An advocate may be credentialed or paraprofessional, or even a student or community volunteer. The advocate's job is to serve as liaison, monitor student progress and attendance, serve as a role model, and assist families with support services. An inviting school atmosphere will reduce the initial culture shock of the unschooled student. Maps and well-marked directions using color coding, labels, and symbols help improve access. Bilingual staff, student ambassadors, and cultural consideration help new students feel included and respected at the school.
Time is a crucial factor in scheduling migrant youth.
The priority for an unschooled youth is literacy and language instruction. Teaching literacy in the first language is a strategy that can have immediate payoff. Literacy will immediately empower them to continue their own learning. Efforts to learn ESL and English literacy without the support of first-language literacy can be discouraging. First-language maintenance has a practical economic benefit to youth and is important to their emotional health.