{"id":15901,"date":"2018-11-16T00:14:17","date_gmt":"2018-11-16T00:14:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/11\/16\/military-kids-face-unique-back-to-school-challenges-here-are-some-programs-that-can-help\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T01:57:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T01:57:10","slug":"military-kids-face-unique-back-to-school-challenges-here-are-some-programs-that-can-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2018\/11\/16\/military-kids-face-unique-back-to-school-challenges-here-are-some-programs-that-can-help\/","title":{"rendered":"Military kids face unique back-to-school challenges. Here are some programs that can help."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As a Marine with three children<\/a>, I read with much interest North Carolina teacher Kiera Gallagher\u2019s commentary, after its headline \u2014 \u201cFor military kids, the autumn brings trepidation and anxiety<\/a>\u201d\u2014 caught my eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although my two oldest kids are already in college, my youngest is a high school senior. Like so many parents of young college hopefuls today, I recognize too that this time of year is indeed a time of trepidation and anxiety<\/a> for our kids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms. Gallagher\u2019s thoughtful article highlighted the unique challenges associated with being a military kid<\/a>, and praised the intent of the new Military Student Identifier (part of the 2015 federal Every Student Succeeds Act).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also pointed out that \u201cto provide the greatest value for military families, it needs to be linked to programs with a proven track record of helping military-connected children<\/a> and addressing their unique educational needs,\u201d referencing the September 2018 Lexington Institute report \u201cGetting School Districts Ready for the Military Student Identifier,\u201d which offers best practices to help effectively implement such programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019d like to highlight some specific programs and organizations that exist, but were not mentioned or covered in detail in either Ms. Gallagher\u2019s article or in the Lexington Institute\u2019s report. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These programs have been very helpful to my kids (and to thousands of others across the country), and there are also many similar support processes, resources and organizations available for military-connected children beyond the few I want to highlight here. However, with limited budgets, these resources don\u2019t conduct much advertising, and often the only way people find out about them is through word of mouth, or though commentaries like this.<\/p>\n\n\n\t