Returning to Washington

Whether you are returning to Washington or moving overseas, the Family Liaison Office is here to provide you with information and resources to make the transition as stress-free as possible. 

For Starters ...

• A list of all papers and computer disks to hand carry: Don't leave home without them
• Home Service Transfer Allowance - view the allowance on the Office of Allowances website 

Bringing Pets to the United States

• The FSI Transition Center's Overseas Briefing Center answers questions about traveling with pets

Child Care in the Washington, DC Area

• The FSI Transition Center's Overseas Briefing Center maintains a list of child care facilities convenient to the Foreign Service Institute, available by email.
• The Family Liaison Office provides access to child care information in the Washington, DC area.
• Diplotots Child Care Center offers care for infants from 6 weeks old up to 5 years old. Older students can be accommodated during school closings, holidays, and summer camp. There is drop-in care on a space available basis. For more information, contact: flo@state.gov.

Education

• Education Checklist for Returning to the Washington, DC Area
• According to My Passport, I'm Coming Home, written for the Foreign Service teen returning to the United States.

Washington Area Schools Information

• The Family Liaison Office's Education and Youth Officer is available to answer specific questions you may have about educational programs in the DC area. Email
• Washington Area Schools is a complete listing of Washington area schools and their contact information, including web sites for local school systems. The paper also lists IB and AP programs in the Virginia and Maryland public schools. 
• General information about returning to the Washington area and school concerns can also be found in Education Options for the Foreign Service Family, Chapter 6. The chapter covers: Choosing an elementary or secondary School, Washington Area Public School Systems, Attending School Outside One's Legal Residence, Public School Programs and Admissions Requirements, Graduation Requirements for Washington Area Public Schools, Selecting an Independent School, Organizations, Parental Involvement, Alternative High School Diplomas.
• The Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) Tests and the No Child Left Behind Act

Special Needs Resource Information

• Special Needs Resource Information
• FLO's Education and Youth Officer is available to help connect Foreign Service families with appropriate resources for identifying schooling in the Washington, DC area.  Email

Pre-School Registration and Registration for School Aftercare Programs

March is the time to register for summer camps, pre-schools, and school after-care programs.

• Washington Families http://www.washingtonfamilies.com provides some valuable tips for connecting with summer programs and activities and pre-schools.
• http://www.thefamilystop.com provides summer camp and child care information for the Washington, DC area, and listings of activities in Maryland, Virginia, and the District and connects to many other web sites with more information.
• The Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide (AAFSW) has "Returning to Washington" entry information with links to preschool resources, schools and county programs, organizations for parents, toys stores/book stores/restaurants, libraries, and more, in the greater Washington, DC area.

Extended Day Programs in the Public Schools

Before and After-school programs in public school districts fill up quickly.  To accommodate working parents, public schools have established "extended day" programs whereby children can remain at school, with supervision and a variety of after-school activities, until parents arrive for pick-up at 6 pm.  To register, you must first have a local address.  Registration is also before school starts.  Find out the deadline. 

• Review Assignment Washington: U.S. Public Schools for a complete list of local school districts and contact information.
• Arlington County, Virginia - http://www2.apsva.us/15401081151937460/site/default.asp
• District of Columbia - http://www.k12.dc.us/dcps/programs/program4.html
• Fairfax County, VA - http://www.fcps.edu/parents.htm
• Montgomery County, Maryland - http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/schools

Summer Camp Resources

Check the websites for the Parks and Recreation Department in your new county and state.  They offer a variety of summer programs for youth, especially sports programs.  FLO maintains a Summer Camp resources list. 

