We know you store, save and have useful tools available for your work with families. Whether it’s bookmarks with folders labeled by topic or subject, saving resources in Word or Excel documents or printing some to easily share during your one-to-one support or at resource fairs, we’ve got you covered! In our back to school season it’s only logical we offer you new tools, essential resources and updates that you can look at today, save for another time and store for your work with military families. Continue reading “New Tools and Updates Plus Essentials for Your Military Family Toolkit”
Category: Parents and Youth
5 Reasons to Ask if a Family is Active Duty Military – and suggestions!
Does your parent center regularly ask if a parent or spouse is active duty military? Is this question incorporated into your “best practices” to reach underserved families? Even if your state or area doesn’t have a big active-duty installation, it’s a great idea to ask if a parent is active duty military as they may: Continue reading “5 Reasons to Ask if a Family is Active Duty Military – and suggestions!”
Post-High School Transition Resource for Military Families-with handout
Military families move both in and out of states on a regular basis. Parent centers can offer families some of the following select resources gathered from the Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR), US Department of Labor, US Department of Education, Social Security Administration, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
NEW! We’ve added this for military families. Although it’s helpful to highly-mobile families with children of any age, it may be especially useful for transition-age youth whose families are new to a state.
Directory-University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDDs)
Each resource is nationwide and provides state-specific information. Parent centers can encourage military-connected youth and their families to research state and local agencies in advance of a move, locate and make contacts, and start achieving transition goals in their new location. At the end of this article, there is a handout for parents and youth you can brand with your parent center’s logo.
Employment
Employment Center at Installations (listed on installation websites under Morale, Welfare and Recreation)
List of Vocational Rehabilitation agencies by State – from the US Department of Labor
Federal Schedule A Hiring Authority Fact Sheet: Tips for Youth and Young Adults with Disabilities Interested in Starting a Career with the Federal Government 84% of Federal jobs are located outside the greater Washington, DC area! The Schedule A Hiring Authority bypasses the traditional methods for getting a Federal job and allows individuals to apply for a Federal appointment through a noncompetitive process. If an individual meets the eligibility requirements for the appointment and the minimum position qualifications, he or she can be hired without competing with the general public.
careeronestop>Find Local Help -US Department of Labor. This extensive site is mobile-friendly.
- Interactive maps to State employment assistance services and their locations (can include local services)
- Youth Councils and Workforce Development Boards (also known as Workforce Investment Boards) which have listings for both local and State-level employment programs for youth and young adults under the Workforce Investment Opportunity Act (WIOA). Under WIOA, all funded programs must be fully accessible to individuals with disabilities and such individuals are entitled to reasonable accommodations and modifications to allow such individuals to fully participate in such programs. Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
- Training programs eligible under WIOA, which includes Vocational Rehabilitation state grant programs that assist individuals with disabilities in finding employment
- Employment Network Finder (for recipients of Social Security Income or Social Security Disability Insurance). Free career counseling, job placement, ongoing support
- American Job Centers (over 2,000 of them!)
Other interesting links include the Apprenticeship Office Finder, and the Native American Program Finder.
Employment and training helpline at careeronestop:
1-877-US2-JOBS
(1-877-872-5627)
TTY: 1-877-889-5627
Bureau of Labor Statistics K-12 Student Resources: interactive tools for major metropolitan areas, regions and States on the economy and employment; designed for student use.
College
Education Center at Installations (listed on the installation website under Morale, Welfare and Recreation)
Community College finder (from careeronestop)
If the military-connected youth you’re assisting has intellectual disabilities or autism, Think College has nation-wide resources for youth who would like to attend college and their parents.
What’s Happening in Your State? Interactive map or table for learning about activities, policies, legislation, and contact information about postsecondary education for students with intellectual disability, by State. Includes links to relevant websites.
Find a College: interactive map with information on 265 college programs for students with intellectual disability by State, plus the How to Think College Guide to Conducting a College Search.
Government Benefit Agencies
Interactive Map of State Medicaid and CHIP Profiles (Medicaid.gov): Information includes a State’s Demonstrations and Waivers.
Social Security Office Locator by Zip Code
For Transition-Age Youth: Military Family Resource (add your parent center’s information!)
