California has nation’s highest count of homeless infants and toddlers, report says

California’s estimate of nearly 86,000 infants and toddlers to have experienced homelessness in 2023-24 is the highest in the nation, according to a report published Wednesday.

Put a different way: Of 1.6 million children ages 0 to 3 in California, 5.19% are estimated to have lived with families that had unstable or no housing. The figure reflects a 15% jump from about 74,000 young children in the year prior. The estimated national count is more than half a million infants and toddlers, or 1 in 29.

The report, Infant and Toddler Homelessness Across 50 States, was published by SchoolHouse Connection, an organization that seeks to end homelessness through education. It is the organization’s third annual report.

Only about 12,000 of California’s count in 2023-24, or 14.5%, were enrolled in early learning programs. It is often in early learning programs where staff members are able to identify children experiencing homelessness and provide critical services for their development. Experts say that low enrollment rates may indicate the state is not set up to accurately identify and reach most of these children.

The report’s estimates were taken by looking at the percentage of first grade students who were identified as homeless during the 2023-24 year and applying it to the census age group percentages for children ages 0 to 3.

The report recommended that policymakers expand access to both temporary and permanent housing, with priority access for infants, toddlers and expecting parents, as well as require early learning programs to outreach and enroll children in families experiencing homelessness.

This story was originally published by EdSource.