The main purpose of the Pennsylvania's Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program is to make sure homeless youth have access to free and appropriate public education while removing barriers that homeless children face. Its goal is to have the educational process continue as uninterrupted as possible while the children are in homeless situations. Some of the other main objectives of the Pennsylvania's Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program are to inform local school districts of their responsibilities to homeless children and youth, to increase awareness about the needs of homeless children, explain current legislation and policies, and provide practical tips for working with homeless children.

This report offers 13 recommendations which collectively serve as a framework which builds upon existing efforts and seeks to advance change within the system to meet the educational needs of Pennsylvania’s children experiencing homelessness. The findings and recommendations contained in this report are presented to the Governor, the President pro tempore of the Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, the chairman and minority chairman of the Education Committee of the Senate and the chairman and minority chairman of the Education Committee of the House of Representatives.

These recommendations are organized within four overarching categories of need: 1) Collaboration and Coordination; 2) Data Collection; 3) Outreach and Engagement; and 4) Service Delivery. The 13 recommendations appear below in an abridged version. The full text of these recommendations is found in the Task Force Recommendations section of this report.