CA Homeless Education Technical Assistant Centers

Monday, May 4, 2026

✨Spotlight on Summer: SUN Bucks and Meals for Kids

The HETAC Basic Needs Directory has been updated with important summer food support resources to help ensure children and youth have access to nutritious meals while school is out.

Visit the HETAC Basic Needs Directories

SUN Bucks (Summer EBT): A federal program that provides additional grocery benefits for eligible families during the summer months. This support helps replace meals that children would normally receive at school.

Check SUN Bucks (Summer EBT) Eligibility

USDA Summer Meals for Kids: Free meals and snacks are available to all children ages 18 and under throughout the summer. Meals are served at local community locations such as schools, parks, and libraries. No application or ID is required.

Find Free Summer Meal Sites for Kids

📅Upcoming Webinars and Trainings

For all trainings, please register ahead of time for this meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing the Zoom link.

HETAC Data and Donuts: Deepening Youth Civic Engagement Through Career Technical Education (CTE), Community Schools and the State Seal of Civic Engagement (SSCE)

Date: Thursday, May 14, 2026
Time: 3 - 4:30 p.m.

Description: Explore strategies to strengthen youth civic engagement through CTE, Community Schools, and SSCE, with real-world examples and practitioner insights.

Data and Donuts Flyer Mar-May 2026

⏰Fiscal Reminders

Budget Change Requests are due May 15, 2026. Please submit to JThao@cde.ca.gov

Budget and Expenditure Forms - Homeless Education (CA Dept of Education)

📊Upcoming Changes in CALPADS Data Reporting

Please note upcoming CALPADS changes requiring LEAs to ensure homeless student records are closed at the end of each academic year and reopened annually. A CALPADS NewsFlash is forthcoming with additional details.

For support, please get in touch with serrano_miriam@lacoe.edu.

📌McKinney-Vento LEA Planning Calendar (2025-26)

County Offices of Education (COEs)

COEs should support Local Education Agencies (LEAs) in May and June by providing guidance, resources, and technical assistance on key end-of-year transition, graduation, data, and summer support activities. Your role is to ensure LEAs can complete required tasks efficiently and support students experiencing homelessness.

Ways to Support LEAs:

Support graduation tracking, credit recovery, and postsecondary planning
Assist with senior transitions and scholarship coordination
Share summer enrollment resources and support family outreach
Support end-of-year data tasks (CARS, SIS, McKinney-Vento updates)
Address barriers to summer participation (housing, transportation, access)
Provide training, office hours, templates and one-on-one support

Local Education Agencies (LEA's)

May: Transition, Graduation and Summer Prep

Support graduation tracking, credit recovery, and counselor coordination
Assist seniors with postsecondary planning and scholarship applications
Celebrate graduates and support final transition steps
Confirm summer program enrollment and student participation
Conduct family outreach with summer contacts and community resources (meal programs, etc.)
Begin CARS data preparation for 2025–26 reporting cycle

June: Wrap-Up, Data and Summer Support

Coordinate end-of-year transitions with district/county partners (CDE/SDCOE)
Support McKinney-Vento students in summer programs and follow-ups
Address barriers to participation (housing, transportation, access)
Distribute summer resource lists (food, housing, youth services)
Update SIS data (housing status, school transitions, MV updates)
Track students needing continued support for August re-identification
Support summer staffing and Stuff the Bus survey efforts

🗂️ HETAC Training is Available

Watch McKinney-Vento Training Videos on YouTube

Access HETAC Homeless Education Training Series (Courses 1–3)

💧 Sprinkle of Wellness and Self-care

ℹ️ About the Homeless Education Technical Assistance Centers

The California Homeless Education Technical Assistance Center (HETAC) network is funded by the California Department of Education to provide support and technical assistance to county offices of education (COEs), local educational agencies (LEAs), and other interested stakeholders to ensure educational access and success for children and youth experiencing homelessness.

The HETAC network is operated by the Contra Costa COE, Los Angeles COE and San Diego COE.

Visit the HETAC website for more information.

Thank you for reading this month’s HETAC Newsletter! We appreciate your commitment to supporting students experiencing homelessness.

HETAC Training Series

For Questions Reach Out Here!