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Supporting our community with information and resources

Excel Academy Charter School is proud to serve the communities and families of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. We welcome all students and families regardless of immigration status, race, gender, or ethnicity. Our team is dedicated to creating an environment where Excel students of all backgrounds and identities feel safe, supported, and uplifted.

Massachusetts Family Resources
Rhode Island Family Resources

McKenney-Vento Act Protections for Students Experiencing Homelessness

The McKenney-Vento Act is a federal law that ensures immediate enrollment and educational stability for children and youth experiencing homelessness. It provides rights and protections for homeless students, such as:

• Immediate Enrollment: Homeless children must be immediately enrolled in school, even if they lack the required documentation (e.g., proof of residency, immunization records).
• School of Origin: Homeless students have the right to remain in their “school of origin” (the school they attended before becoming homeless or the last school they attended) if it is in their best interest.
• Transportation: Schools are required to provide transportation to the school of origin upon request.
• Support Services: Schools must provide homeless students with access to the same programs and services available to other students, including special education, free school meals, and other support.

  • Children and youths who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; or are abandoned in hospitals.
  • Children and youths who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.
  • Children and youths who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and
  • Migratory children (as defined in section 1309 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended) who qualify as homeless because they are living in circumstances described above

  • Immediate Enrollment: Homeless children must be immediately enrolled in school, even if they lack the required documentation (e.g., proof of residency, immunization records).
  • School of Origin: Homeless students have the right to remain in their “school of origin” (the school they attended before becoming homeless or the last school they attended) if it is in their best interest.
  • Transportation: Schools are required to provide transportation to the school of origin upon request.
  • Support Services: Schools must provide homeless students with access to the same programs and services available to other students, including special education, free school meals, and other support.

Contact us

The Excel Family Benefits Access program offers free and confidential assistance to our families in a variety of areas, including information related to immigration services and access to benefits like health insurance and nutrition.

Ways to reach the Benefits Access Team:

  • 617-466-9384

  • epuerta@excelacademy.org

  • Hablamos español