Program Eligibility

  • Migrant Program services are solely provided to Migrant students and parents who qualify for the program. The following is the qualification criteria:

    1. The student or young adult must be under the age of 22 years old and not a high school graduate
    2. One or both of the parents, the student, or young adult experienced a change of residence within the last 36 months
    3. The student moved with his or her parents, joined his or her parents after a move, or preceded his or her parents prior to their move
    4. The move was primarily to seek or obtain temporary or seasonal employment in agriculture or fishing and working with the raw product
    5. The parent obtained work in agriculture or fishing soon after their move

    NOTE: The Migrant student or adult under the age of 22-years old may requalify for the Migrant program and renew the three year eligibility period any time after a qualifying move and as long as the student meets the age requirement and not graduated from high school.

     

    IDENTIFICATION AND RECRUITMENT

    Migrant students or OSY are identified and recruited by Identification and Recruitment staff (recruiters or community liaisons) through an interview process that seeks information to meet the eligibility criteria. The Identification and Recruitment staff may recruit potential migrant students or unaccompanied youth (OSY) in a variety of ways:

    1. School-Based Recruitment – the student is identified at the time of school registration or by referral to the Migrant Education Health Aide/Community Liaison
    2. Work Site Recruitment- Recruitment occurs at the place of work such as agricultural fields or packing sheds
    3. Community-Based Recruitment – Recruitment in the community such as shopping centers, flea markets, community events, school site events, and festivals

     

    IDENTIFICATION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

    Once the recruiter completes the interview process and Certificate of Eligibility (COE) for the potential migrant parent or unaccompanied youth, the following steps are taken:

    1. The completed Certificate of Eligibility is submitted to the regional office for review, approval, and processing.
    2. Demographic and school related data from the student and parent is processed into the Migrant Student Information Network (MSIN).
    3. The recruiter receives confirmation that the student is eligible for migrant services.

     

    QUALITY CONTROL AND RE-INTERVIEWS

    The California Department of Education expects the Migrant Regions maintain a zero percent discrepancy rate. This regulation ensures that 100% of migrant students receiving a service in fact are migrant based on the eligibility criteria. The following steps are taken to ensure the integrity of the program:

    1. Certificates of Eligibility that are submitted by recruiters but not approved in the review process are returned to the recruiter for further clarification.
    2. All Certificates of Eligibility describing a move during a school break are automatically re-interviewed.
    3. A random 10% of COEs that are submitted in a month are selected for a re-interview by the California Department of Education Office of Migrant Education to be conducted by an individual not a migrant staff member.
    4. A re-interview is a process in which a regional reviewer will contact the family to verify the information on the Certificate of Eligibility.
    5. Families or unaccompanied youth found ineligible after a Certificate of Eligibility has been signed have the right to appeal their case to the region’s Identification and Recruitment supervisor within 10 days of notification.

    You can find more information on the California Identification & Recruitment Manual