Families are a great source of support for our troops, from the most well known four star general to the brand new private first class. Without the constant love and support of their families, military service members would not be able to do their jobs, or do them well.
But who supports the military families?
A lot of organizations do! And they do a great job, too. These organizations rely a lot of self-identification, for military families to step forward and ask for help, or by partnering with military bases and commands.
This can potentially leave a lot of families out of the loop. National Guard troops are not active 100% of the time, and often live far from their commands or a military base. Children who attend local civilian schools might be one of a handful, or the only, military child in the whole school.
These children, and their families, are missing often vital connections and services offered by active duty units. And it’s not for lack of resources offered either. It’s simply lack of identification.
This July, let’s find a way to connect all military children to resources!
One great way to do this is by supporting KOAH’s mission to mandate military demographic identifiers for children.
This helps all schools, not just schools on military bases, provide outstanding services for all military children. These could include things like: mental health services, adaptive curriculums, streamlining the IEP process, assisting with enrollment, excused absences for military reasons, and extra help during rough times.
Through knowing who and where military children are, related non-school resources can also be connected to schools. Visiting programs might want to come do presentations to help explain military service, teach children about helping others, or honor Kids Of America's Heroes for their service.
Knowing who Military-connected Kids are also helps every school in America celebrate our heroes on the home-front during April’s annual Month of the Military Child.
Even during non-school months, keeping an eye on military child enrollment at schools can help!
When military families move, which often happens in June, July, and August, they need to enroll school aged children in school. And those kids would probably love to have some local friends when the first day rolls around in the fall.
With Military Kid identifiers, local schools could help connect military families to local camps, help with enrollment in summer sports clinics, or make Girl or Boy Scout registration a little easier. Schools also often know about financial aid packages or discounts for all of these things. With many military families operating on shoestring budgets, getting an inside track is a huge step up.
One way that you can show your support of military families, children, and KOAH is to help our mission! Follow along as we try to make Military kid school identifiers mandatory. Donate whatever you can to help us call national attention to this issue.
This July, show your support for our heroes on the home-front by standing proudly beside them, helping to connect these brave families to as many resources as possible, to assist them in protecting our great nation.