Information for Schools
What is the Migrant Education Program?
What is the Migrant Education Program (MEP)?
Title I, Part C Migrant Education Program (MEP) of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) helps ensure that migratory children who move among states are not penalized in any manner by disparities among states in curriculum, graduation requirements, or state academic content and student academic achievement standards.
A migratory child is any child ages 0-21 who moves across district lines, either on their own or with a parent or guardian, to obtain qualifying seasonal or temporary agricultural work.
Read more about the program in the attached presentation:
What are my obligations to MEP students and how can I best support them?
What are schools' obligations to MEP students?
All Title I, Part C services in our state are carried out by our Migrant Regional Centers (MRCs) & are supplemental to all other services students may qualify for that are provided by their school. In addition to supporting students through these programs, schools are required to:
Distribute the Migrant Work Survey to every family, every year (this can be done electronically as part of the registration packet for the new school year!)
Send work surveys with "yes" responses to the MRC for your area
Maintain work surveys in students' cumulative folders
Collaborate with MRCs to share student data and ensure that students' needs are met through a combination of supports
Provide free lunch & textbooks without requiring MEP families to complete the Free & Reduced Lunch application
Did You Know?
MEP families work in over 90 different industries
The majority of our students come to Indiana with their families during the summer months, before returning to their home states - but we have a growing number of students who stay longer or settle in our state
MEP students are categorically eligible for free lunch & textbooks (they do not need to complete a free/reduced lunch application)
MEP students travel from over 30 states to Indiana each year, and from other countries too!
Our students speak more than 10 different home languages
Documentation for Schools
