Effective on September 1st, 2020, the Massachusetts Migrant Education Program (MMEP) will be managed by the Collaborative for Educational Services (CES). CES is a non-profit educational services agency, committed to reaching and educating learners of all ages. CES works in the Pioneer Valley and across Massachusetts to create and improve educational opportunities both in and out of the classroom and ensure that every child has the opportunity to achieve their full potential.
While CES’ main offices are located in Northampton, Massachusetts, MMEP locations will remain statewide, and participating communities will be coordinated in two regions: western Massachusetts and eastern Massachusetts. During this transition, the agency will strive to keep programs and services operating smoothly for migratory students, youth, families and communities across Massachusetts.
The Migrant Education Program (MEP) is a federally funded Title I program begun in 1966 with the amendment of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. MEP or Title I, Part C was most recently reauthorized under the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Currently, 46 states have MEP programs to support over 215,000 migratory students and youth throughout the United States.
This program provides supplemental academic and support services for children and youth whose parents, guardians, family members, or the youth themselves are considered migratory agricultural workers or migratory fishers. This includes seasonal and temporary work, including initial processing of a raw product. The program is designed to help these highly mobile students and youth overcome challenges to their education such as educational disruption, social isolation, cultural and language differences, health related problems, extreme poverty, and other concerns that create obstacles to learning.
CES will oversee the program, recruiting all eligible children and youth and providing direct academic and supplementary support to the families and youth in the state as well as collaborating with school districts and community agencies. CES has a strong programmatic core of supporting students such as those in the MMEP, and will build collaborations between the MMEP and other programs, such as the Early Childhood Programs and 21st Century Afterschool programming. Some CES member districts currently have migratory students enrolled and the agency’s relationship with other districts, such as those within the Massachusetts Rural Schools Coalition, will be helpful in reaching out to more migratory students and youth
MMEP staff provide supplemental instruction, support services and referrals, based on the needs of migratory children and their families and partnerships working with schools where migratory students are enrolled. The staff utilize a wrap-around approach in services, developing pathways from advocacy to self-advocacy, all grounded in the trusting migrant staff-student-parent/guardian relationship.
The CES Program Director for MMEP will be Emily Hoffman, M.Ed. Ms. Hoffman has worked as a regional and state director in the migrant program since 2010 and participates in many interstate program initiatives with other MEP programs. She has previous experience in administration, professional development, and cross-cultural educational programming; and has served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic. She has worked as a program director for educational non-profits in the Boston area and at the New England Aquarium, Exhibit A Design in New York. She holds a M.Ed. in Museum Education from Bank Street School of Education in New York, NY and a BA from Hampshire College in Amherst, MA in Science Education and Biology.
For any questions about the transition process for the program, please visit the CES website.
