The PAEC Migrant Education Program serves the school districts of Bay, Calhoun, Franklin, FSU Lab School, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Taylor, Wakulla, Walton, and Washington.

Identification/Recruitment
School boards and superintendents throughout Florida are required by state statute to cooperate with the Department of Education in identifying and reporting the names of each child who meet the qualifications defined by the Federal Regulation (Section 201.3) and Florida Statutes 230.23(13)(b) and 230.33(14)(b). To accomplish this, recruiters are employed to identify and recruit migrant families. Recruitment activities are handled through periodic visits to migrant living areas, referrals from schools, health departments, food stamp offices and other agencies.

Advocacy
Migrant Services Coordinators, Recruiters, and Academic Advocates provide wide-range, comprehensive family support through networking with agencies, programs and services to assist migrant parents and their children.

Interstate and Intrastate Coordination
PAEC partners with agencies throughout the state to ensure migrant families and students receive needed services; such as, referrals to GED Programs, CAMP programs, migrant services, early-childhood services, etc. Statewide contacts are maintained through committee participation, meetings, workshops and conferences.

Other Supporting Services Provided by Program Staff

Health Services are provided to migrant families and students through referrals to agencies. Some of the services offered by the agencies are: health screenings, immunizations, dental care, and other needed services.

Social Services are provided by migrant services coordinators and other advocates through participation and membership in interagency councils.

Nutrition is provided to all summer school participants and pre-kindergarten students through district/school food services.

Transportation to summer school is provided by the school district to students participating in district summer school programs.

Early Intervention is provided through Migrant services coordinators, advocates and recruiters seeking out programs appropriate to pre-kindergarten children.

Add-On and Tutorial Services are provided after school or on Saturdays for students in districts where large numbers of migrant students are enrolled.

Other Program Activities

• Summer Basic Skills Program – A six weeks summer program is provided for over 300 currently migratory children in Gadsden County. The curriculum is designed to improve reading comprehension, language expression, writing and using the latest technology. The challenging content of selected materials utilized and high levels of performance expected from all students separate our summer program from remedial programs offered at other sites.

• Parent Involvement – PAEC supports a Parent Advisory Council composed of representatives from the migrant eligible community. The Region I Migrant Education Program provides a comprehensive array of programs and services to the migrant families in Region I. For more information, contact Dr. Maria I. Pouncey, Project Director, 753 West Boulevard, Chipley, Florida 32428 (850) 638-6131, ext. 2266.

Eligibility

According to sections 1115(b)(1)(A) (incorporated into the MEP program by virtue of sections 1304(c)(2)) and 1309(2) of the statute and §§ 200.81(e) and 200.103(a) of the regulations, a child is an “migratory child” and is eligible for MEP services if all of the following conditions are met:

1. The child is not older than 21 years of age; and
2. The child is entitled to a free public education (through grade 12) under State law or is below the age of compulsory school attendance; and
3. The child is a migratory agricultural worker or a migratory fisher, or the child has a parent, spouse or guardian who is a migratory agricultural worker or a migratory fisher; and
4. The child moved within the preceding 36 months in order to seek or obtain qualifying work, or to accompany or join the migratory agricultural worker or migratory fisher identified in paragraph 3, above, in order to seek or obtain qualifying work; and
5. With regard to the move identified in paragraph 4, above, the child:
6. Has moved from one school district to another; or
7. In a State that is comprised of a single school district, has moved from one administrative area to another within such district; or
8. Resides in a school district of more than 15,000 square miles and migrates a distance of 20 miles or more to a temporary residence to engage in or to accompany or join a parent, spouse, or guardian who engages in a fishing activity. (This provision currently applies only to Alaska.)

Other Helpful Links
http://www.myfmpac.org/
http://www.floridakidcare.org