Family Member Employment

The Family Liaison Office

• Employment for Family Members Returning to the United States - FLO's employment staff can help relocating family members with Washington job search information.  The Network lists Washington area employment opportunities and publishes articles related to job searches. Subscribers receive email updates throughout the month alerting them to job openings in the larger Washington, DC area.   
• If you are seeking employment in the Washington, DC area, contact a member of the FLO Employment Program staff for information on Washington area jobs, federal employment, and conducting a job search in the United States.
• Join the Job Seeker's Network Group - Monthly meetings for family members seeking employment in the Washington, DC area.  
• Attend a FLO Summer Employment Orientation Session  

Career Development Resource Center (CDRC)

• The Career Development Resource Center (CDRC) provides comprehensive career development services to help individuals make effective career decisions. The CDRC is available to all Civil Service and Wage Grade employees at the U.S. Department of State as well as to Foreign Service family members. Experienced career counselors are available to provide individual, confidential coaching by appointment. Library and computer resources are also available. At CDRC, individuals are able to

  • learn successful job-hunt strategies, 
  • prepare resumes and Federal applications, interviewing skills and networking,
  • gather information to facilitate job search explorations,
  • explore and evaluate skills, interests, values and preferred work situations, and
  • plan career steps and set reachable goals.
• 202-663-3042 / Fax: 202-663-3146 / CDRC@state.gov / CDRC Intranet website
  L321, State Annex 1, 2401 E Street, NW, Washington, DC 20522-0108

FSI Transition Center

• The Transition Center's Training Division hosts several employment courses and workshops for returnees. For more information or to register, contact the Training Division - FSITCTraining@state.gov  or 703- 302-7268.

Washington, DC Housing

Permanent Change of Station (PCS) Lodging Program: Government-Provided PCS-Related TDY Lodging in the Washington, D.C.

• The Bureau of Human Resources has a contract with Oakwood Apartments to provide housing for employees on PCS orders for training at FSI.  Time spent on HR-funded consultations in conjunction with FSI training is included in this program. Housing is provided to Department of State employees on a first-come/first-serve basis with priority given to employees on longer term training who are accompanied by eligible family members.  For more information about Oakwood, please visit their web sites at http://www.oakwood.com/cms/department-of-state.html  or http://www.oakwood.com. Oakwood has dedicated their Falls Church property to this program. The Department of State pays only for the cost of the apartment for the days authorized by the travel orders. PCS Room charges are billed directly to the Department of State and will not have to be paid by the employee. Vouchers for M&IE are processed in the normal fashion. Questions can be directed to: hrpcslodging@state.gov 

FSI Transition Center's Overseas Briefing Center (OBC)

• The Overseas Briefing Center has listings of short term housing in the vicinity of the Foreign Service Institute.  A list of hotels located within approximately 2 miles of NFATC will be particularly helpful if you are assigned to FSI training (see information on a Pilot study on housing at Oakwood Apartments during long-term training at FSI), or if you are looking for a hotel which allows pets. A list of short-term housing complexes located conveniently to FSI also includes locator companies, which will help you to locate a short-term apartment at no cost to you. Pet-friendly establishments are identified. 

The Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide (AAFSW)

• The AAFSW website contains Washington, DC Housing Reviews, written by members of the Foreign Service who have stayed in temporary accommodations. AAFSW also staffs the AAFSW Housing Office. For contact information, visit their web site.

Hotels and Lodging Information for Evacuees

• The Family Liaison Office maintains a listing of Washington, DC area hotels and lodging possibilities for those looking for short-term accommodations. Short-term hotel/apartment list

Evacuation Resources

• FLO's Evacuation Resources

Youth Programs

The Foreign Service Youth Foundation (FSYF)

• FSYF offers reentry activities to help teens through the transition to Washington. Student organizations Around the World in a Lifetime (AWAL) for teens ages 13 to 18 and Globetrotters for ages 10 to 12 reach out to foreign service teens located in the Washington, DC area. Both AWAL and Globetrotters publish a newsletter, written by teens. FSYF hosts an annual fall picnic for returning teens and their families, as well as regular activities and outings.  Contact them at P.O. Box 39185, Washington, DC 20016
  Tel: (301) 404-6655 / http://www.fsyf.org / Email: fsyf@fsyf.org

Driver's Licenses for Teens - Baby, You Can Drive My Car ...

