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February

February 23 -24, 2009 - Session on Children of Guard Members Set The Military Child Education Coalition will conduct a two -day "Supporting Children of the National Guard and Reserve" Institute at the Best Western Doublewood Inn and Conference Center, 1400 E. Interchange Ave., Bismarck. The North Dakota National Guard is hosting the professional development training for educators and social service professionals and volunteers on Feb. 23 -24, with funding support from the TriWest HealthCare Alliance. There is no conference or registration fee for participants. School superintendents and principals, guidance counselors, school nurses and social service professionals and volunteers who deal with children of military families can access registration information at the MCEC Web site, www.MilitaryChild.org/Institutes.asp.

February 19, 2009 - Parents Join Ranks to Help Ease Military Children Moves Rob McIlvaine, The Fort Gordon Signal, FMWRC Public Affairs

"Heroes at Home," a military partnership with the Parents as Teachers National Center, will be expanded this year to serve Families at 24 more garrisons. It has been serving military Families at 12 garrisons since 2006. This expansion includes additional parent educators, training, technical support and outreach to states heavily impacted by National Guard and Army Reserve deployments. It also includes the development of Parents as Teachers -Heroes at Home (PAT -HAH) programs in new locations across the country. "Our mission is caring and it's a mission we take very seriously," said Shirley A. Young, Child and Youth Specialist with the U.S. Army Child, Youth and School Services Center of Expertise who oversees staff training. "Supporting military Families, particularly those with very young children, strengthens our Army Families, our service members and our nation." The mission is more important than ever because of the frequent deployments which have turned some garrisons into "revolving doors" for Soldiers, according to Young. Full Article +

February 16, 2009 - WCPS Will Debut New Cable Television Channel By Phyllis Moore, Goldsboro News, NC

Besides airing some programming for the college, the district will also provide educational programming that will benefit the local military community. "Since 2004, our school district has been partnered with Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in the Military Child Education Coalition. With over 2,000 military dependents enrolled in our schools, students and staff can benefit from programming that deals with military issues such as deployments, homecomings, and moving transitions," Taylor said. Col. William Thomas Jr. commander of 4th Mission Support Group, said the families and children of the base will benefit greatly from programs and information broadcast on WCEA. "This is another extraordinary effort by the local community that supports the families of our men and women in uniform," he said. Full Article +

February 14, 2009 - Blue Star Kids Program Honored Jason W. Brooks News -Bulletin Staff Writer

On a recent chilly morning, more than 30 Bosque Farms Elementary School students were willing to sit at a cafeteria table and work on coloring sheets as part of the Blue Star Kids program. The program, begun in September of 2007, has fun and lighthearted activities at times, but it's got a very serious motive and message behind it. That's why the program received a New Mexico Quality Education Award for its program design. Submitted by Ruth Vollmer, Gwen Gordon and Theresa Blythe, the program helps support students whose parents are serving in the military overseas. "Any kid who wants in, gets in," said Vollmer, the Bosque Farms Elementary School nurse who oversees the Blue Star Kids program. "We've got 50 -some kids in the program now, and I know how each of them felt when their loved ones left." Vollmer has worked with Blue Star Mothers, an organization for adults who have family members serving abroad. She knew there was a need for young students to receive the same support. Full Article +

February 2, 2009 - Seabee Base, schools join forces to help military children WLOX Assignment Education By Trang Pham -Bui

GULFPORT, MS (WLOX) - For children in military families, high school is a huge adjustment. Those years can be filled with anxiety and challenges, especially for students who are forced to change schools due to moves or deployments. "It's the new kid. It's being that new child. Just the stress of leaving your last school where you were comfortable and you had friends," said Capt. Ed Brown, the Seabee Base Commander. To help high school military students feel like they fit -in, the Gulfport Seabee Base is teaming up with south Mississippi school districts. On Monday, the school superintendents signed a memorandum, agreeing to work together to develop programs geared toward helping new military high school students. Full Article +

February 2, 2009 - Web Site Helps Troops, Families Adjust After Deployments American Forces Press Services, By Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg

A Military Health System Web site continues to help returning servicemembers and families adjust after a deployment ends, the site's program manager said Jan. 29. About 20 percent of servicemembers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan experience adjustment difficulties such as stress, irritability and sleep problems, Dr. Robert Ciulla, program manager for afterdeployment.org, said on the "Dot Mil Docs" program on BlogTalkRadio.com. The afterdeployment.org project is one of several core projects within the National Center for Telehealth and Technology, known as "T2," located at Fort Lewis, Wash., under the direction of Dr. Greg Gahm. T2 is a directorate of the Defense Department's Center for Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury. Ciulla noted that possible barriers to obtaining services, including a perceived stigma, stop many servicemembers from seeking out care. Ciulla emphasized that online resources have many advantages. "Users can log on to afterdeployment.org in the privacy and comfort of their own homes and work with the site's resources anonymously. This should help with concerns about stigma," he said. Ciulla said that logging on to afterdeployment.org "means that users don't have to worry about transportation, or scheduling appointments, or arranging a sitter for the kids." He added that online tools have other advantages, including 24/7 access anywhere an Internet connection is available. Full Article +