Back To School Ultimate Success Kit

Sep 1, 2017
3 min read

The crunch of leaves. That indefinable scent of newly sharpened pencils are wafting through the air.

Children across the country are heading back to school!

While many of these students have known their classmates and teachers for years, military connected children might not. Military children move, on average, every 2.5 years and are constantly getting settled into new schools and communities.

The start of school is the perfect time to build bonds between the civilian side and those connected to the military.

Help MilKids Settle In

When military families arrive in communities, they are often unsure of the next best steps for schools. Between finding a school, getting registered, and the start of the school year, it can be overwhelming. Send your MilFam friends to the Ultimate Back-to-School Success Kit. This complete package will help any family locate a great school, ease through the registration process, and start the year right.

Another great way to help military and veteran families is with a welcome package specific to the school or community. Working with the school’s PTO/PTA and local businesses, create a helpful guide or folder stuffed with the must-know info about your town. Include important numbers, especially for the schools, as well as the locations of essentials (think: playgrounds, churches, supermarkets, town offices or schools). If you can, try to include welcome coupons from partnering local businesses.

Contact Kids of America’s Heroes if you need help finding ways to welcome military connected families into your community!

Teach the Teachers

By now, many military supporters and MilKids advocates know that these children come with unique needs and experiences.

Too often, teachers working with military connected children are unaware of their needs, experiences, and the best practices to support military families.

Before school starts, or during a teacher in-service day, is a great time to share information with teachers. Even a quick printable info sheet or a short presentation would go a long way to increasing support.

KOAH offers opportunities to help provide that education and support. Through strong community partnerships, KOAH can work to help support your efforts and assist communities welcoming military connected children.

See the Need

Families, military and civilian, come from all walks of life and economic backgrounds. Too many military families are struggling to put food on the table, nevermind pencils into backpacks.

As MilKids are joining your community, try to see their need. Often local business and national chains will host backpack drives or school supply donations. If your family can donate to or support these efforts, this is a great way to build community connections!

Another great way is to work directly with a teacher or school. Ask if there might be children who do not have supplies. Find out from a teacher where he or she usually falls a little short supply-wise. And then try to make up the difference. Even donating a few notebooks or packs of pencils can make a huge difference for teachers and students.

Be a Friend

If you have a school aged child in a school with military connected children, reach out. Invite those parents to join the PTO/PTA. Schedule a playdate or share information about town sports leagues.

Sometimes just knowing that their children are welcome and their family is seen can be a huge help to military families.

How do you build connections with your local military and veteran families? Share your best tips!

Meg Flanagan M.Ed and K.O.A.H. Military Education Specialist

I'm a teacher, blogger, writer, runner, mother, and military spouse. I am passionate about helping ALL children learn, offering tips to guide parents through the K-12 education world, and providing useful advice to teachers of all ages and stages.Visit Meg's Blog at MilKidsEd.com