What is the Migrant Education Program?
Title I, Part C Migrant Education Program (MEP) of the Every Student Succeeds Act supports high quality education programs for migratory children (ages birth-21) and helps ensure that migratory children who move among the states are not penalized in any manner by disparities among states in curriculum, graduation requirements, or state academic content and student academic achievement standards. The MEP is designed to help migratory children overcome educational disruption, cultural and language barriers, social isolation, various health-related problems, and other factors that may inhibit their ability to do well in school.
Information For Schools
MEP Work Survey
The Indiana MEP collaborates with Indiana school districts through the Migrant Work Survey, which is required to be administered every year to all children upon their enrollment in school. Additionally, Migrant Regional Centers (MRCs) collaborate with districts where migrant students are attending, and provide supplemental support to these students during the school year. If you have any questions about the Migrant Education Program or how to support your students, you may contact the MRC for your area or the Indiana Department of Education.
- MEP Work Survey Memo and Instructions
- Work Survey (English and Spanish)
- Work Survey (Haitian Creole)
- MRC Identification and Recruitment Specialists Contact Information
Student Eligibility, Identification & Recruitment
Once it has been determined that a student may be eligible through administration of the work survey, the LEA must contact their local Migrant Regional Center. Trained recruiters interview families to determine each child's eligibility for the Migrant Education Program. To qualify for the program a migrant child must have meet the following requirements:
- Younger than the age of 22;
- Has not earned a high school diploma or an equivalent degree;
- Has moved on his/her own as a migratory worker or with/to join/to precede a parent, spouse or guardian who is a migratory worker; and
- The move was within the preceding 36 months
- due to economic necessity
- from one school district to another; and
- from one residence to another
A migratory worker is someone who has moved within the past 36 months and engaged in qualifying seasonal or temporary work in agriculture or fishing soon after the move or, under certain circumstances, unsuccessfully sought qualifying work.
Click here to access the MEP referral system and help identify students that may be eligible for supplemental services in Indiana!
Categorical Eligibility for Free Meals and Textbooks
Students identified through the Title I, Part C Migrant Education Program are categorically eligible for free lunch and textbooks, and do not need to complete a free or reduced-price meal application. Please see the memorandum below for additional information and procedures.
Additional Information and Frequently Asked Questions
Identification and Recruitment
Identifying and recruiting eligible migrant students is a cornerstone of the MEP.Indiana strives to identify and serve 100% of all eligible migrant students within our state.Identification means determining the presence and location of all migratory children.Recruitment means describing the benefits of the MEP to the child and family and obtaining the necessary information to document eligibility and enroll the child in the program.The identification and recruitment of migrant children are critical because:
- The children who are most in need of program services are often those who are the most difficult to find.
- Many migrant children would not fully benefit from school, and in some cases, would not attend school at all, if the State educational agencies (SEAs) failed to identify and recruit them into the MEP.
- Children cannot receive MEP services without a record of eligibility.
In order to meet this responsibility, Indiana has developed and implemented policies and procedures to efficiently and effectively identify and recruit all eligible migrant children.
- Indiana MRC Map & Recruiter Contact Information
- Indiana ID&R Manual
- Identification and Recruitment Resources
Click here to access the MEP referral system and help identify students that may be eligible for supplemental services in Indiana!
Indiana Migrant Education Program
The Migrant Education Program is a federal program that is carried out by the states through grants administered by the United States Education Department. Indiana provides services to migratory students through three regional Education Service Centers and a State Migrant Resource Center. Each region is responsible for identifying and serving all migratory children in the counties for that region. Through academic intervention, social and educational support, as well as interstate coordination, the Indiana Migrant Education Program strives to minimize the negative effects associated with the challenges of a highly mobile lifestyle and to ensure that migratory children receive the proper academic and educational support necessary to prepare them to make a successful transition to postsecondary education or employment. For further information on legislation, regulations, and guidance, visit the Office of Migrant Education website.
Visit the Indiana Migrant Education Program website to learn more about local programming in your area.