For infants and toddlers experiencing homelessness, enrollment in an early learning program can be a major boon. Quality child care and programs such as Early Head Start can keep young children on track developmentally, while also allowing staff to connect families with housing assistance and other services.
But new research in 20 states shows that less than 8% of infants and toddlers experiencing homelessness are attending an early childhood program.
“The reach of these early learning programs for children experiencing homelessness is not what we need to see if we actually want to see children truly thriving in their lives and in their education,” said Jennifer Erb-Downward, senior research associate at Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan.
