Danbury schools receive $25,000 grant to help cover costs of educating homeless children

DANBURY ­­­-- Gov. Jodi M. Rell has announced that the city's school system will receive a $25,000 grant from federal stimulus dollars to help the district pay for services related to homeless children.

"With school openings just around the corner, these funds will provide much needed and timely help for school districts already operating on the thinnest margins," Rell said. "This economy has created extreme hardships for so many families, but there should be no barriers to ensuring their children have access to an education.

The grant was funded through the state Department of Education's McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth Grant Program.

The city receives an annual grant through the program to help cover the costs associated with educating children from the homeless population.

The money can be used for preschool programs for homeless children, before and after school programs, and costs associated with tracking and obtaining records for homeless children.