Homeless Students Education Program

Program Overview

The Project ACCESS Program works to Assist, Clarify, Coordinate, Educate, and provide Support Services for all homeless children and youth referred in the School District of Lee County. The district homeless education liaison coordinates efforts with the Project ACCESS social worker, and Title I school social worker to provide activities for, and services to, homeless children, including preschool-age and unaccompanied youth that enable, them to enroll in, attend, and succeed in school.

Project ACCESS Removes Barriers By:

• Advocating for homeless children and their families.
• Identifying homeless students, providing wraparound services and educational engagement.
• Helping to ensure that homeless children in the district will not feel stigmatized due to their homeless status.
• Providing school supplies, including backpacks and/or uniforms to each child.
• Coordinating efforts with transportation (in and out of district) to provide transportation to and from school as needed.
• Making all school activities, including before and after school programs accessible to each child.
• Providing tutoring and/or accessibility to tutoring as needed.
• Helping parents complete enrollment forms and assisting in obtaining school records, immunization records, birth certificates and other records as needed.
• Collaborating with local community agencies to connect homeless children and families to resources.  Coordinating basic needs/services for homeless students, including medical, vision and dental care on a limited basis.
• Creating awareness of, and promote sensitivity to the educational and legal rights of homeless children and youth in school personnel.