School administrators can aid homeless children and families by collaborating with other school districts to keep track of school records including immunizations and grade reports. It is imperative that children remain in their school of origin whenever possible, so transportation is another issue that must be arranged through the collaboration of school districts, shelter providers, and in some cases community agencies. Shelter providers can assist homeless children by providing a quiet place to study. If possible, shelter staff should keep extra pencils, paper, and other school supplies so that homeless students are prepared for school and less differentiated from their housed peers who may have these supplies on a daily basis. In addition, shelter staff should be knowledgeable about the needs of homeless children and their developmental issues.
Homeless parents can play a vital role in the education of their children.
In addition, knowing their rights and the educational rights of their children is very important. To avoid enrollment delays at a new school, parents should keep a folder with all the child's school records including report cards, birth certificates, immunization records, test scores, and samples of schoolwork. Homeless children are the fastest growing population of the homeless population. Parents can be homeless due to a job loss, domestic violence, low wages, mental illness, substance abuse, or natural disaster, but children are homeless through no fault of their own. One way to stop homelessness is to provide homeless children with the same educational advantages as housed children and to instill in them the value of that education.