The National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY) is the voice and social conscience for the education of children and youth experiencing homelessness. NAEHCY accomplishes this through advocacy, partnerships, and education.

About NAEHCY

NAEHCY, a national grassroots membership association, connects educators, parents, advocates, researchers, and service providers to ensure school enrollment and attendance and overall success for children and youth whose lives have been disrupted by the lack of safe, permanent, and adequate housing. NAEHCY achieves these goals through advocacy, partnerships, and education.

Each year, approximately 1.5 million children and youth experience homelessness in our nation’s towns, cities and counties. These students lack the stability and peace of mind we all hope to be able to give our children. On a regular basis, children and youth report that school is a home to them – a place where they see the same faces, sit in the same seat, and can put their hearts and minds into pursuits that ease their daily troubles. In academic settings, students gain the skills and support needed to avoid poverty and homelessness as adults. Our members work in schools, education, and advocacy agencies across the country, as well as in shelters and community organizations. We are on the front lines identifying, enrolling, and coordinating services for homeless children and youth.

NAEHCY supports those in the field through legislative advocacy and guidance. See the Legislation and Policy section of this web site and our Publications for more information.

We'd like you to join us in this important work.

Find out more about our leadership and professional staff.

New to Homeless Education?

Learn more about the education of children and youth experiencing homelessness.

Annual Conference

NAEHCY coordinates an annual conference, which is a unique showcase for best practices and services in education and homeless provision from across the country. It is the only national conference dedicated to improving the well-being of homeless children and youth. NAEHCY’s conference equips educators and advocates nationwide with the knowledge, skills, informa­tion, and inspiration they need to remove barriers and help ensure that every child and youth experiencing homelessness is successful – academically, personally, and socially. The 22nd Annual Conference, Rounding Up Solutions: Educating ALL Our Children and Youth, will be held in Houston, Texas, November 6-9, 2010.

Learn more about the 2010 Annual Conference. Help us round up new solutions by joining us there!

LeTendre Education Fund

NAEHCY administers the LeTendre Education Fund to provide academic funding, resources, and mentoring to students who have experienced homelessness. Essays submitted to the scholarship program provide testimonies of disruption, deprivation, and stolen childhoods; they challenge us to face the reality of homelessness experienced by hundreds of thousands of children and youth. In one, a high school senior describes how people became tired of him and his mother sleeping on their floors, and of the toll on his mental health and education. Another student writes about the lack of privacy and food in a motel room, and the difficulty concentrating on homework. And yet another reveals that since the 5th grade, she has lived wherever she could, never knowing how long she would have a roof over her head. Homelessness, in her words, means “no steadiness, and no safety.” Teachers, counselors, social workers, and other educators corroborate the students’ experiences and disclose even more disturbing details.

Learn more about the LeTendre Education Fund. Deadline to submit applications for the 2010 award is September 17, 2010.

 

Background

The National Association of State Coordinators for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NASCEHCY) was established in 1989 to ensure that children and youth residing in temporary living situations received equitable and excellent services through the public schools across the country. The Association also encouraged the development and dissemination of strategies for effective instruction, pupil services, and research.

At its annual conference in Des Moines, Iowa, in the Fall of 1998, the Association removed the words "State Coordinators" from its name and expanded its membership to include individuals who attended the annual conference. Prior to this date, membership was limited to State Coordinators for Homeless Education. The State Coordinators saw a need to bring others who are dedicated to assurance of an appropriate education for all homeless students into the Association.

During the 2002 annual conference in Los Angeles, California, NAEHCY opened membership to everyone interested in homeless education and voted to require that all members pay dues. Learn more about becoming a member.

Download the About NAEHCY organizational profile for more information.