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Barriers to Education |
Homelessness has a particularly devastating impact on children. One
of the most significant problems faced by homeless children is a disruption
in schooling when they are forced to change schools repeatedly and miss
many days in the school year:
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It takes an average of 4-6 months for a child to recover academically from a change in schools.
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66% of students who missed 20 or more school days during first, second or third grade will drop out of school.
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50% of all children in shelters show signs of anxiety and depression.
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Children in shelters show as high as 70% rate of delay in immunizations, compared to 22 among low-income children who are housed.
Other barriers homeless students face
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Enrollment delays because school records, birth certificates, and immunization records are not available.
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Lack of adequate transportation.
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An inability to pay for school supplies and fees.
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School staff who are unaware of the needs and problems encountered by children in homeless situations.
Sources
Common Problems Homeless Students Face. (n.d.) National Center for Homeless Edcuation at SERVE. Retrieved on August 18, 2001, from http://www.serve.org/nche/Comnprob.htm
Educating Homeless Children and Youth: Problems and Solutions. (May
1998). William Penn University. Retrieved on August 18, 2001, from http://www.wmpenn.edu/PennWeb/LTP/DOEMat/
LEHC1.html#IndivFamilyNeeds
Homelessness: The Causes and Facts. (n.d.) Coalition on Homelessness
and Housing in Ohio. Retrieved on August 18, 2001, from http://www.cohhio.org/Chicagofactsheet.html
