LAUSR

Homelessness is an important social issue relevant to all children’s lives in the United States, yet it has been little explored in early childhood education. Navigating a multiple-case study that focuses on teacher candidates’ experiences with homelessness in school, this study illustrates how homelessness is addressed in early childhood education. The data showed that teacher candidates encountered limited discussions of the topic in their own school experiences. Furthermore, the teacher candidates realized that children today are in a similar situation, whereby homelessness is rarely discussed in school, and hold considerably distorted perspectives on it. They also found that teachers in their field placements tended to avoid conversations on homelessness with children in the classroom. Thus, this study opens a space to discuss how homelessness is addressed in early childhood education, as well as how teachers can better understand it and make a difference in children’s lives.