While summer is the busiest time of year for military families transitioning to their next duty station, during the school year they move from state to state and sometimes even across the world.
Even after 16 years of being married to a military man, my family found out that my husband was moving to a permanent change of station without a companion for a year abroad. I was naïve about the challenges my family would face; I remember thinking that we had completed multiple four to seven month deployments before and this couldn't be much worse. I have a career in education and our children are actively involved in extracurricular activities. We have a friend and a supportive church community, and we choose to see this as an opportunity to minimize our family moves and for our opportunities for professional growth. My husband and I agreed that this was a good thing for our family and now, two years after he returned after being away for 14 months, I still believe it was.
We said our family would be fine, and in all honesty, we are, but to ignore the toll the time apart took on our family, and specifically my children, would be a disservice to the struggles and burdens military families face. throughout our nation daily. .
In recent years, our schools have become increasingly aware of the unique needs of military children, whose parents deploy and sometimes spend months and years away from home, move six to nine times on average in your K-12 education. Our educational systems have begun to take steps to improve how they serve this community, including a commitment to celebrating the Month of the Military Child every April and recognizing military children for their resilience and independence.
While steps have been taken to improve access to resources and outcomes for this group of students, gaps still exist in services to ensure their academic and social success. As educators, it is imperative that we recognize the challenges this life can bring and our role in supporting military children and families.
The Barriers Military Children Face
The challenges families face in military life can be a source of psychological stress, especially for children. It is often overlooked how children from military families experience high rates of mental health problems, trauma and other related problems. The children of our military members face multiple deployments and frequent moves, and the fear of experiencing trauma, such as a parent being injured or dying, is a reality for these families.
Studies have shown that a third of children with a deployed parent are considered “high risk” for psychosocial problems, and with the negative impact of deployment on the children, the mental health of the remaining parent and the uncertainty of reintegration. Furthermore, a study conducted in 2010 among 640,000 children between three and eight years old found that there is a 11 percent increase in mental and behavioral health problems for military children when their parents are deployed. Additionally, he found that there was a 19 percent increase in behavioral disorders and an 18 percent increase in stress disorders during deployments. Those rates were higher in older children and in children whose father on mission was a man.
Based on these statistics, it is fair to say that the mental health of military children is not being addressed enough. While students have access to free mental health resources from a military source and Military and Family Life Counselors (MFLC) that support service members, their families, and survivors, gaps in access to consistent, quality mental and behavioral health supports for children remain a serious issue.
A study from the Naval Postgraduate School showed that even though military families have government insurance that covers mental health treatment, up to 35 percent lacked adequate access to psychiatric care. Awareness of this issue was amplified when 2020 Military Family Lifestyle Survey reported that 51 percent of active duty family respondents with children felt they could access high-quality mental health care for their children. However, this is simply not enough.
While policymakers should advocate for resources to be readily available to military children in health care systems, through military installations, and community services to provide them with the support they need, there must be greater support for training our schools and teachers to recognize these issues and connect students with support.
What schools and educators can do
Schools and educators are uniquely positioned to be a source of support, a safe and stable space where children can find coherence, and a place where adults can be equipped to identify needs and connect with necessary resources.
When seeking to improve outcomes for military children, their families must be guaranteed opportunities for continuity in routines and rituals, ways to connect with the community, and participation in extracurricular activities. A strong partnership with knowledgeable educators who ensure students have what they need to succeed is a critical step in improving the educational success and emotional well-being of military children.
Educators are perfectly prepared to help transitioning military students adapt to new school environments by clearly communicating classroom and school expectations. understand the rules that are not always easily understood. These inconsistencies in what is expected in schools and states lead to military children struggling with learning gaps or retention, which can cause a disruption in consistent academic progress. Children also face changes with new or different teaching methods, classroom expectations and school culture, and even unfamiliar online learning technologies and processes.
Educators have the power to cultivate a welcoming and supportive classroom environment where students feel safe sharing their feelings with each other, which is critical to supporting students during transitions. Educators can provide experiences that foster empathy by asking the class to write letters to deployed service members or veterans, including military members in learning, providing opportunities to talk with students about a military career, or answering questions about what it is like. deployment.
Educators can also ensure that students are placed in appropriate courses and are being challenged academically while facilitating the continuity of related services, such as therapy or special education services, if eligible. In cases where military students move mid-year, schools can ensure that students are placed in the appropriate classrooms to receive the supports they need, from special education services to advanced placement courses. Educators should become familiar with the Military Interstate Compact Commission for Children and the resources available to student teaching.
Beyond the classroom, schools and districts can pursue Purple Star School status by receiving training from their state military council and state president. These programs are in partnership with state departments of education, and the training is free and readily available. Other resources and organizations that provide support to schools include the Military Early Childhood Education Coalition.
While there are remedies to address the challenges students face, there is certainly no easy answer or solution that works for all military children and their families. As military families around the world prepare for another move and prepare for a new school year in a new state, our schools and educators must prepare to recognize how military children play an important role in their schools and communities and take the time to recognize the unique needs these students have.
The future of military children is bright, and they are often inspired by their parents' examples of selfless service. Educators committed to providing a supportive environment must ensure that these students reach their potential and excel academically and socially in our schools and communities.
