SchoolHouse Connection Releases 2026 Infant and Toddler Homelessness Report

By Julie Walker, NLIHC Project Manager, Opportunity Starts at Home 

SchoolHouse Connection, an Opportunity Starts at Home (OSAH) Roundtable member, released a new report, Infant and Toddler Homelessness Across 50 States, which analyzes homelessness experienced by children from birth to age three across the country. The report shares the estimated incidence of homelessness and enrollment in early childhood development programs among infants and toddlers at the national and state levels during the 2023-2024 program year. A child’s brain develops faster than at any other time between birth and age three, and the report finds that an increasing number of infants and toddlers experience homelessness during these critical years, negatively impacting their development, health, and future economic security. The report emphasizes the need for collaboration and alignment across housing, homelessness, early childhood, healthcare, and data systems to prevent and address infant and toddler homelessness and recommends actions at the federal, state, and local levels to increase access to housing, homeless assistance, health services, and early childhood development programs. 

SchoolHouse Connection, in partnership with Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan, gathered and analyzed data to estimate the number of infants and toddlers experiencing homelessness in each state and nationally, as well as how many participate in early childhood development programs. This year’s report estimates that more than half a million infants and toddlers experienced homelessness in 2023-2024, the highest estimate in the past 3 years of the report’s analysis. Less than one in ten infants and toddlers experiencing homelessness were enrolled in Early Head Start, a home visit program, or a local educational agency early childhood program. These programs reduce the developmental harms associated with homelessness and connect families to housing, healthcare, and other supports, but families experiencing homelessness face numerous barriers to enrollment. Existing data on babies and expectant parents experiencing homelessness are inadequate and difficult to access across key federal and state data systems, and these data gaps lead to insufficient program design, evaluation, and funding. 

Addressing infant and toddler homelessness requires coordinated action across housing, homelessness, early childhood, healthcare, and data systems. Recommendations for action align with the four priority areas of the Thrive from the Start Initiative, a cross-sector effort led by Housing Is, the National Collaborative for Infants and Toddlers, Prevent Child Abuse America, SchoolHouse Connection, and ZERO TO THREE. The report provides specific examples of each recommendation organized at local, state, and federal levels. These recommendations include: 

• Expanding access to shelter, permanent housing, and prevention services.  
• Increasing access to early childhood development programs and support services. 
• Improving data collection, analysis, use, and coordination. 
• Integrating healthcare and housing services. 

Read the report.  

Learn more about the Thrive from the Start initiative.  

To learn more about the connections between housing and child anti-poverty, read the OSAH fact sheet.