Military Children and Youth
Military Children and Youth This Web site provides a wide variety of resources revolving around military child and youth programs. The site contains information about legislation, policies and service specific regulations developed to provide guidance for program operations. Also available are searchable databases, military points of contact for child and youth programs worldwide and a list of joint initiatives and civilian/military partnerships. This site incorporates the National Clearinghouse for the Military Child Development Program. The objective behind the Clearinghouse was the creation of a mechanism to share the lessons learned from Military Child Development Programs with the rest of the nation to improve the quality of all childcare in the United States. While this remains the central mission, the focus of the Clearinghouse has been expanded to include information on military youth programs.
Military Family Resource Center (MFRC)
The National Clearinghouse exists as a separate entity within the Military Family Resource Center (MFRC), which is also sponsored by the Department of Defense. As a resource for military program staff and policy makers, MFRC offers a variety of services that include: information dissemination, research synthesis, online database and resource collection, and written informational products. These services focus on the policy, research and programs pertaining to a wide array of military family support programs and issues.
Celebrating Military Families
Celebrating Military Families The site provides an opportunity to share special event plans for Military Family Week in November and Spouse Appreciation Day the Friday before Mother’s Day each May. The Web site provides ideas and suggestions of how communities can thank military spouses for the support they give to their family and other military families throughout the year. Both sites contain information and resources to assist program managers in designing and sharing celebrations that honor the contributions and sacrifices of military families that often include frequent deployments, family separations and frequent moves.
Enduring Freedom
Enduring Freedom The Enduring Freedom site was designed as a resource to assist the professionals who are providing support to service members and their families during the current military operations. The site contains resources to address mobilization and deployment issues. The resources are organized for our target populations of service members, families and employers. The site also provides organizations and tool kits to aide military parents, military program managers and other child advocates who are supporting children and their families to restore and maintain mental well-being after traumatic events, separations and deployments.
Domestic Violence
Domestic Violence The Domestic Violence Prevention site was developed to identify initiatives that promote the prevention of domestic violence.Every year in October, Domestic Violence Prevention Month activities are planned throughout the nation, including the Family Advocacy Programs (FAP) in the military.Our goal on this site is to provide a vehicle to share prevention information and ideas to program managers as they work to prevent domestic violence in the military community.
Child Abuse Prevention
Child Abuse Prevention The Child Abuse Prevention site provides a wealth of materials to promote prevention through the development of programs and partnerships, identifying safety issues and responses to frequently asked questions to help in the fight against child abuse. Every year in April, Child Abuse Prevention Month activities are planned throughout the nation, including the Family Advocacy Programs (FAP) in the military and they are highlighted on this site.
Military Impacted Schools Association
Military Impacted Schools Association The Military Impacted Schools Association (MISA) was formed in 1986 to ensure that the needs of heavily impacted school districts serving military dependents were being met. The national organization is comprised of heavily impacted military school districts–that is, school districts with a high concentration of dependents of military personnel.
Special Needs Network
Special Needs Network The Special Needs Network provides Department of Defense (DoD) families with special medical and/or educational needs, access to information, resources and each other. The site empowers families, and the professionals who work with them, with information that will help them decide on issues of importance to an individual family’s special needs.
State Departments of Education
State Departments of Education Welcome to the Web Site For the National Association of State Directors of Special Education. NASDSE is dedicated to supporting state agency staff carry out their mission of ensuring a quality education for students with disabilities. NASDSE provides support to states through training, technical assistance documents, research, policy development, and partnering with other organizations. This web site contains a wealth of information useful to state agencies, schools, parents and advocates interested in quality education for students with disabilities. Welcome. We hope you enjoy your visit.
Social Compact
Social Compact This site was developed as a tool to promote the new Social Compact with the military, which is the long-term quality of life strategy for the Department of Defense. The new Social Compact reconfirms America’s commitment to service members, both active and reserve, implements the President’s directive to review measures for improving quality of life for military personnel, and provides recommendations for implementation. The new Social Compact is DoD’s philosophical statement of the government’s responsibility to underwrite military family support programs. The site contains the report and a database that identifies regulatory requirements in the areas of health care, housing, off-duty education, military child education, child care, recreation and fitness, personal financial stability, military spouse education and employment, and strengthening support to the reserve forces and employer support programs.
CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL HEALTH NEEDS
Children with Diabetes
The Division for Early Childhood (of the Council for Exceptional Children)
Family Village: A Global Community of Disability-Related Resources
First Start
Inclusive Child Care (Easter Seals)
Internet Resources for Special Children
National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities
Project EXCEPTIONAL Minnesota
The National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities
CHILD CARE HOT LINKS
Child Care Hot Links can be found at: https://nrc.uchsc.edu/list.htm.
SUMMER EMPLOYMENT FOR YOUTH
It is never too soon or too late to start thinking about a career! Career counselors suggest taking these steps: learn all you can about your values, skills and interests, then look for careers that match them. Remember to think about the education you will need to begin that perfect career. Great seasonal and summer jobs can be found at https://www.summerjobs.com/ and https://www.coolworks.com/ lists seasonal jobs in National Parks, Ski Resorts, Cruise Ships, and more.
CAREER PLANNING
Mapping Your Future
Mapping Your Future is an award-winning public service Web site that provides college, career and financial aid information and services for schools, students, and families, and can be accessed at https://www.mapping-your-future.org/planning/.It can help you choose a career and then map out a plan to achieve your goal.
