The Washington State Migrant Education Program (MEP) is federally funded to ensure high-quality education programs and supplemental support services for migratory children. The program helps eligible migrant students and their families gain access to supplemental health and social services free of charge.

Migratory families often have trouble receiving continuous, high-quality educational services because of their high rate of mobility, cultural and language barriers, social isolation, health-related problems, disruption of their children’s education, and the lack of resources in the areas in which they live and work. MEP can provide Supplemental health and social services to help meet the identified needs of migratory children for a limited period, until other federal, state, and local programs for which they are eligible become available

The Migrant Education Program identifies migratory children as those students whose education has been interrupted due to a move for the purpose of finding seasonal or temporary work in agriculture or fishing. The mobile lifestyle of a migrant family faces numerous barriers; migrant children miss school because they or their parents are migratory agricultural or fishery workers, they tend to have more health-related issues and can be credit deficient. 

More information about recruitment at the state level can be accessed at www.msdr.org and www.k12.wa.us/student-success/equity-education/migrant-and-bilingual-education.

Migrant Program Services to children and their family may include: 

• Health programs

• Family home visiting and academic counseling services

• Parental involvement

• Student leadership opportunities

• Free School Meals

• MEHP (Migrant Education Program)

• Field trips to university campuses

• Preschool programs (readiness, transitioning to elementary education)

• Re-engagement support and services to Out-of-School Youth ages 16-21 years old

• Supplemental academic programs to assist in the achievement of state academic standards

• Summer school programs

• Tutoring services