Official Site of The State of New Jersey
New Jersey Migrant Education Program
New Jersey's Migrant Education Program (NJ MEP) is a federally funded program that supplements educational and support services for migratory children. The purpose of the federal Migrant Education Program is as follows:
- To ensure eligible children of migratory farm workers and migratory fishers receive appropriate educational support services to help reduce the educational lags that result from repeated moves; and
- To ensure migratory children have the opportunity to meet the same challenging state academic content and student performance standards that all children are expected to meet.
The NJ MEP assists school districts and charter schools with coordinating the continuity of educational services for children with interrupted schooling due to repeated moves to seek employment in agricultural, fishing and/or dairy work out of economic necessity. The New Jersey Department of Education provides discretionary grants to regional lead agencies to establish or improve education programs for migrant children. These regional lead agencies provide the following services for eligible children of migratory farm workers and migratory fishers: identification and recruitment of students, the intrastate and interstate transfer of student records, supplemental instruction, and health and other support services.
Migrant: As defined under ESSA Section 1309 (2), a migrant student is:
- 21 years of age or younger; and
- Who is, or whose parent/guardian is, a migratory fisher, dairy worker, lumber, or agricultural worker; and,
- Who in the preceding three years has moved from one school district to another in order for the worker to obtain temporary or seasonal employment in agricultural or fishing work; and
- Has received a National Certificate of Eligibility (COE) which is an official record of eligibility determination for migrant students.
Immigrant: Under Section 3201 of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the term "immigrant children and youth" refers to individuals who:
- Are aged 3 through 21; and
- Were not born in any State; and
- Have not been attending one or more schools in any one or more States for more than 3 full academic years.
State Education Agency Point of Contact
Please contact Lori Ramella at migranted@doe.nj.gov with specific questions.