Military Connected Families

I just spent two days in training with the Military Child Education Coalition about school transitions. Most of the training was centered around the frequent school changes that military connected students face. We were encouraged to reflect on what we can do to make the transition as smooth as possible. My biggest take away was making the system transparent to outsiders. When information is clear and readily available, it is easier for families to enter your school knowing what is expected of them and what to expect from the school.

We also walked away with tons of resources! I wish I could box them all up and send them out to you but you'll have to settle for pictures and links where available. Please click through the slideshow below to see the wonderful resources that were provided. 

You can order many of these materials from the MCEC website.  I think the most useful for me are the "on the move" magazines. These articles are written with parents in mind and would be great for including in newsletters or copying for parents working through a related issue. 

I also really like the Serving Military Families book. This book covers everything there is to know about the Inter-state Compact and other resources for our military families. The purpose of the Inter-state compact is to make it easy for military connected families to move across state lines and easily enroll in school and participate in sports and other activities. You can read more about it here. 

What do you do to support military connected families? Even though my schools have been over an hour from the closest military base, I have had national guard and reserve families or families that have just recently transitioned out of the military. I am glad to have these additional resources to be able to share with my grant schools who may be working with military connected students.