As most of us were recovering from our Thanksgiving weekends on Monday morning, Zach Bonner completed his 280 mile journey from Tampa to Tallahassee to raise awareness and support for the estimated 20,000-40,000 homeless children in Florida.

According to the National Center on Family Homelessness, more than 1.35 million children are homeless during a year’s time. Every state is required to have a state coordinator for homeless education, who ensures the understanding of and compliance with the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act in public schools throughout the state. The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is the federal law that entitles children who are homeless to a free, appropriate public education and requires schools to remove barriers to their enrollment, attendance, and success in school. 

The National Center for Homeless Education, which provides research, resources, and information enabling communities to address the educational needs of children and youth experiencing homelessness, also offers best practices and model programs for after-school programs, community collaboration, early childhood, identification, and unaccompanied youth.