Migrant Program

Migrant Education is a national program that provides supplemental educational and support services to migrant children. These services help children of migrant workers overcome the disruption to their education and other obstacles they encounter. The migrant educational program is based on the premise that poverty, mobility and school achievement are related and that children who are both poor and migratory are more likely to have difficulty in school.

Migrant workers seek temporary or seasonal work in agriculture, fishing or related industries, including food processing. They follow the growing seasons across the country and cultivate and harvest fruits, vegetables and many other food products. Many migrant families earn less than the national poverty level.

The migrant population includes diverse ethnic groups. In Georgia, Hispanics make up the largest group, with non-Hispanic whites, blacks and other racial and ethnic groups completing the overall population. While many of the migrants make Georgia their home base, others return to Florida, Texas, Mexico and 20 other states.

The primary purpose of the Migrant Education program is to address the special educational needs of migratory children in a coordinated, integrated, and efficient way, through high quality and comprehensive programs. Priority for services is based on migrant children whose education has been interrupted during the school year and who are failing or at risk of failing, to meet Georgia's content and performance standards.

Most school programs, including those supported by Title I, are set up on a nine month academic calendar, however, when migrant children move with their families, their education, as well as their lives, is disrupted, often many times a year. Migrant children may come from large families with inadequate housing and low incomes. Poor nutrition and unsanitary conditions may cause health problems. Migrant children may have limited English skills and/or little experience with success at school. These problems, combined with irregular school attendance, often lead to low academic performance, causing many migrant children to drop out of school in their teens. Migrant youth may face unemployment or limited options. Caring parents may not know about community and school resources which could help their children.

However, we can help these children enjoy school and overcome these difficulties. The Migrant Education Program can help them succeed in school and develop their skills and options for the future.

To qualify for the Migrant Education Program, a migrant child must have moved within the past 36 months across state or school district lines to enable the child, the child's guardian or a member of the child's family to obtain temporary or seasonal employment in an agricultural or fishing activity. A migratory child includes youth who themselves are migratory workers or spouses of migratory workers. The program serves children and youth ages 3 through 21 who have not graduated from high school or earned a General Education Diploma.

• Early childhood development services to prepare migrant children for a successful school experience.
• Supplemental instruction designed to meet the specific needs of migrant children.
• Adolescent outreach and career awareness.
• Supplemental support for instruction of English to speakers of other languages (ESOL).
• Cooperative instructional methods to ensure continuity between schools and the Migrant Education Program.
• Special teachers, tutors and highly qualified para-educators to work with at-risk migrant students individually or in small groups on areas of academic weakness.
• Summer school programs and extended day programs to supplement the regular school program.

• Supportive health services, including medical, dental, nutritional and psychological services, in cooperation with other agencies.
• Assisting parents to recognize their contributions to their children's success both at home and as partners with teachers.