Identification & Recruitment

Before migrant children can be served by the Migrant Education Program (MEP), they need to be found eligible to receive program services. Identification and Recruitment (ID&R) is the first step in the effort to locate and serve the children of migrant farm workers. Knowledge and implementation of solid ID&R strategies assists states in locating migrant families in order to properly serve them. Without ID&R, serving migrant families and their children would not be possible.

ID&R is critical because, often, the most mobile children are the hardest to find, the most in need, and the most forgotten. Recruiting all migrant children is a federal mandate. More importantly, the timely and effective identification of migrant children is the first step in ensuring that the services will go to those who need them most.

Technical assistance to train migrant education recruiters addresses several factors. Recruiters and migrant administrators need to be cognizant of the MEP program guidelines and regulations, as well as any current guidance by the Office of Migrant Education. The most effective and appropriate strategies to make proper eligibility determinations needs to be shared with migrant staff, taking into consideration the realities of the local programs. Additional training topics include: Certificate of Eligibility (COE) documentation and completion; strengthening interview techniques; networking with other agencies; finding migrant children using district and/or community-based efforts; ensuring personal safety of recruiters; and developing quality control assurances.

ESCORT can assist by:

• Offering technical assistance on re-thinking and re-structuring state and local ID&R processes
• Sharing resources from other states
• Helping recruiters and administrators understand the statute, regulations and guidance involving the ID&R process
• Assessing a particular region's ID&R needs
• Providing training in all aspects related to recruitment
• Serving as a “critical friend” to evaluate state and district ID&R methods
• Assisting recruiters and administrators in establishing the connection between the National Migrant Education Hotline and the recruitment of children in the MEP

Follow the links below to learn more about how ESCORT can help your program.

State Restructuring of ID&R Processes

ESCORT has assisted various states in re-structuring their ID&R process. After reviewing a state’s ID&R practices, ESCORT may suggest the implementation of statewide recruiters instead of local recruiters; or the utilization of a community-based approach instead of a school-based effort. ESCORT also provides training for local district staff to ensure that children are not overlooked during any restructuring of recruitment efforts.

When assessing a state’s ID&R efforts, ESCORT takes several factors into consideration: number of children, number of recruiters, where recruiters are located (district vs. region vs. state), agricultural activities in the state, and recent migratory history of families. ESCORT’s assessment includes the answers to key questions, such as:

• Why do families or youth travel to the state? What are the reasons for migrant children moving into the area? What are the qualifying activities in the state?
• How do the state and its operating agencies currently identify and recruit migrant children? Is there a plan to identify all migrant children in the state? How and where are recruiters deployed? Who hires the recruiters?
• How are recruiters trained? What tools are recruiters provided with in order to make eligibility determinations in a proper and timely manner? Are recruiters trained in building recruitment networks and personal safety, for example?
• How is child eligibility determined and documented? Does the state have a standard and current COE?
• Are cultural and language customs of migrant families considered when finding and recruiting families?
• What quality control assurances do the state and its operating agency have implemented in order to ensure proper eligibility determinations by their staff? Are COEs reviewed by a trained reviewer? Is there a process for resolving eligibility questions?
• How do the state and its operating agencies validate completed COEs and eligibility determinations? Is the re-interviewing of recruited families an established practice to validate eligibility determinations in the state or its operating agencies?

Through this process, ESCORT’s role is to assist the state in identifying the recruitment areas in need of improvement, as well as to validate the effective practices currently being implemented. In addition, these questions become the basis for the development of the state’s plan for identification and recruitment.

Identification & Recruitment Plan

An ID&R plan defines the procedures in place to identify and recruit migrant children in a timely and proper manner. The plan should answer the question “How are migrant children identified and recruited in my state?” When developing a plan, the following basic questions are considered

• Why is an ID&R plan needed in the state or region?
• What information should be in the plan?
• Who needs to be involved in the development of the plan?
• How will the plan be disseminated?
• How often will the plan be updated?
• What are the Needs, Objectives, Strategies and Evaluation to be included in the plan?

Geography, number of children, and funds available usually define the extent of the efforts in an ID&R plan. However, there are some basic components that an effective plan should have:

• Planning and Logistics
• Recruiter hiring – A job description or list of characteristics of an effective recruiter
• Recruiter deployment – A map showing the district or area indicating the locations where qualifying activities take place and where migrant children may reside
• Recruitment network – A list of agencies, farmers, and community-based organizations that may assist the recruiter in locating potentially eligible families
• Recruitment schedule – A calendar indicating recruitment events and timelines
• Initial Training
• Proper eligibility determinations – mastery of the guidelines regulating the MEP
• Recruiting migrant children – effective strategies most commonly used to make proper eligibility determinations in the state or region
• Knowledge of program – services provided by the program and/or the local district
• Certificate of Eligibility – proper documentation and completion
• Cultural and language considerations – working with families who may have other languages and cultural customs
• Personal safety
• Quality Control Assurances
• How are COEs reviewed for accuracy and content?
• What is the procedure for resolving questions regarding eligibility determinations?
• How are eligibility determinations validated – what are the procedures for re-interviewing families?
• What corrective actions will be implemented, if needed?

When developing an ID&R plan, ESCORT assists states and their operating agencies in determining the resources that are needed, as well as identifying the persons responsible for the implementation of its goals. ESCORT has played a key role in developing many aspects of effective ID&R plans and practices in various states.