Be sure to visit the Web sites of Mapping Your Future sponsors to learn more about the services and programs they offer.
American Education Services (AES) – a division of PHEAA
American Student Assistance
Colorado Student Loan Program
Connecticut Student Loan Foundation
EdFund / California Student Aid Commission
Education Assistance Corporation
Educational Credit Management Corporation
Finance Authority of Maine (FAME)
Florida Office of Student Financial Assistance
Georgia Student Finance Commission
Great Lakes Educational Loan Services Incorporated
Illinois Student Assistance Commission
Iowa College Student Aid Commission
Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority
Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance
Michigan Higher Education Assistance Authority – Michigan Guaranty Agency
Montana Guaranteed Student Loan Program
MOSTARS/Missouri Student Loan Program
National Student Loan Program
New Hampshire Higher Education Assistance Foundation
New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority
New Mexico Student Loan Guarantee Corporation
New York State Higher Education Services Corporation
North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority
Northwest Education Loan Association
Oklahoma Guaranteed Student Loan Program
Oregon Student Assistance Commission
Rhode Island Higher Education Assistance Authority
South Carolina Student Loan Corporation
Student Loan Guarantee Foundation of Arkansas (SLGFA)
Student Loans of North Dakota
Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation
Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation / Adventures In Education
United Student Aid Funds, Inc.
Utah Higher Education Assistance Authority
Vermont Student Assistance Corporation
Jobs
Where can I find information about summer employment? It’s never too soon or too late to start thinking about a career! Career counselors suggest taking these steps: learn all you can about your values, skills and interests, then look for careers that match them. Don’t forget to think about the education you will need to begin that perfect career. https://www.summerjobs.com/ has information about great seasonal and summer jobs. https://www.coolworks.com/ lists seasonal jobs in National Parks, Ski Resorts, Cruise Ships, and more. https://www.mapping-your-future.org/planning/ will help you choose a career and then map out a plan to achieve your goal.
College Information
You want to go to college. You can find information on colleges in the United States at http://www.collegelink.com. You can find the official homepage of every college and university in the United States. More scholarship information can be found at the following attachment:
The National Guard Challenge Academy https://www.ngycp.org/ is a preventive rather than remedial youth-at-risk program. It targets unemployed drug-free and law-free high-school dropouts, 16 to 18 years of age. Core components of the program are citizenship, academic excellence (GED/high school diploma attainment), life-coping skills, community service, health and hygiene, skills training, leadership, and physical training. The five-month residential phase is followed by a one-year mentoring relationship with a specially trained member from each youth’s community.
STARBASE PROGRAM
The STARBASE Program https://www.ngb.dtic.mil/staff/youth/starbase/ serves students and teachers by providing exciting hands-on learning experiences combining personal development, teambuilding and hands-on enrichment in science, math, and technology. Our Vision is to teach students strategies needed to achieve their dreams and become responsible members of society.
STARBASE, a program for youth ages 6 through 18, is aimed at improving math and science skills. The program starts at the elementary school level in order to attract and prepare students at an early age for careers in engineering and other science-related fields of study.
The program principally exposes at-risk children and their teachers to real world applications of math and science through experiential learning, simulations, and experiments in aviation and space-related fields. The program also addresses drug use prevention, health, self-esteem and life skills within a math- and science-based program.
A map of current participating STARBASE states can be found at https://www.starbaseoklahoma.org/docs/starbasedirectory.doc or https://www.kansasstarbase.org/mapofus.htm.
Through hands-on learning, students improve their math, science, and technology-related skills. Support system and extended-care networks are also provided for students as the program tracks their improvement in the curriculum areas. Parents are encouraged to become positively involved in their child’s learning process.
Schools with a high proportion of economically and educationally disadvantaged students apply and are selected by state and local selection committees.
Programs are staffed by federally reimbursed state employees or contract personnel.
Kids Kamps
Check with your individual state Guard website for information about your state’s Kids Kamp.
LINK TO YOUTH WEBSITE
MILITARY INSTALLATIONS
Many installations now have their own pages, which provide information on topics including schools in the area, youth programs, employment opportunities, community activities and events, and the local culture. The links below will take you to sites that link to all military installations with home pages on the Web.
This page takes you to the Army’s website Army. This page lists Army installations worldwide. https://www.army.mil/A-Z.htm.
Army National Guard
This page takes you to the Army National Guard’s website https://www.arng.army.mil/.
Air Force
This page takes you to the Air Force’s website Air Force which lists Air Force installations by command and then alphabetically by base.
Air National Guard
This page takes you the Air National Guard’s website https://www.ang.af.mil/
Navy
The Navy website Navy lists installations alphabetically, usually starting with the type of command and then the location. You may need to scroll down the list a couple of times before you find a base. https://www.navy.mil/nol/cat.html#NavalBases
Marines
The Marine Corps’ website Marines organizes the installations with home pages by State and/or OCONUS location. Also, be sure to check out the Young Marines, the Marine Corps’ official youth program. The Young Marines is a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 youth education program for boys and girls ages 8 through high school. The program focuses on character building through a combination of self-discipline, teamwork and leadership, and promotes a healthy, drug-free lifestyle https://www.youngmarinesreg01.org/.
Coast Guard
This site Coast Guard provides links to Coast Guard installations organized by region and districts.
