Migrant Education

Who are Migrant Workers?

Migrant workers seek temporary or seasonal work in agricultural, fishing, or related industries, including food processing. They follow the growing seasons across the country and are largely responsible for the cultivation and harvesting of fruits, vegetables, and many other food products. While many migrant families consider California to be their home base, others come from different states and countries.

Migrant children may come from large families with inadequate living space and low incomes and are susceptible to poor nutrition, housing, and sanitary conditions. They may have limited English skills and may experience limited success in school. These problems, combined with irregular school attendance, often lead to low academic performance, including accumulating sufficient units for graduation, which leads to many migrant students dropping out of school in their teens.

Through the Migrant Education program, these children are provided with supplemental education opportunities and support services to help overcome their difficulties to help close the achievement gap in education and develop skills and options for a successful future. In addition, the program provides opportunities for them to develop self-confidence and build self-esteem.

What is Identification and Recruitment (I&R)?

Regional and district staff identify children within Alpine, Calaveras, Contra Costa, San Joaquin and Tuolumne counties that may qualify for participation in Migrant Education. Once these children are identified, a recruiter arranges a visit at the child’s home to determine eligibility for the program.

Migrant Education Region 23 has four recruiters and one data technician assigned to assist in identification and recruitment (I&R). The regional recruiters are in constant communication with work sites and are in the community identifying, recruiting, and referring migrant families to the appropriate schools, programs, and resources. The I&R staff are indispensable to the successful recruitment of migrant families for districts.

Why is I&R so important?

I&R is the backbone of the Migrant Education program. All children receiving services must be identified and recruited. Regional, state, and national forums are often held to discuss more effective methods of identifying and recruiting the population being served.

How does I&R work?

Recruiters develop a network of people, businesses and institutions that help in finding and referring to potentially eligible children and young adults. The recruiter visits the parent or guardian to determine eligibility by asking questions that fall under the state and federal guidelines. If the requirements are met, a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) is filled out and signed by the parent or guardian.

The information gathered is then sent to the regional office where an I&R program manager reviews each COE, checking for mistakes and confirming that the child meets the criteria for inclusion in the program.

What makes a child eligible?

To qualify for the Migrant Education program, a migrant child must have moved within the past three years across state(s) or school district boundaries with or without a migrant parent/guardian. To qualify, the child, the child's guardian, or a member of the child's immediate family must obtain temporary or seasonal employment in an agricultural, fishing, or food processing activity. The child may be in any grade level between preschool and 12th grade, and must not be a high school graduate or older than 22 years old.