American Rescue Plan: Homeless Children and Youth (ARP-HCY) Survey Results
The ARP-HCY state education agency (SEA) and local education agency (LEA) survey summaries have been posted by the U.S. Department of Education to the ARP-HCY Resources webpage.
The surveys were the initial phase of Kentucky's ARP-HCY national study. In 2023, survey links were sent to several local liaisons in the Commonwealth. The team from the U.S. Department of Education plans to continue this research with up to nine in-depth qualitative interviews of local liaisons.
Highlights from the SEA study reported that nearly half of the SEAs set aside the maximum 25% ARP-HCY funding for allowable state-level coordination. When asked how SEAs used their set-aside funds, 50% reported adding staff at the state level. Three-fourths of LEAs used ARP-HCY funds to increase staff capacity.
Most LEAs reported using the majority of their ARP-HCY funding for school supplies and transportation, followed by services to attract, engage and retain students experiencing homelessness.
The biggest challenge that LEAs reported was navigating the delays and levels of approval required for accessing the funds from SEAs and approval of obligation of funds by SEA and LEA fiscal staff.
Thank you to those who completed the survey. Local liaisons are encouraged to review these results.
McKinney-Vento Competitive Grant
As authorized under Title IX, Part A of ESSA: Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program, the Kentucky Department of Education's (KDE's) Office of Continuous Improvement and Support is issuing a Request for Applications (RFA) from local education agencies (LEAs) to develop and implement programs that facilitate the enrollment, attendance and success of homeless children and youth in school. This competitive subgrant may be used to provide temporary, special and supplementary services to meet the unique needs of homeless children and youth.
This is a three-year subgrant with an initial award year in 2024-2025, which will be reassessed in 2025-2026 and 2026-2027. Awards will be based upon availability of funds and progress toward goals.
For more information, including the full solicitation schedule, please visit the Competitive Grants from KDE webpage to download the RFA.
KDE staff cannot provide individual technical assistance with competitive grant applications. A technical assistance webinar was hosted on Feb. 15 and the recording is posted on the Competitive Grants from KDE webpage. Responses to technical assistance questions were posted on Feb. 26 in a public document for all to see on the Competitive Grants from KDE webpage.
As a reminder, districts cannot use current homeless funds to pay for the following items related to the application: grant writing, grant consulting, postage to submit the application or travel costs to submit an application in person. All applications must be submitted electronically to the KDERFP email inbox no later than 4 p.m. ET on April 18, 2024.
Lastly, when considering your application, please ensure your application is compliant with Section 6 of 704 KAR 7:090, which states (in part):
- Not less than 50% of amounts provided under a grant to LEAs shall be used to provide primary services of tutoring, remedial education services, or other education services to homeless children or unaccompanied youth.
- Not less than 35 nor more than 50% of amounts provided to LEAs shall be used for related activities for homeless children or unaccompanied youth, including expedited evaluations, professional development for school personnel, referrals for medical, dental, mental and other health services, transportation, before- and after-school care and school supplies.
 An example of donated resources for the Paducah Independent Slow Cooker Program. Photo by Heather Anderson.
Paducah Independent’s Slow Cooker Outreach Program
Local homeless liaison Heather Anderson from Paducah Independent was excited to share the details of a new outreach program for students experiencing homelessness in her district. This program is funded in large part by the generosity of a private donor.
The Slow Cooker Outreach Program has allowed Anderson to obtain more than 60 slow cookers and basic cooking essentials for families of students experiencing homelessness. This program has been especially helpful for those families living in situations without a working kitchen.
The private funding allows Anderson to serve 20 families with refrigerated or frozen meals twice a month. The meals are sourced from a local grocer who plans the menu, packages the meals, locally sources ingredients and works hard to keep the costs down.
Anderson used American Rescue Plan: Homeless Children and Youth funds to obtain a cooler and freezer to store these donated foods and other donated foods for students. (No other public funding is associated with this project). Anderson believes this project has helped excite families about nutritious meals and cooking at home, while easing their budget.
 State coordinators from Kentucky, South Dakota, Illinois, South Carolina, Missouri (2), New Mexico, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Utah pose for a picture outside of the White House in Washington, D.C., following a day of meetings.
Photo by Utah State Coordinator Jeff Ojeda
State Coordinator Attends National Meeting in Washington, D.C.
Kentucky State Coordinator Zach Stumbo met with other state homeless coordinators in Washington, D.C., Feb. 26-March 1. The meeting was hosted by the National Center for Homeless Education and the U.S. Department of Education.
The national meeting sought to equip state coordinators with the tools to implement the McKinney-Vento Act in 2024 and beyond, support state coordinators as they build statewide strategies to serve students experiencing homelessness and strengthen connections among state coordinators. Sessions focused on early childhood, continuing education and sustainability after American Rescue Plan funds end Sept. 30, 2024. Stumbo looks forward to using these new ideas in technical assistance here in Kentucky.
|
