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of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

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    The main goal of preschool services is to prepare students for kindergarten. PA-MEP staff support families and caregivers to enroll pre-school aged children in developmentally appropriate, Pennsylvania-certified programs. If a child is not admitted or placed on an early learning center waiting list, PA-MEP staff provide center-based or in-home learning opportunities. Each migrant child ages 4-5, entering kindergarten the following year, is assessed using the Kindergarten Preparation Inventory (KPI). The child will receive an initial, end of school year OR end of summer assessment to indicate their level of preparedness for kindergarten. A caretaker form is available to inform the assessment. Caretakers are encouraged to participate in in-home activities with their children and become their child's first teacher.

    Pre-K/Kindergarten Preparation Inventory Manuals

    Pre-K/Kindergarten Preparation Inventory for Staff (PDF)
    Pre-K/Kindergarten Preparation Inventory Instruction Manual (PDF)

    The PA-MEP Pre-K/Kindergarten Preparation Inventory is available in the following languages:

    Caretakers Form

    The PA-MEP Pre-K/Kindergarten Preparation Inventory for Caretakers is available in the following languages:

    As a supplemental program, PA-MEP's priority is to connect students with afterschool programs provided by the school or in the community.  If such programming is not available, the PA-MEP provides supplemental programming based on each student's individual needs.

    The PA-MEP has award-winning supplemental summer programs. The National Summer Learning Association recognized PA-MEP with the Summer Excellence Award. Since the 1960's, the PA-MEP has been providing exemplary summer programs for the children of migrant farmworkers. PA-MEP's summer programs are essential in preventing the "summer backslide," wherein children can lose up to three months growth in reading during the summer months.

    The PA-MEP summer program utilizes a thematic unit focus with resources developed to support primary content areas of math, language arts/reading, science, history and/or geography and STEAM.  Physical education also plays an important role in PA-MEP summer programming.  

    Programming is delivered in an environment in which diversity, inclusion and belonging is expected and valued.

    Summer programs typically operate for four or five weeks, for four to five days, with six instructional hours per day. All campus programs require a minimum of 110 hours of instruction each summer. The content of summer programming changes each year so eligible PA-MEP students can attend for three years and not repeat content.

    Collaborative relationships with local school districts, agencies and other community partners provide students with a rich learning experience. 

    ​During the regular school term, PA-MEP staff monitor student progress.  PA-MEP staff assist students and families with school enrollment and registration and act as liaisons to support student academic success.

    ​PA-MEP serves out-of-school youth, which are individuals younger than 22 who have not graduated from high school or completed their HSED.  Through the PA-MEP, OSY are provided with supports and services to meet their individual needs.  Services may include, English as a Second Language (ESL), HSED exam preparation, and/or life-skill lessons. For many of these young adults, work is a priority. Therefore, services and supports can be provided at places of employment, at home or in the community.

    ​Migrant students face obstacles in earning a high school diploma due to their mobility. Students may not have school records and/or may have incomplete courses. Through collaboration with local school districts, the PA-MEP can support MEP students access recovery programs to assist students gain enough credits to graduate.

    High School – The Student Leadership Institute has been in operation since 1989 as an initiative of the Pennsylvania Department of Education's Migrant Education Program (PA-MEP). Each summer 50 high school students attend a six-day residential college-level institute where they receive instruction in writing, public speaking and community service. The highlight of the Student Leadership Institute is a debate at the Pennsylvania House of Representatives where students are divided in two groups each representing a different side of an issue that is selected by them in consultation with the director's input. Additionally, students complete their college essays during the Institute. Students are encouraged to return to their communities and become active, contributing members.

    Middle School – The five-day residential middle school leadership program, Youth Power, has been in existence since 2010. Youth Power is a revolutionary, innovative and interactive series of student leadership workshops geared towards nurturing the leadership skills within students to achieve personal growth, resulting in a desire to create positive change in their lives and community. Over the course of five days, the Youth Power team engages students with a combination of team building activities, small group discussions and individual personal development assignments. Most notably, students prepare and present their educational five-year plan.

    The Diploma Project Toolkit is a handbook created to assure success for migrant students in earning a high school diploma and making a smooth transition to career or postsecondary education.

    The Diploma Project Toolkit is designed for use by the Pennsylvania Migrant Education Program (PA-MEP) in conversation with migrant students and their families and with input from the school counselor and others. It includes practical guidelines for setting academic and career goals, planning a course of study based on the high school credits and courses required by the local school and district, preparing for exams, and finding a suitable postsecondary program.

    The Diploma Project Toolkit is divided into four student units, which may be used in any order depending on student goals/needs. There is a companion parent unit document, translated in ten languages. Each unit provides information, tips, and a culminating activity for review of the unit. Each unit also provides an action plan that encourages students to apply their new knowledge.

    For Parents

    For Students

    ​The MEP Consortium Incentive Grants are authorized by section 1308(d) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) as amended by Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Through this program, the federal Department of Education provides financial incentives to State Educational Agencies (SEAs) to participate in high quality consortia that improve the interstate or intrastate coordination of migrant education programs by addressing key needs of migratory children who have their education interrupted.