Program, Region #6

To ensure that homeless children and youth have access to the same free appropriate public education as other children and youth, the McKinney Act of 1987 was reauthorized under the Every Student Succeeds Act.

The ARIN Intermediate Unit was one of first rural homeless programs that began in 1992 that services Armstrong and Indiana counties.

Beginning with the 2005-2006 school year, the Pennsylvania’s Education for the Homeless Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program was expanded to support the education of homeless children and youth in eleven counties in what now is Region #6. The ARIN Intermediate Unit directly works with all eleven counties giving support to School Districts, Shelters, Head Start Programs and other community agencies.

A main goal of the Pennsylvania’s Education for the Homeless Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program is “to provide activities for, and services to , homeless children, including preschool-aged homeless children and youth that enable such children and youths to enroll in, attend, and succeed in school, or, if appropriate, in preschool programs.”

Some of the main objectives of the Pennsylvania’s Education for the Homeless Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program are to inform local school districts of their responsibilities to homeless children and youth, to increase awareness about the needs of homeless children, reveal and overcome possible educational barriers, explain current legislation and policies, and provide practical tips for working with homeless children.

Pennsylvania’s Education for the Homeless Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program is a federally funded program, The McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Improvements Act of 2001