-
What Homeless Parents Need to Know About the Education of their ChildrenThe Cleveland Metropolitan School District's Project ACT provides direct instructional and support services to children and youth residing in temporary emergency shelters, transitional housing and doubled-up students staying with other families due to loss of housing, economic hardship or similar situations. A holistic and comprehensive approach is used to deliver instructional and support services necessary to facilitate the homeless child's transition into school, and to ensure the child's success and ongoing participation in the educational system.
Support services include everything necessary to accomplish the goal of meeting students' physical, social and emotional needs, and empowering parents to support their children in this endeavor. All appropriate resources from the Cleveland Metropolitan School District are employed to achieve this goal.
Contact Project ACT
216.838.0210 800.961.1990
fax: 216.436.5158
-
If your family is experiencing homelessness, your children have the right to:
- A free and appropriate public education
- Continue at the school they are attending
- Transfer to a school closer to where they are residing, as long as it is feasible, and the parent or guardian feels it is in the best interest of the child
- Receive transportation to school (yellow bus or RTA Transit card) if they are:
- more than one mile away from a K-6 Elementary School
- more than one mile away from a Grade 7-12 School (RTA Transit Card) (7th and 8th graders who reside one mile or greater from their home school will be offered RTA tickets for their transportation. If lower grade siblings are assigned to a yellow bus, then siblings in the 7th and 8th grades will be allowed to ride based on space availability and proper behavior)
- Enroll and attend classes even if they do not have:
- a birth certificate
- immunization records or school records (Project ACT may help you obtain these records)
- Receive the same special services and participate in the same special programs and services, if needed, as provided to all other children
What parents of families experiencing homelessness need to know:
- To register your child for school you will need
- your child's birth certificate
- immunization records (Project ACT can help you obtain these documents for your child, if needed)
- School Records
- your child's previous school records (Project ACT can help you obtain school records)
- Special Programs
- your child has the right to participate in extracurricular activities and the right to enter into special programs the school offers
- gifted and talented
- free breakfast and lunch
- School Enrollment
- your child main remain in his or her School of Origin, or your child may be assigned to a school closer to where you are staying. Students will receive transportation if they are more than one mile away for K-Grade 5 or more than 1/2 mile for Grade 7-12 (RTA Transit Card)
- Children in Grades K-5 must have a parent/guardian accompany them on the RTA
- Kindergarten
- Children who will be 5 years old on or before September 30 need to be enrolled in Kindergarten
What parents can do to improve the academic success of their children:
- Make sure your child attends school each day
- Read with your child for at least 20 minutes each day
- Make education a family priority
- Help your child develop good study and work habits
- Meet with your child's teacher and other school personnel
- Show and tell your child that you love him/her
- If you move, notify the school office and Project ACT of your departure date and initiate records transfer
- It is important for your child to say goodbye to friends and teachers
