Senator Patty Murray and Representative Robert C. “Bobby” Scott invite you to a congressional briefing to discuss:
Early Childhood Homelessness in the United States
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
10:00am-- 11:30 am
430 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Homelessness is a reality for far too many families with young children in our country. More than half of all children in federally funded homeless shelters are under the age of six; in fact, infancy is the period of life when a person is at highest risk of living in a homeless shelter. Experiencing homelessness in early childhood is associated with poor early development and educational well-being. In addition, homelessness in the early years puts children at risk of lifelong challenges, including adult homelessness. These findings underscore the importance of ensuring that young children who are homeless have access to supports that can improve their educational and life experiences, including access to high-quality early childhood care and education programs.
This briefing will provide an overview of early childhood homelessness, including available federal data as summarized in “Early Childhood Homelessness: A 50 State Profile,” recently released by the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary, Early Childhood Development (ODAS-ECD) at the Administration for Children and Families. Panelists will describe local and state innovations in increasing homeless children’s access to quality early childhood programs, as well as the remaining challenges they face. ODAS-ECD will review steps that it has taken to remove barriers to early childhood programs, including CCDF, Head Start, and technical assistance activities.
Panelists:
Linda K. Smith, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Early Childhood Development, Administration for Children and Families
Carie Bires, Policy Manager, Ounce of Prevention Fund, Chicago, IL
Parent voices (video)
Kresta Horn, Director of Children and Youth Services, UMOM New Day Centers; Phoenix, AZ
Khari Garvin, Director, Great Expectations Initiative; Forsyth County, NC (Former North Carolina Head Start State Collaboration Director)
Moderator: Barbara Duffield, Director of Policy and Programs, National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth