If you are homeless and going to school, let the school know about it.
Being homeless and going to school would be hard for any child regardless of age or grade level. Many things that you normally would not have worried about before become issues, such as transportation, space to do homework and school attendance. Some families are afraid to let their child’s school know that they are in between places for fear of being judged or, even worse, being reported to CPS.

There are some things you should know about being homeless and going to public school:

• There are laws that protect your child’s rights and your rights as a parent to be treated as any other participant of the San Francisco Unified School District

• The school district has a program to help homeless families with resources to help your child stay on track and can direct you to agencies that can help you during your period of homelessness.

• It is your choice to let the school district know that you are homeless.

• The school district, like any other agency that mandates reports, must have a reason to call CPS. Homelessness, depending on the circumstances, is not grounds to make a CPS report.

You and your child's rights.
Homeless students have the right to:

• Be enrolled without a birth certificate, immunization record or other required documentation.

• Attend the school that he/she attended before the family lost its home

• Be transferred to a school closer to where he/she is staying now.

• Get assistance with free transportation to and from school.

• Have access to materials such as books and supplies to ensure an equal opportunity to participate in school.

• Receive any special services that he/she might need.

           These services include:

            1. Special education

            2. Bilingual services

            3. Gifted and talented education services

            4. Free lunch and breakfast program

            5. Counseling services

            6. Before and after school programs

            7. Tutoring services

• Attend school free of judgment

Parents and guardians of homeless children have the right to:

• Be involved in your child’s education

• Be notified of and involved in any decision that your child’s school makes regarding his or her social or academic career.

• Request a Student Success team meeting for your child and include “people of support.” These may be a social worker or counselor from an agency you are working with or someone that has tutored your child at an after school program.

Websites that can help you locate schools

Find the Public School in your neighborhood
School Directory
School District Map

Numbers and websites for Children's Educational Needs. 

The Families In Transition (FIT) Program of the San Francisco Unified School District

555 Portola Ave, Bungalow #2 San Francisco, CA 94131 click address for direction how to get there.
Call 415-695-5569 

This program was started to help the school district reach out to their homeless families and make it easier for homeless children to enroll in and do well in school.

The FIT program is located in Pupil Services and can be of assistance to you if you need help communicating your concerns to your child’s school. FIT can help you with:

• Enrolling your child in school and helping you in obtaining your child’s transcripts if you are coming from another state or city.

• Communicating your “situation” to your school

• Locating services for you and your family

• Assisting you with finding a tutoring program for your child

• Answering any questions you have about your rights while in your situation.  

Educational Placement Center (EPC) of the San Francisco Unified School District.

555 Franklin Street, Room 100 San Francisco, CA 94102 click address for direction how to get there.
Call 415-241-6085 Fax: 415-241-6087 
Contact Person for Homelessness: Dolores Aybeta                                            

Hours: 8am - 4pm, Monday to Friday

The Enrollment Placement Center can help you enroll your child without documentation, assist you with getting your child’s immunization shots and assist you with language assessment for your child. EPC has a number of Placement Counselors who can help you with the entire enrollment process whether your child is new to public school or already attending public school here in San Francisco.

BeehiveSF.org Helps parents find out information for their child's school needs in San Francisco.

Want to put your child in private school? Get help through Basic Fund
Call 415-986-5650 for Application Form
Scholarship program created to expand educational opportunity for low-income families in the San Francisco Bay Area. The program is available to students entering kindergarten through 8th grade and who will be attending a private and participating schools in Alameda, Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo Counties.


Activities for Children in the City
SFkids.org. This website provides parents and caregivers a guide to the resources and listings of kid-friendly restaurants, childcare and parenting resources, social services, and children's health and safety information, as well as deadline information for summer camps, school events and community activities.

Call 211 for United Way's HELPLINK for Child's school needs
Simply dial "2-1-1" from any landline telephone in San Francisco

• Children's low-cost physical exam for sports participation
• Children's low-cost immunizations
• After-school programs in San Francisco neighborhoods
• Information on school safety, riding the bus, walking or biking to school
• Tutoring or mentoring services in San Francisco

Because information changes, always call first.
If you find a problem on this site
contact us at webmaster@helping-sf.org