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Community Solution: Supporting NATO Families Through Education
Military Support Team (MST)
The Military Support Team (MST) program began when the Deputy Director of the Utah Department of Veterans and Military Affairs attended a Hill AFB town hall, where military families shared challenges in special education across local school districts. In response, the Deputy Director secured funding for the Davis School District to address these issues under the EFMP umbrella. The district's Director of Responsive Services formed a team of military-connected professionals to provide resource facilitation and therapeutic interventions for military families, known as the Military Support Team.
The MST includes Military Family Advocates trained in special education to support families during the special education process, ensuring they feel heard and supported. Military Educational Therapists offer one-on-one therapy and lead student groups focused on deployments, reintegration, friendship, empowerment, and more. Over time, the MST expanded its role, training Davis School District educators on the military lifestyle, MIC3 policy, Purple Star Schools, Month of the Military Child, military command structure, and strategies for supporting deployed-affected families.
As the first program of its kind, the MST has grown beyond Davis School District to serve Ogden, Weber, and Tooele School Districts. This model can be replicated nationwide, even without dedicated funding. Schools can partner with military installations to identify the needs of military families and leverage existing staff within student services departments for resource facilitation. By educating educators on military family challenges and sharing this knowledge district-wide, schools can create effective military-specific resources to better serve their communities.
Joint Base San Antonio & Pre-K 4 SA Announce First-of-its-Kind Partnership to Support Military Families
Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA), with over 80,000 service members and civilian personnel, and Pre-K 4 SA, a nationally recognized early childhood education program, have partnered to address the critical need for child care options for military families.
Midwestern State University Serving Those Who Serve
The Wichita Falls City Council approved up to $2,000,000 for Midwestern State University's new student success initiative, including a Military Education Center. With total funding reaching $4,000,000 from local and city contributions, plus an additional $750,000 for military scholarships, the initiative promises to enhance support for active-duty personnel and their families.
MSU Texas President Stacia L. Haynie highlights the initiative as a "force multiplier" that will provide tailored assistance to those who serve, thanks in part to invaluable guidance from Sheppard leadership as they continue to strongly advocate to support their families.
The Center will feature a robust support network designed to address the unique needs of military-affiliated students and their families.
Partners in PROMISE MIC3 Advocacy Toolkit
Learn how to advocate for a seat on your state's MIC3 Council.
Power of Partnerships: Holloman & Goodfellow Schools See Results
School Liaisons at Goodfellow and Holloman helped secure education initiatives for military children and the partnerships that made it all possible. If you would like to contact these School Liaisons and learn more about their successful partnerships, please email the Department of the Air Force School Liaison Program Manager. Read the full article:
Military Family Open Enrollment in Public Schools
Learn about Colorado Legislation that allows military families to register electronically based on orders and use the base School Liaison Office’s address if necessary. If you would like to contact the military spouse who made this happen and learn how to do so in your state, please email the Thrive Team, and we will connect you. Read the full article:
For more information on this initiative, as well as other case studies in community partnerships and education, visit the A+ Toolkit Case Studies page.
Malmstrom AFB partners With Great Falls Public Schools
Learn how Malmstrom AFB partnered with their local community to create a pilot Pre-K Program, CDC Intern Program, an Educator's Summit, and more. Find additional information on their 7 proposals for partnerships:
Investing in the Military, Education, & the Future of Cybersecurity
Learn how 1 community has partnered with the military to develop future leaders in cybersecurity in K-12 Education through a partnership with Jacksonville High School and Little Rock AFB, AK. You can also learn more about this initiative by emailing the School Liaison.
DoD STARBASE
DoD STARBASE is a premier educational program sponsored by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. At DoD STARBASE, students participate in challenging “hands-on, minds-on” activities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). They interact with military personnel to explore careers and observe STEM applications in the “real world.”
The program provides students with 25 hours of stimulating experiences at National Guard, Marine, Air Force Reserve, Army, and Air Force bases across the nation.
Fort Meade's Education & Resiliency Center
Fort Meade's Education and Resiliency Center focuses on education and the 5 pillars of resiliency: physical, emotional, social, family, and spiritual. The services will range from guidance counseling and transition efforts to mental health counseling, wellness programs, and financial planning.
A premier benefit of this space will be new programming for educational programs needed for successful career placement and continuing education, and expansion of existing programs to broader audiences, including spouses.
Maxwell-River Region Partnership for Educational Excellence
The Maxwell-River Region Partnership for Educational Excellence is a group of individuals made up of Air University faculty, school district superintendents and faculty, state/local government officials, and many other organizations. These entities came together to tackle issues related to K to 12 education in the River Region and to ensure that the needs of military personnel in the area were addressed. Learn more about this partnership:
Play to Learn at JBLM
Learn more about a partnership with Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) Command that created the first children’s museum on a U.S. military installation in the world.
This new location will continue to build upon relationships established through Pierce County, Tacoma's Play to Learn programming on JBLM, and is designed to serve children and their families, with an emphasis on early learners, those experiencing special needs, and the reintegration of our military into family life.
This project is supported by the JBLM Command, as well as a $4,800,000 effort by supporters of the Children’s Museum of Tacoma as part of the $10,000,000 More than a Museum Campaign.
5 Schools Receive Purple Star Award for Supporting Children of Military Families
The Nevada Department of Education has announced that 5 schools have been awarded the Purple Star School designation for committing to support Nevada's military-connected children’s unique educational and social-emotional needs. These schools affirm Nevada’s unwavering commitment to supporting military-connected students and families.