Rates of homelessness are worsening in the United States, with a third of individuals experiencing homelessness being families with children. These families face many challenges, including limited social supports, insufficient access to services, and mental health concerns. These challenges inform a nuanced worldview, leading parents experiencing homelessness to understand their child’s school life in unique ways. The purpose of this study is to explore how parents experiencing homelessness understand their children’s participation in Head Start and publicly funded 4 K programs. We utilized semi-structured interviews with parents of 4 K students and applied an iterative approach for analysis to identify emergent themes and concepts. Results suggest families enter homelessness through several avenues and struggle with many aspects of homelessness, including stigma directed at parents and children. Parents identified many strengths in their children’s school programs, including education and support from faculty, as well as areas for growth, such as more comprehensive transportation and meal services. Overall, these results suggest families experiencing homelessness encounter many barriers to finding stable housing. Additionally, parents of children experiencing homelessness value their child’s education and access to resources in schools while still fearing the potential for their child to experience stigmatization and discrimination in schools.

美国的无家可归率正在恶化，三分之一的无家可归者是有孩子的家庭。这些家庭面临许多挑战，包括有限的社会支持、获得服务的机会不足以及心理健康问题。这些挑战形成了一种微妙的世界观，引导无家可归的父母以独特的方式了解孩子的学校生活。本研究的目的是探索无家可归的父母如何理解他们的孩子参与启蒙计划和公共资助的 4K 计划。我们对 4 K 名学生的家长进行了半结构化访谈，并应用迭代方法进行分析，以识别新出现的主题和概念。结果表明，家庭通过多种途径进入无家可归状态，并与无家可归的许多方面作斗争，包括针对父母和孩子的污名。家长们在孩子的学校项目中发现了许多优势，包括教育和教师的支持，以及成长领域，例如更全面的交通和膳食服务。总体而言，这些结果表明，无家可归的家庭在寻找稳定住房方面遇到了许多障碍。此外，无家可归儿童的父母重视他们孩子的教育和在学校获得资源的机会，同时仍然担心他们的孩子有可能在学校遭受耻辱和歧视。比如更全面的交通和餐饮服务。总体而言，这些结果表明，无家可归的家庭在寻找稳定住房方面遇到了许多障碍。此外，无家可归儿童的父母重视他们孩子的教育和在学校获得资源的机会，同时仍然担心他们的孩子有可能在学校遭受耻辱和歧视。比如更全面的交通和餐饮服务。总体而言，这些结果表明，无家可归的家庭在寻找稳定住房方面遇到了许多障碍。此外，无家可归儿童的父母重视他们孩子的教育和在学校获得资源的机会，同时仍然担心他们的孩子有可能在学校遭受耻辱和歧视。