A webinar to learn more about the application and ask your questions will be held Tuesday, April 8, 2025, from 2-3:00pm Register Here.
Application Resources (Also available through GAINS)
- Attachment A: Needs Assessment Worksheet and Summary
- Attachment B: Liaison Capacity Assessment (Recommended, not required)
- Attachment C: Performance Measure Worksheet
- Appendix B: Monitoring
- Appendix C: Resources
Aligned Policies and Practices
Awareness and Training Resources
Collaboration and Coordination. Education of Homeless Children and Youth Non-Regulatory Guidance
Colorado Multi-Tiered System of Support
Greeley/Evans School District 6 Family Center
Policies and Practices to Address School Discipline and Student Homelessness
Program Guide for Evidence-Based Social Emotional Learning Programs
Voices from the Field: Special Population Brief
Program Questions:
Paula Gumina, Highly Mobile Student Programs Manager
State Coordinator, Education of Homeless Children and Youth
Gumina_P@cde.state.co.us
Budget/Fiscal Questions:
Tricia Miller, Office of Grants Fiscal Management
GAINS Questions:
Jess Hollingshead, Grants Program Administration
Hollingshead_j@cde.state.co.us
About Homeless Education
- The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is the primary piece of legislation related to the education of children and youth experiencing homelessness.
- Specific provisions ensure the enrollment, accessibility, and educational stability for students lacking a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.
Who qualifies for McKinney-Vento?
Any child or youth who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence including:
- Those who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship,
- are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations;
- are living in emergency or transitional shelters; or are abandoned in hospitals;*
- Those who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings
- Those who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and
- Those identified by the Migrant Education Program (as defined in section 1309 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965) who qualify as homeless because the children are living in circumstances described in the bullet points above
McKinney-Vento Liaisons
- Every school district has a designated McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Liaison responsible for identifying MKV students and providing resources to help these students.
- Refer to our list of liaisons to find the liaison in your district.
McKinney-Vento Liaison’s Roles and Responsibilities
- The local liaison is the key to ensuring homeless children and youths receive the services they need.
- Required in all local education agencies regardless of subgrant status.
- The liaison is the primary contact between homeless families, school and local education agency/district staff, shelter workers, and other service providers.
- In 42 U.S.C. § 11432(g)(6)(A), the McKinney-Vento Act lists the responsibilities of the local liaison including ensuring the protection of student and parent rights outlined under the law.
Reference the Homeless Liaison Toolkit for more information (https://nche.ed.gov/homeless-liaison-toolkit/).
News and Announcements
College Admission Trainings with Colorado State University’s Fostering Success Program
Colorado State University’s Fostering Success Program is offering three virtual sessions to discuss transitions into higher education for highly mobile students. McKinney-Vento district liaisons, academic school counselors and McKinney-Vento and Foster high school students are welcome to attend. Please see details attached and linked below.
- Campus Support Programs on Wednesday, March 12th from 1:00pm-2:00pm on Zoom
- What To Expect on Friday, March 28th from 12:00pm-1:00pm on Zoom
- Successful Connections on Thursday, April 3rd from 10:00-11:00 on Zoom
Inspiring Best Practices for Improving Attendance for Students Experiencing Homelessness
SchoolHouse Connection and Attendance Works are excited to share the results of our joint project to learn about effective approaches for reducing chronic absenteeism among students experiencing homelessness. We interviewed school district leaders across the country to find promising approaches that bring together attendance professionals and homeless education professionals to demonstrably increase attendance. Join us for the release of our case studies and key strategies by participating in this special two-part series.
- Part One: Join us for our webinar to learn how school districts are using data-driven approaches and working across departments to improve attendance among students experiencing homelessness. Thursday, March 13, 2025 11AM Mountain /90 Minutes Sign-up here
- Part Two: Join us for a deeper dive with McKinney-Vento liaisons and school attendance leaders about the tools, strategies, and organizational change needed to turn absenteeism around for students experiencing homelessness. Tuesday, March 18, 2025, 11AM Mountain/120 Minutes Sign-up here.
Quick Reference
Educational Rights of McKinney-Vento Students
FAQs on the Educational Rights of Homeless Children & Youth
Educational Rights of McKinney-Vento Students
- Access to a McKinney-Vento Homeless Educational Liaison in their school district
- Identification through outreach and coordination activities
- Immediate enrollment with full and equal opportunity to succeed in school
- Choice between the neighborhood school or the school of origin (school last enrolled in or attended)
- Transportation to the school of origin (including preschool)
- Immediate access to free school meals and educational services for which they are eligible
- Automatic eligibility for Title I, Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015
- Referrals to health care, dental, mental health and substance abuse, housing, and other appropriate services
- Unaccompanied youth are informed of their status as independent students on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
- You can also refer to the US Department of Education's Education for Homeless Children and Youth site for more information and use the ED Data Express website to browse education data by state.
Contact Us
National Center for Homeless Education(NCHE)
United Way 2-1-1
Financial information on schools and districts throughout Colorado. Learn more about financial transparency.
Colorado Dept. of Education
201 East Colfax Ave.
Denver, CO 80203
Phone: 303-866-6600
Contact CDE
CDE Hours
Mon to Fri, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
See also Licensing Hours
UPDATED
March 12, 2025
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