McKinney-Vento Education of Homeless Children and Youth Program-Year 1 (ARP-HCY 1)

Division: Educational Services

Office:  Supplemental Educational Programs

View Published NGO Document Attached  

Purpose: 

ARP HCY funds are designed to support efforts to identify homeless children and youths, provide them with comprehensive, wrap-around services that address needs arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, and allow them to attend school and participate fully in all school activities. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, students experiencing homelessness are increasingly under-identified, as learning outside of school building settings likely impeded the critical role of educators and staff in schools and LEAs to properly identify students, and these students have remained underserved by schools, LEAs, and States.

NJDOE will follow the U.S. Department of Education’s recommendation and distribute 75% of the ARP Homeless I allocation to the five current regional McKinney-Vento grantees. This enables the regional grantees to meet unmet needs by partnering with community-based organizations that are well-positioned to identify children and youths experiencing homelessness and connect them to educationally related supports and wraparound services.

These funds must supplement the McKinney-Vento Education Program funds (42 U.S.C. §11431 et seq ) awarded separately and may be used for any of the sixteen (16) activities authorized under the McKinney-Vento Assistance Act (https://nche.ed.gov/mv-auth-activities/

McKinney-Vento Subgrant Authorized Activities – National Center for Homeless Education

Subtitle VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (per Title IX, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act) authorizes the following allowable usages of McKinney-Vento local educational agency subgrant funds:

nche.ed.gov

Programs and services provided with ARP Homeless I funds must not replace the regular academic program and must be designed to expand upon or improve services provided to homeless children and youths as part of the district’s regular academic program, including compliance with McKinney-Vento statutes.

The five regional grantees will also:

1. Under the subsequent ARP-HCY II program, serve and act as Lead LEA/Fiscal Agent for a Consortia to carry out joint and cooperative administered programs and/or services between the Lead LEA/Fiscal Agent and members’ (participants’) school districts for the identification, enrollment, retention, and educational success of children and youths experiencing homelessness by the most efficient and economically responsible means; and
2. Serve the identified region in the lead capacity through the entire program period.

The NJDOE is offering this NGO to the five current McKinney-Vento Education of Homeless Children and Youth regional grantees. They are:

• Bergen County Special Services School District (serving Region 1);
• Essex County Educational Services Commission (serving Region 2);
• Gloucester County Special Services School District (serving Region 3);
• Monmouth-Ocean Regional Educational Services Commission (serving Region 4); and
• Woodstown-Pilesgrove School District (serving Region 5).

Based on the availability of federal ARP-HCY funds funds, this grant program will cover the project period April 23, 2021 – September 30, 2023

Eligible Agencies: Region 1 through 5

Approximate Number of Awards: 5

Grants Program Type:  Non-Competitive

Total Amt. Available: $3,395,536                      

Application Due Date: 4/5/2022