![](https://edsource.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Head-Start-book-excited-1024x915.jpg)
Teacher Marisol García del Ruiz demonstrates words for emotions in Spanish while holding a book in English during a Head Start class in Norwalk in September 2015.
Sarah Tully, EdSource
Enrollment in early child development programs can alleviate some of the consequences of homelessness for infants and toddlers, but only one in nine of these children are enrolled in such programs, according to a recent national report.
In California, one in six people is enrolled.
The number of families with infants and young children is growing, with many staying in shelters, motels, transitional housing or going without shelter, according to federal data included in a report on poverty solutions from national homeless advocacy group SchoolHouse Connection and the university. From Michigan.
Researchers note that there is no single reason for the increase in homelessness because each family's situation is different. But the rates got worse with the end of pandemic-era eviction protections. Infants and toddlers are most at risk of eviction, according to a report published in October by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
During the same program year, there were more than 1.6 million young children in California, more than 55,000 (3.27%) of whom experienced homelessness. Fewer than 10,000 homeless infants and toddlers are enrolled in early childhood programs, leaving tens of thousands of children without access to educational programs and potentially without access to support resources that could help their families find stable housing.
The report used census data to estimate the number of children under age 3 experiencing homelessness in all 50 states.
Homelessness rarely ends in a linear fashion. This means that infants and toddlers who experienced homelessness during the 2021-22 program year, data used in the SchoolHouse Connection report, may be the same young students living in unstable housing today. Understanding the data can help schools determine how to support students in need, especially given that homelessness often has long-term effects on academic progress.
“The longer children experience homelessness, the greater the cumulative toll on their health and well-being,” the report authors wrote. “In fact, the impact of homelessness on young children, including on children’s school readiness, can last long after families are stably housed.”
To estimate the prevalence of homelessness, the authors used “the percentage of first-grade students identified as homeless in each state.” Their numbers are conservative because advocates have long shared that the number of homeless youth remains undercounted.
Data on Early Head Start came from the Head Start Enterprise System, while local agency enrollment information was collected using Ed Data Express, a site that holds data collected by the U.S. Department of Education.
The report detailed what types of early childhood programs enrolled children in California are participating in.
During the 2021-22 program year, there were 915 infants and toddlers enrolled in home visiting programs, 2,883 infants and toddlers enrolled in Early Head Start programs, and 5,887 infants and toddlers receiving services from local educational agencies.
In California, low enrollment rates mean that only 1 in 6 infants and toddlers experiencing homelessness are enrolled in a program.
Infants and toddlers may not be enrolled in local educational institutions, such as elementary schools or county offices of education, but some areas have implemented programs to help support siblings of homeless children attending school.
For example, Greenfield Unified School District in Monterey County used pandemic-era federal funds to provide donations of baby supplies to families in need, even if their infants or toddlers are not yet enrolled in district programs. Identify and support.
But with those federal funds set to expire next year, school staff aren't sure if they will be able to continue providing those services.
Over the past two decades, Congress has revised certain requirements for access to federal early care, education, and homeless programs to increase enrollment of homeless children and families. For example, homeless families have additional time to provide immunization records when enrolling in Head Start programs, and we also have the flexibility to reserve spots for homeless families.
Despite these changes, enrollment rates for homeless infants and toddlers remain overwhelmingly low.
The report makes recommendations for preventing homelessness and closing gaps in program enrollment, including improving data quality on homeless children receiving subsidized child care and targeting housing vouchers to families with children experiencing homelessness and prospective parents. presented. .