Select language, current language English
Student and Family Support (SFS)

Educational Stability Office Hours and Training Resources


Office Hours

This forum is hosted by the Educational Stability Team for homeless liaisons, foster care points of contact, and Department of Children and Families (DCF), district, provider staff to ask questions, discuss current issues and share best practices for supporting highly mobile students and their access to a public education. Offices Hours are encouraged. Registration Is Now Required to Receive Log-in.

Most office hour sessions will include a one-hour informational/best practices series webinar and a half hour for follow-up questions and answers Q&A. Please see table below for training topics and registration.

Topics (subject to change)Date
(first Thursday of every month unless specified)
TimeRegistration Link for Log-in
Best Interest Determinations (BIDs) and EnrollmentNovember 5, 202610:00 to 11:30 amRegistration
Enrollment and EligibilityDecember 3, 202610:00 to 11:30 amRegistration
Local Educational Agency LEA Assignments for Highly Mobile StudentsFebruary 4, 202710:00 to 11:30 amRegistration
Community Resources and PartnershipsMarch 4, 202710:00 to 11:30 amRegistration
TBD (will be updated once topic is confirmed)April 1, 202710:00 to 11:30 amRegistration

Orientations to Educational Stability

Join us for a full-day, in-person training session to gain an overview and basic understanding of ensuring access to public school education for students who are homeless, in foster care, or from migratory or military-connected families. The orientation will include federal and state educational rights, student eligibilities and enrollment, and best practices in supporting highly mobile students. This session is intended for homeless education liaisons, foster care points of contact, family engagement specialists, district staff, and administrators who support highly mobile students and families/guardians. State and local service providers, Department of Children and FamiliesDCF social workers, and other staff are welcome to attend.

Dates and locations:

  • October 7, 2026 Worcester Technical High School 1 Manny Familia Way, Worcester, MA 01605
  • October 15, 2026 Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical School 758 Marrett Rd, Lexington, MA 02421
  • October 21, 2026 Greenfield Community College — Main Campus Room #C119 Dining Common 1 College Drive Greenfield, MA
  • October 22, 2026 Durfee High School — Granite Grill. 460 Elsbree St. Fall River, MA 02720

All dates/locations follow the same agenda and run from 9:00am to 3:00pm. The agenda includes a lunch break on your own.

To attend at any one of these sessions, registration is required as space is limited. Each individual intending to join one of the sessions should complete an individual registration for accuracy of attendance. Register for a Session

Additional Department of Secondary and Elementary EducationDESE Resources and Events that Support Educational Stability

2025-26 Educational Stability Program Monitoring Review — Cohort 5

Training documents for Cohort 5 Districts:

2026-2027 Stability Starting the School Year with Homeless and Foster Care Data Collection and Reporting for District Staff Webinar

Start the school year 2026-2027 with a homeless and foster care data collection webinar. Come to learn about what is required to collect and how to access it in the Department of Secondary and Elementary EducationDESE security portal. Need to make changes in the portal? We cover that as well. This is a virtual session for district staff responsible for the collection, maintenance, certification and submission of homeless and foster care data.

National and Other Resources

Last Updated: September 30, 2026

Top