military childrens collaborative group
Post on 13-Apr-2017
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HOW TO SUPPORT MILITARY CONNECTED CHILDREN
Presented by: Debbie Nichols
OUR MISSION
To provide essential services to improve the quality of life of military connected children and their families.
We fulfill our purpose by raising awareness, providing education, referring resources to and for military connected children’s unique needs and by building a comprehensive support network that fosters, encourages and acknowledges the children who silently serve.
WHO ARE MILITARY CONNECTED CHILDREN?
One or both parents, or their guardians are
Active Duty – presently serving military obligation
National Guard – monthly weekend warrior who can be called up to active duty
Reserves – can be called to duty
Veteran – fulfilled military obligation
Gold Star – lost their life while serving military obligation
2
TODAY’S MILITARY FAMILIES
4 MILLION CHILDREN nationwide have had parents serve since 9/11
MILLION CHILDREN have had a loved one DEPLOY
TODAY’S MILITARY FAMILIES
TODAY’S MILITARY FAMILIES
There is no method or system to know where children connected to the military are located
Military families appreciate and accept community support, but they will not ask for help
Training Deployments Reintegration Becoming
a veteran
If parent or guardian lost their life while serving their
military obligation
EACH STAGE OF MILITARY LIFE IMPACTS KIDS
They move frequently
Their loved one(s) can be called away at anytime
They take on more responsibilities at home during a deployment or trainings
They experience highly emotional deployments and homecomings
Trained to be strong with a “suck it up” attitude
THE MILITARY CHILD’S UNIQUE LIFE
Long term separations
Fear of their loved one’s safety
Their community and school are unaware of what stage of military life they are experiencing
The child feels isolated and can be misunderstood
CHALLENGES
Family dynamics changes
Their loved one can return home with visible and invisible wounds
CHALLENGES
“It is important for schools to know who their veteran- and military-connected students are, and to be able to assess their needs and provide support”
Gordon Capp Ph.D. student at the USC School of Social Work
OUR PROGRAMS
COUNT OUR KIDS
Military connected children form a distinct cultural group with
challenges that impact their functioning across social, behavioral and academic fronts. By self identifying and supporting these children, we ensure their success in dealing with a complex set of circumstances beyond their control. Military families deserve our best efforts to lighten the burden of serving.
COUNT OUR KIDS
Photo credit: Melissa Machan from First Grade Smiles
MCCG’s first initiative to support
these goals is to educate and assist schools, healthcare and children’s organizations, urging them to include a self-identifier on their enrollment forms in order to learn what child is connected to the military, along with what stage of military life.
COUNT OUR KIDS
MCGG and the Orange County Department of
Education (OCDE) collaborated to create and develop new school enrollment forms for students.
COUNT OUR KIDS
OCDE developed an internal Military Liaison who is familiar with military life as a point of contact for each district to assist administration, teachers, students and their families when challenging situations occur.
ORANGE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF
EDUCATION
MCCG created a Resource Guidebook for distribution within the OCDE’s 27 school districts and other Southern California districts.
COUNT OUR KIDS
Los Angeles Unified School District, which
is the second largest district in the country by student enrollment, began rolling out their self-identifier student forms in 2014.
COUNT OUR KIDS
SDUSC currently has a self-identifier student form for Active Duty and Dept. of Defense. MCCG sought support for the needs of students connected to Veterans and Fallen as well, and is currently collaborating on methods of support for the schools.
Our goal is to expand the COUNT OUR KIDS program into other school districts in surrounding regions.
COUNT OUR KIDS
OUR PROGRAMS
SALUTE THE KIDS
MCCG and OCDE together created a SALUTE THE KIDS toolkit that is easy for schools to access and download from www.mccgroup.org, to help principals to plan and produce a school assembly to honor military connected students, in recognition of their personal sacrifices.
SALUTE THE KIDS
MCCG is working with the state and local cities to adopt “April the MONTH OF THE MILITARY CHILD” proclamation efforts.
MCCG has collaborated with government and organizations to co-host proclamation events with Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego.
SALUTE THE KIDS
MCCG will continue to expand
efforts with other counties, cities and the state to adopt “April the Month of the Military Child” proclamation events.
SALUTE THE KIDS
MCCG provides tools including a webinar, “ENGAGE YOUR COMMINITY” to assist others wanting to have a Proclamation ceremony for their community.
OUR PROGRAMS
SUPPORT THE KIDS
MCCG worked with the Orange County
Council, Boy Scouts of America to create a program for Scout Leaders and Scouts on ways they can support military kids and their families in their local community.
SUPPORT THE KIDS
PARTNERING WITH OTHER NONPROFITS
Included is a webinar for Scout Leaders, “How to Support Military Kids”, a patch for Scout leaders and a patch for Scouts to earn. MCCG hopes to include the Girls Scouts and expand this program nationally.
MCCG co-hosts events with Wives of War (WOW), a support
group for spouses with loved ones diagnosed with Post Traumatic Depression Syndrome, Traumatic Brain Injury and the wounded.
MCCG engages the WOW support group’s children through a day event learning about science, art, and music or real life lessons.
SUPPORT THE KIDS
PARTNERING WITH OTHER NONPROFITS
Become aware
What stage of military life are they in?
4 WAYS TO HELP MINIMIZE THEIR STRESS
1
Avoid conversations regarding military conflicts
4 WAYS TO HELP MINIMIZE THEIR STRESS
2
Learn how to support during deployment, separation,
homecomings, transition, reintegration, visible and invisible wounds, and fallen - MCCG can provide support
4 WAYS TO HELP MINIMIZE THEIR STRESS
3
When a parent is away – acknowledge
the child’s special days Holidays, birthdays or special milestones
4 WAYS TO HELP MINIMIZE THEIR STRESS
4
Gregory Leskin, PhD. UCLA National Association Child Traumatic Stress http://www.nctsn.org/resources/topics/military-children-and-families Kelly Basko Military Kids Connect http://militarykidsconnect.dcoe.mil Joyce Wessel Raezer, M.A. National Military Family Association http://www.militaryfamily.org/?referrer=https://www.google.com Jhoselyn Ramirez Military One Source http://www.militaryonesource.mil
SPECIAL THANKS
https://news.usc.edu/85140/children-in-military-families-at-higher-risk-for-a-variety-of-problems-study-finds
http://www.nursingoutlook.org/article/S0029-6554(15)00182-7/pdf
https://www.princeton.edu/futureofchildren/publications/docs/Chapter%203.pdf
http://download.militaryonesource.mil/12038/MOS/Reports/Report_to_Congress_on_Impact_of_Deployment_on_Military_Children.pdf
SOURCES
Debbie Nichols
Founder & CEO
Military Childrens Collaborative Group, Inc.
www.mccgroup.org
Email: debbie@mccgroup.org
Telephone: 714-536-6184
FOR MORE INFORMATION
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