The Stewart B. McKinney-Vento Education of Homeless Children and Youth (McKinney-Vento EHCY) program provides homeless students with protections and services to ensure they enroll in and attend school; complete their high school education and be positioned for success after graduation, so they may avoid poverty and homelessness as adults. Of the over 1.3 million children and youth experiencing homelessness in the United States, more than 10,900 homeless children and youth were identified in the state of New Jersey during the 2016-17 school year.

The McKinney-Vento EHCY program ensures homeless children and youth have equal access to a free, appropriate public education and are able to enroll in and attend school. The program funds supplemental academic support services for homeless children and youth to ensure their school success. The New Jersey Department of Education has established a grant program that focuses on providing instructional services that are supplemental to the regular school program. It also focuses on referral services to appropriate community-based organizations with the goal of enabling all homeless children and youth to meet challenging state academic and student performance standards.