Other Web Sites

• Montgomery County Services - To better serve its residents and to inform others about Montgomery County, this website includes contact information for services provided by the County and other agencies, and newcomer information.
• Tales from a Small Planet - The Tales from a Small Planet contains several Real Post Reports on the Washington, DC area, including: Annandale, VA; Bethesda, MD; Springfield, VA; Vienna, VA; and Washington, DC.
• Travel with Your Kids - http://www.travelwithyourkids.com

Office Listings

Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide (AAFSW)
The Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide (AAFSW) web site features reentry information with links to preschool information, schools and county programs, organizations for parents, toys stores/book stores/restaurants, libraries, and more, in the greater Washington, DC area. AAFSW also sponsors a child care referral network, the livelines egroup, an AAFSW playgroup, and other activities.  http://www.aafsw.org

Career Development Resource Center (CDRC)
The Career Development Resource Center (CDRC) provides comprehensive career development services to help individuals make effective career decisions. The CDRC is available to all Civil Service and Wage Grade employees at the U.S. Department of State as well as to Foreign Service family members. Experienced career counselors are available to provide individual, confidential coaching by appointment. Library and computer resources are also available. L321, State Annex 1, 2401 E Street, NW, Washington, DC 20522-0108  Tel: 202-663-3042 / Fax: 202-663-3146 / CDRC@state.gov / CDRC Intranet website

Employee Consultation Service (ECS)
The Employee Consultation Service offers free, confidential counseling with professional clinical social workers. Counselors are available to clearly define problems and consider options to solve and better cope with them. Typical problems that ECS can help with are: job stress; marital and relationship problems; parent and child problems; single parent and blended family concerns; school adjustment problems; elderly parent concerns; separation, loss and grief; acute and chronic medical illness; depression, anxiety, and other emotional problems; financial concerns; life transitions; new career/retirement issues; and pre-post departure and reentry concerns. Contact the Family Liaison Office for more information about ECS.

Family Liaison Office (FLO)
Foreign Service employees and family members can contact the Family Liaison Office for help with family member employment, education and youth issues, support services information (divorce, adoption, personal crises) and support in an evacuation from post.

Foreign Service Youth Foundation (FSYF)
FSYF offers reentry activities to help teens through the transition to Washington. Student organizations Around the World in a Lifetime (AWAL) for teens ages 13 to 18 and Globetrotters for teens ages 10 to 12 reach out to foreign service teens located in the Washington, DC area. Both AWAL and Globetrotters publish a newsletter, written by teens. FSYF hosts an annual fall picnic for returning teens and their families, as well as regular activities and outings. P.O. Box 39185, Washington, DC 20016  Tel: 301-404-6655 / http://www.fsyf.org / Email: fsyf@fsyf.org

FSI Transition Center
The FSI Transition Center hosts the Overseas Briefing Center (OBC) and Transition Center Training. The OBC provides information on housing, transportation, travel with pets and pet services, child care, automobile purchase, insurance, taxes, and Washington-area services and service providers. Visit the Transition Center for reentry information, including course schedules, short-term housing, child care, pet travel and care, and more.  

IQ: Information Quest
IQ:Information Quest, formerly known as LifeCare, is the Department of State's information, resource and referral service for dependent care, personal health and well-being. All permanent Department of State employees and their family members are eligible to use the service. IQ:Information Quest is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For log in information, contact your HR Officer. Tel: 800-222-0364 (888-222-0364 for hearing impaired) http://www.worklife4you.com

Department of State Transportation Office
The Transportation Office handles shipment of household effects, UAB, and privately owned vehicles (POVs). Tel: 202-647-4140

The Office of Logistics Management publishes  It's Your Move

Information provided by the Family Liaison Office
Contact the Family Liaison Office