Children our Greatest Treasure Proud – Ready – Resilient SC JFHQ J1.1 Service Member and Family Care Directorate South Carolina National Guard

The Soldier's Creed “I will never leave a fallen comrade” Our Responsibility “To never leave a child behind” Build Resiliency “ Resilient children are our future”

South Carolina National Guard INITIATIVE To increase awareness of available resources to Guard and Family members To increase awareness of available resources to Guard and Family members INTENT To help create a strong social network with Guard and Family members within the community To help create a strong social network with Guard and Family members within the community PURPOSE Help communities understand the mindset of a military student when their parent is deployed

Deployment YELLOW RIBBON PROGRAM PRE-DEPLOYMENT Notice that the service member will be deployed to another location in the US or abroad for long term duty. DEPLOYMENT (During/ Reunion) Deployment is the time the service member is gone. The family struggles with new and increased roles and responsibilities. POST-DEPLOYMENT – (30/60/90 Day) The service member is coming home. Reintegration begins with coming back into society, community and family life.

Deployment & Our Children The demands on military members and their families are complex. Children are especially vulnerable when separated from parents due to deployments. Deployment heightens the risk for emotional distress during the separation period.

Most children may not be aware of scheduled dates. Protect the confidentiality of military families. Deployment or return dates are not published. Operational Security

Military Interstate Children’s Compact – MIC3 Resolving education transition issues for military families. The compact provides for the uniform treatment of military children transferring between school districts and states.

Strategies for Identifying Military Youth Encourage the district to add a “ military family ” section on forms when registering for school Observe, listen and ask children Contact Parents/Guardians Coordinate information from other building/district members Post military family info in the school and on district websites Invite local veterans to speak about patriotism (this usually leads to wonderful conversations ) Add patriotic-themed reading books for your classroom/building library Hero projects (encourage youth to write about their personal heroes)

Impact Aid Basic support payments that help local school districts educate federally connected children. Each district has a local point of contact. Web Address - SOUTH CAROLINA – Statewide Contact Ms. Felicia Poston Office Of Finance South Carolina State Department Of Education Columbia, South Carolina FAX

South Carolina National Guard military resources available for your use:  Family Programs  Child & Youth  Air Guard  SCNG Family Programs  Information, resources, education, and consultation

 Military Child Education Coalition [MCEC] providing educational information and programs  National Military Family Association - NMFA is a Department of Defense site with a host of information and resources for military families and educators  OMK (Camps, Mobile Technology Lab, Speak Out for Military Kids [SOMK], community resources/networking programs)  List of education consultants, health care specialists, advocates, attorneys, government programs, grassroots organizations, and parent support groups South Carolina National Guard military resources available for your use:

 Military Family and Life Consultants (MFLC) Stress/Anxiety, and Grief/Loss consulting, daily life issues, and relationship issues due to deployment Michelle Evans - Jennifer Wolff - (Midlands - Low  Help finding and paying for quality childcare:  Homework help is a click away - online tutoring for National Guard, active duty and reserve students and their families. Some bilingual specialists located internationally. Access from anywhere in the world, 24/7 South Carolina National Guard military resources available for your use:

 Pre-recorded video books to stay connected with your children while deployed  The ability to keep families safely connected by instilling creativity and constant communication  DoD website for children experiencing the challenges of military deployment  Armed Forces Crossroads – Collection of information involving support, education, employment, health, finances, and everyday challenges for Troops and their Families  OMK - Grants to support and sustain children of deployed National Guard and Military Reserve Families for special activities

Questions? Kathleen H. DaCamara, MS Child and Youth Program Coordinator/CPS/Ctr SC National Guard Office: Cell: South Carolina National Guard

CHILDREN ARE OUR GREATEST TREASURE Thank you for your time!