The McKinney-Vento Act and Children and Youth ... - State of Michigan

From Law into Practice:
Strategies to Maximize the
McKinney-Vento Act for Youth
Awaiting Foster Care Placement
This section presents practical strategies for maximizing the benefits of the
McKinney-Vento Act for youth in out-of-home care:
1. Building effective collaborations between child welfare and
education.
2. Defining awaiting foster care placement under the McKinney-
Vento Act.
3. Designing and implementing strategies to maximize school
stability and provide transportation.
4. Ensuring that education and child welfare agencies have staff with
sufficient training and capacity to ensure immediate enrollment,
attendance, and services.
5. Clarifying education-related roles and responsibilities.
6. Implementing procedures for schools and child welfare agencies
to share information in order to deliver timely, effective services to
children in care.
7. Treating youth in out-of-home care with dignity, understanding,
and discretion.
These strategies offer education and child welfare agencies suggestions as
to how they can support the educational stability and success of youth in
out-of-home care. Most importantly, these strategies are informed by the
experiences and recommendations of youth who have been in out-of-home
care themselves.
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permits states to use IV-E
maintenance dollars to support
school of origin transportation).
• If not in the child’s best interest
to remain in the school of
origin, immediately enroll the
child in an appropriate school.
• Ensure that child education
records are provided to the
new school.
• Ensure the child welfare
placement takes into account
not just the proximity to the
school of origin, but also
the appropriateness of the
education setting.
• Ensure all compulsory schoolaged
children are enrolled in
school full time.
State laws also give child welfare
agencies responsibilities for
the education of youth in their
care. For example, Virginia’s SB
1006 requires caseworkers to
notify schools within 72 hours
of a student being placed in
foster care and to track down
necessary records within 30 days
of school enrollment.
Strategies for Improving Educational Outcomes through School Stability 17