Resources

3 Training Resources for Parent Centers: for staff and families

The Military Families Learning Network (MFLN)is a project of the Department of Defense (DoD) and the US Department of Agriculture through the Cooperative Extension Service.

For Parent Centers: These items were selected for their usefulness for your staff development and your coworkers and as parent resources.

  1. Keys to Establishing Trust: Seven Attributes & Three Exercises for Providers

A thought-provoking set of training exercises on establishing trust with military families or indeed any family or individual.

Continue reading “3 Training Resources for Parent Centers: for staff and families”

Key Topics on the minds of military families

Feature your parent center’s information, training and resources on these topics to reach and assist military families:

  • State-specific Information
  • Moving and your child’s IEP
  • Community resources at your new duty station

Highlighting these three key areas using language familiar to military-connected families (“PCSing”) demonstrates your parent center’s knowledge of the issues they face.

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2 Super-Easy Ways to Show Your Support for Military-Connected Families with Month of the Military Child

Month of the Military Child (MoMC) happens every April.

Your center’s visible celebration of MoMC encourages military families to come to you when they need help. They’ll know you have made efforts to learn about and understand their needs, their world, and the challenges their children face.

How?

  • Customize and use the supplied graphics and content
  • Share events happening during MoMC
Continue reading “2 Super-Easy Ways to Show Your Support for Military-Connected Families with Month of the Military Child”

Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP)

The Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) is a mandatory* Department of Defense program that helps military dependents with special needs. The Coast Guard, which operates under the authority of the Department of Homeland Security has a similar program called the Special Needs Program, or SNP.

* EFMP is mandatory, primarily so a family member’s needs may be considered during the duty assignment process. However, some families do not enroll because they believe the program requirements are not worth the benefits to them, or they perceive the program as limiting the service member’s duty assignment options, and thus his or her career.

EFMP Family Support staff, along with an installation’s School Liaison, are the primary points of contact for parent centers for holding installation-based trainings, access to meet with families on installations, and insider information about installation support programs and family engagement.

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Region A Military Installations and Contacts

The maps help you find military installations in your state, along with contact information for Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) Family Support or School Liaison Office (SLO) staff in each location. For Coast Guard and National Guard locations, we have contacts for the Special Needs Program (SNP) and the Family Assistance Coordinators, respectively. Contacts who support Recruiter families are also included

Scroll down to find the mini-map for your state. 

  1.  To open the map, click on the open square icon, which is in the upper right corner of each mini-map on this page.
  2. In the open map you can click on a colored icon for contact information, or use the side list. You can also drag the map along on this page by placing the cursor on the map and moving the cursor when it becomes a hand.
  3. For just the list of installations and contacts, click on the list icon at the top left of the mini-map. If it says something like “and 55 more”, click on that phrase to open the entire list.
  4. When the list opens, select the installation or contact you want; information opens in a new box.
  5. The map and list use Google Maps for you to get directions.
screenshot of part of a map illustrating the text directions
Example mini-map

The map icons represent  military locations and the yellow stars are Parent Centers. The key above the maps shows how the icons are color coded by branch. Air Force is dark blue, Army is green, Marine Corps is red, Coast Guard is light blue and the Navy is battleship gray.

Map Key-dark blue is Air Force, green is Army, light blue is Coast Guard, Red is Marine Corps, gray is Navy
Map Icon Key

Download map information as a Word docx.:

Connecticut      Delaware      District of Columbia     Maine     Maryland     Massachusetts     New Hampshire

New Jersey     New York     Pennsylvania     Puerto Rico      Rhode Island     US Virgin Islands      Vermont  

Alex’s Education Journey: Reflections & Tips by a Military Connected Youth with Disabilities

Alex is a young man who considers himself a “military brat”; he grew up in an Air Force family. He’s also one of the Branch’s military-connected consultants who help us with research, writing, and their lived experiences in the military community. Alex is an individual living with a disability which did not significantly affect his education.

Here is Alex’s education journey:

Continue reading “Alex’s Education Journey: Reflections & Tips by a Military Connected Youth with Disabilities”

Scholarships! Financial Resources for Military and Non-military Youth with Disabilities

A college education can be extremely expensive, and debt from student loans can impact students and their families for years. Military parents may have financial challenges paying for college as military salaries and benefits don’t always stretch to cover today’s higher education costs. Earning scholarships is an excellent way to lower future monthly payments; some scholarship awards completely cover annual college expenses!

Below are two resources: scholarships for military-connected youth, and scholarships for youth with disabilities. The lists include awards for two- and four-year undergraduate degrees, graduate studies and vocational programs. All scholarships are national in scope; a few are international. Youth and their families may find scholarships that fit their needs or inspiration for a further search. Parent centers:  feel free to select and share the most relevant scholarships for the families you serve. These lists are great for youth outreach, email campaigns, social media, workshops, support groups, resource fairs and newsletters.

Scholarships-for-Military-Connected-Youth Download
Scholarships-for-Youth-With-DisabilitiesDownload

Region C Military Installations and Contacts

The maps help you find military installations in your state, along with contact information for Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) Family Support or School Liaison Office (SLO) staff in each location. For Coast Guard and National Guard locations, we have contacts for the Special Needs Program (SNP) and the Family Assistance Coordinators, respectively. Contacts who support Recruiter families are also included.

Scroll down to find the mini-map for your state. 

  1.  To open the map, click on the open square icon, which is in the upper right corner of each mini-map on this page.
  2. In the open map you can click on a colored icon for contact information, or use the side list. You can also drag the map along on this page by placing the cursor on the map and moving the cursor when it becomes a hand.
  3. For just the list of installations and contacts, click on the list icon at the top left of the mini-map. If it says something like “and 55 more”, click on that phrase to open the entire list.
  4. When the list opens, select the installation or contact you want; information opens in a new box.
  5. The map and list use Google Maps for you to get directions.
screenshot of part of a map illustrating the text directions
Example mini-map

Download map information as a Word .docx:

Illinois     Indiana     Iowa     Kansas     Kentucky     Michigan     Minnesota     Missouri     Montana     Nebraska     North Dakota     Ohio     South Dakota     Wisconsin     West Virginia     Wyoming

 

Region D Military Installations and Contacts

The maps help you find military installations in your state, along with contact information for Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) Family Support or School Liaison Office (SLO) staff in each location. For Coast Guard and National Guard locations, we have contacts for the Special Needs Program (SNP) and the Family Assistance Coordinators, respectively. Contacts who support Recruiter families are also included.

Scroll down to find the mini-map for your state. 

  1.  To open the map, click on the open square icon, which is in the upper right corner of each mini-map on this page.
  2. In the open map you can click on a colored icon for contact information, or use the side list. You can also drag the map along on this page by placing the cursor on the map and moving the cursor when it becomes a hand.
  3. For just the list of installations and contacts, click on the list icon at the top left of the mini-map. If it says something like “and 55 more”, click on that phrase to open the entire list.
  4. When the list opens, select the installation or contact you want; information opens in a new box.
  5. The map and list use Google Maps for you to get directions.
screenshot of part of a map illustrating the text directions
Example mini-map

Download map information as a Word .docx:

Arizona     Alaska     California     Colorado          Hawaii     Idaho       New Mexico     Nevada     Oregon     PACIFIC BASIN     Utah     Washington