The McKinney-Vento Act’s Education for Homeless Children and Youths (EHCY) program is the primary U.S. Department of Education (ED) program focused specifically on children and youths who are homeless. EHCY makes grants to states to help ensure that homeless children and youths have equal access to the same free appropriate education as other children and youths. The program was originally authorized under Title VII, Part B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (McKinney-Vento Act; P.L. 100-77, as amended), and it was last reauthorized as part of the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA, P.L. 114-95), which was signed into law in December 2015. EHCY defines homeless children and youths as individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence and includes not only those living in emergency or transitional shelters but also those living in shared housing because of a financial emergency or natural disaster, among many other potential living situations. This is a broader definition of homelessness than is used in programs administered by other federal agencies, such as those operated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which may focus only on individuals living unsheltered or in shelters.EHCY provides supports to help ensure uninterrupted access to education in the same school a student attended prior to experiencing homelessness, known as the school of origin. Each state submits a plan indicating how homeless children and youths will be identified; how assurances will be put in place that homeless children will participate in federal, state, and local food programs if eligible; and how the state will address problems such as transportation, immunization, residency requirements, and the lack of birth certificates or school records. EHCY does not provide housing.