HOW TO SUPPORT MILITARY CONNECTED CHILDREN

Presented by: Debbie Nichols

OUR MISSION

To provide essential services to improve the quality of life of military connected children and their families.

We fulfill our purpose by raising awareness, providing education, referring resources to and for military connected children’s unique needs and by building a comprehensive support network that fosters, encourages and acknowledges the children who silently serve.

WHO ARE MILITARY CONNECTED CHILDREN?

One or both parents, or their guardians are

Active Duty – presently serving military obligation

National Guard – monthly weekend warrior who can be called up to active duty

Reserves – can be called to duty

Veteran – fulfilled military obligation

Gold Star – lost their life while serving military obligation

2

TODAY’S MILITARY FAMILIES

4 MILLION CHILDREN nationwide have had parents serve since 9/11

MILLION CHILDREN have had a loved one DEPLOY

TODAY’S MILITARY FAMILIES

TODAY’S MILITARY FAMILIES

There is no method or system to know where children connected to the military are located

Military families appreciate and accept community support, but they will not ask for help

Training Deployments Reintegration Becoming

a veteran

If parent or guardian lost their life while serving their

military obligation

EACH STAGE OF MILITARY LIFE IMPACTS KIDS

They move frequently

Their loved one(s) can be called away at anytime

They take on more responsibilities at home during a deployment or trainings

They experience highly emotional deployments and homecomings

Trained to be strong with a “suck it up” attitude

THE MILITARY CHILD’S UNIQUE LIFE

Long term separations

Fear of their loved one’s safety

Their community and school are unaware of what stage of military life they are experiencing

The child feels isolated and can be misunderstood

CHALLENGES

Family dynamics changes

Their loved one can return home with visible and invisible wounds

CHALLENGES

“It is important for schools to know who their veteran- and military-connected students are, and to be able to assess their needs and provide support”

Gordon Capp Ph.D. student at the USC School of Social Work

OUR PROGRAMS

COUNT OUR KIDS

Military connected children form a distinct cultural group with

challenges that impact their functioning across social, behavioral and academic fronts. By self identifying and supporting these children, we ensure their success in dealing with a complex set of circumstances beyond their control. Military families deserve our best efforts to lighten the burden of serving.

COUNT OUR KIDS

Photo credit: Melissa Machan from First Grade Smiles

MCCG’s first initiative to support

these goals is to educate and assist schools, healthcare and children’s organizations, urging them to include a self-identifier on their enrollment forms in order to learn what child is connected to the military, along with what stage of military life.

COUNT OUR KIDS

MCGG and the Orange County Department of

Education (OCDE) collaborated to create and develop new school enrollment forms for students.

COUNT OUR KIDS

OCDE developed an internal Military Liaison who is familiar with military life as a point of contact for each district to assist administration, teachers, students and their families when challenging situations occur.

ORANGE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF

EDUCATION

MCCG created a Resource Guidebook for distribution within the OCDE’s 27 school districts and other Southern California districts.

COUNT OUR KIDS

Los Angeles Unified School District, which

is the second largest district in the country by student enrollment, began rolling out their self-identifier student forms in 2014.

COUNT OUR KIDS

SDUSC currently has a self-identifier student form for Active Duty and Dept. of Defense. MCCG sought support for the needs of students connected to Veterans and Fallen as well, and is currently collaborating on methods of support for the schools.

Our goal is to expand the COUNT OUR KIDS program into other school districts in surrounding regions.

COUNT OUR KIDS

OUR PROGRAMS

SALUTE THE KIDS

MCCG and OCDE together created a SALUTE THE KIDS toolkit that is easy for schools to access and download from www.mccgroup.org, to help principals to plan and produce a school assembly to honor military connected students, in recognition of their personal sacrifices.

SALUTE THE KIDS

MCCG is working with the state and local cities to adopt “April the MONTH OF THE MILITARY CHILD” proclamation efforts.

MCCG has collaborated with government and organizations to co-host proclamation events with Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego.

SALUTE THE KIDS

MCCG will continue to expand

efforts with other counties, cities and the state to adopt “April the Month of the Military Child” proclamation events.

SALUTE THE KIDS

MCCG provides tools including a webinar, “ENGAGE YOUR COMMINITY” to assist others wanting to have a Proclamation ceremony for their community.

OUR PROGRAMS

SUPPORT THE KIDS

MCCG worked with the Orange County

Council, Boy Scouts of America to create a program for Scout Leaders and Scouts on ways they can support military kids and their families in their local community.

SUPPORT THE KIDS

PARTNERING WITH OTHER NONPROFITS

Included is a webinar for Scout Leaders, “How to Support Military Kids”, a patch for Scout leaders and a patch for Scouts to earn. MCCG hopes to include the Girls Scouts and expand this program nationally.

MCCG co-hosts events with Wives of War (WOW), a support

group for spouses with loved ones diagnosed with Post Traumatic Depression Syndrome, Traumatic Brain Injury and the wounded.

MCCG engages the WOW support group’s children through a day event learning about science, art, and music or real life lessons.

SUPPORT THE KIDS

PARTNERING WITH OTHER NONPROFITS

Become aware

What stage of military life are they in?

4 WAYS TO HELP MINIMIZE THEIR STRESS

1

Avoid conversations regarding military conflicts

4 WAYS TO HELP MINIMIZE THEIR STRESS

2

Learn how to support during deployment, separation,

homecomings, transition, reintegration, visible and invisible wounds, and fallen - MCCG can provide support

4 WAYS TO HELP MINIMIZE THEIR STRESS

3

When a parent is away – acknowledge

the child’s special days Holidays, birthdays or special milestones

4 WAYS TO HELP MINIMIZE THEIR STRESS

4

Gregory Leskin, PhD. UCLA National Association Child Traumatic Stress http://www.nctsn.org/resources/topics/military-children-and-families Kelly Basko Military Kids Connect http://militarykidsconnect.dcoe.mil Joyce Wessel Raezer, M.A. National Military Family Association http://www.militaryfamily.org/?referrer=https://www.google.com Jhoselyn Ramirez Military One Source http://www.militaryonesource.mil

SPECIAL THANKS

https://news.usc.edu/85140/children-in-military-families-at-higher-risk-for-a-variety-of-problems-study-finds

http://www.nursingoutlook.org/article/S0029-6554(15)00182-7/pdf

https://www.princeton.edu/futureofchildren/publications/docs/Chapter%203.pdf

http://download.militaryonesource.mil/12038/MOS/Reports/Report_to_Congress_on_Impact_of_Deployment_on_Military_Children.pdf

SOURCES

Debbie Nichols

Founder & CEO

Military Childrens Collaborative Group, Inc.

www.mccgroup.org

Email: debbie@mccgroup.org

Telephone: 714-536-6184

FOR MORE INFORMATION