Education is one of the best means of breaking the poverty cycle. But poverty and homelessness can make it hard for kids to get an education.

It is a vicious cycle that Utah school districts are wrestling with.

While the problem of homeless students is more acute in the urban parts of Salt Lake County, Utah County does not get off easy. Provo City School District, for example, served 104 homeless children this past year, and have helped 110 homeless this year.

The main challenge is the lack of stability in the child's life. A homeless child may change schools several times a year, disrupting both the child's ability to adjust to a classroom and maintain academic progress in school.

The problem is exacerbated by the delay in having records follow the student from school to school, making it hard for teachers to know what level the child is at and what services might be needed.

Also, some homeless parents may believe that they need a permanent address to enroll a child in school, further delaying a child's process.

It may be tempting for some to say just forget about the hassle of dealing with homeless kids and concentrate on helping the kids who are in stable homes. But that is shortsighted and only creates more problems.

A good education is the key to a successful life. With education comes economic opportunity and stability. Without it, the cycle continues and another generation is consigned to poverty and becomes a burden on our social and, in some cases, legal system.

It's the old situation of paying now or later to fix the problem, and it is always cheaper to do it sooner than later.

Provo has a good approach, in that it involves the whole community and helps the entire family. First, social workers identify homeless children in the district and visit their families to assess their situation. There have been cases where families were living out of cars or in tents and sending their kids to school.

The district works with the city, Deseret Industries, the Food and Care Coalition and other groups to help stabilize the family's home life while helping the child get settled in to school.

Likewise, the social service agencies can help get homeless children into the education system by informing parents about what it takes to register a child for school.

Records, however, remain a challenge. Some have suggested that centralization of records at the state level would help.

Our schools can be on the front line of fighting poverty and homelessness, but only if they have the resources and the commitment, both by the school districts and the community, to do it.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A5.