Claremont
SAU 6 Assistant Superintendent Cory LeClair said the federal McKinney-Vento grant of $35,000 a year for each of the next three years will help support the district’s efforts to prevent the student homeless population from falling behind because of their circumstances.
“It is designed to help kids (who are homeless) access full educational opportunities and to remove the barriers to education inherent in being homeless,” LeClair said. “We are trying to do a little more to support the homeless population.”
McKinney-Vento grants are part of the Homeless Assistance Act signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1987. It is named for its prime sponsors, U.S. Representatives Stuart McKinney, R-Conn., and Bruce Vento, D-Minn., and provides federal funds for homeless shelter programs and other services.
LeClair said the homeless school-aged population — which means they do not have a permanent residence — is about 12 percent of the total number of students in the district, which includes Cornish and Unity. According to the administration, there are about 180 students classified as homeless. LeClair said that means they could be living in a shelter, a tent or frequently finding a different place to stay.
LeClair said the grant will support a drop-in center on Main Street that is opening from 9 a.m. to noon.
“It helps with early intervention,” Leclair said, adding that they usually see 15 to 20 families a day.
The center has a pre-school program and engages children and their parents in literacy and math concepts.
The grant will also support professional development to help staff gain a better understanding of the issues surrounding homeless students.
The district holds community forum to bring awareness to homelessness of students and how it affects learning, LeClair said.
The district does receive local support for the homeless population, including donations of food, clothing and toiletries.
The second grant, $10,000 a year for three years, is from the Nellie Mae Education Foundation.
LeClair said the grant will be used for programs that involve all community members to help move the district forward in the area of pre-school education.
“We look at what we can do to support early childhood education from birth to age 5,” LeClair said.