10 Free Apps for Your Work With Military Families!
All of the apps were created for military connected professionals, service members, or their families- they can also be useful for you. These apps can assist with stress and anxiety and provide ways to cope and relax: areas of expertise the military is keenly aware are needed for service members and their families. Check out our latest finds: PTSD Family Coach (from US Department of Veterans Affairs) and Breathe, Think, Do with Sesame (from Sesame Workshop).
PTSD Family Coach is for families living with PTSD, helps the individual(s) affected in their relationships with other family members including children, and has lots of information specific to veteran and active duty military families. Breathe, Think, Do with Sesame is for younger children, and is designed to help children learn to take time to Breath and Think as they deal with challenging situations or solve problems. Continue reading “10 Free Apps for Your Work With Military Families!”
Disasters and Emergencies-Help Military Families with These Resources
When natural disasters and other emergencies strike, your Parent Center will step up to locate services and supports for affected families. Military families have some additional concerns during emergencies, but they also have significant resources available for just such situations. You can direct military families to these resources both during an emergency, and for future planning, which lets your Parent Center concentrate on other types of assistance. The military resources include planning for an evacuation when individuals have disabilities.
Continue reading “Disasters and Emergencies-Help Military Families with These Resources”
Just for Military Kids, Teens, and Their Families- Child and Youth Behavioral Counseling
Counselors can work with children who have special medical or educational needs, especially when those needs result in behavioral challenges. Learn about what this free, valuable resource can do for the military families you help.
Going to a Military Installation? Check Your ID
Update as of December 3, 2019:
Can you use your current ID to gain access to a military installation, under the Real ID Law? The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been phasing in this law’s requirements, and almost every state is in the process of issuing new, compliant driver’s licenses and IDs. The DHS website states”DHS is working closely with all states and territories to provide assistance and guidance to achieve full compliance by the October 1, 2020 deadline. As of September 5, 2019, 50 states and territories are fully compliant with the REAL ID requirements, and all states are on track to begin issuing compliant licenses and IDs by the October 1, 2020 deadline.”
Regarding military installations, the DHS website states “The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) recently finalized an update to its DoD-wide installation security policy and is in the process of no longer accepting noncompliant marked cards across all of its facilities and installations. However, DoD will continue to accept state-issued noncompliant unmarked “legacy” cards until the October 1, 2020 deadline.”
If you think you might still be using a current, non-compliant ID after October 1, 2020, due to your state’s rollout schedule for the new, compliant IDs, you should know that other types of documents can be used for installation access. Contact the installation you wish to access to find out what IDs are currently accepted-installation command have the discretion to consider other, supplemental forms of identification. You may also accompany someone with a valid military ID card.
DHS’s REAL ID FAQs page can answer many of your questions about the REAL ID law and how it will impact activities such as installation access and commercial air travel.
You can find out more about your state’s process to issue REAL ID-compliant licenses and IDs through the main DHS REAL ID webpage.
When a Military Family Leaves the Military: Your Help with Civilian Services Matters
It can be difficult for retiring service members and their spouses to find supports outside the military system. Like all of us, they get used to the ones they’ve been using. Can they access the doctors and supports they have had for their child? Does retirement change their benefits or access to health care? How can a dependent child continue their services when their military parent retires? This chart can help you understand which services their child will keep, and what civilian options you can help them explore.
Military Children, Accommodations and College Entrance Exams
The transition from high school to college can be a daunting experience for any teenager, however, it can be even more challenging when that teenager is part of a military family. Part of the transition process is preparing for and taking the entrance exams to college. If the student is receiving accommodations in school, he/she may qualify to receive special accommodations when taking a college entrance exam. Being aware of the process and requirements to receive accommodations can help ease the anxiety and pressure of taking the test. Continue reading “Military Children, Accommodations and College Entrance Exams”
Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunities for Military Children
The Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunities for Military Children was created to provide a smooth transition for military children as their families relocate from installation to installation. “While the Compact is not exhaustive in its coverage, it does address the key issues encountered by military families: eligibility, enrollment, placement and graduation” (NCSL, 2014). The Compact has been created with the hope that students will not lose academic time in transition, obtain an appropriate placement, and be able to graduate on time. Currently, all 50 states and District of Columbia participate in the Compact. Continue reading “Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunities for Military Children”