In recent years the Army has realized the importance of child care. The Army Reserve Family Programs Directorate and the Child and Youth Services groups help Families access the various programs that are available.  You can learn more about the subsidy programs that include reducing out-of-pocket expenses, locating quality child care providers, and establishing free child care during Battle Training Assembly weekends. These child care programs are designed to reduce potential conflicts between parental responsibilities and mission requirements. Visit the Army Reserve Family Programs website for complete details.  The following is a quick overview of the different programs.

Operation: Military Child Care (OMCC) helps Families of deployed Soldiers locate child care spaces in local communities at reduced rates and provides reduced rates for those already with licensed or legally operating providers. It is a Department of Defense (DoD) initiative to support the child care needs of parents who are mobilized or deployed in support of the Global War on Terrorism. OMCC has been designed to assist military Families who are unable to access child care on military installations.  The subsidy for child care continues for up to 60 days following the Soldier’s return from a deployment.

Operation: Child Care is a free program designed to support the short-term child care needs of mobilized/deployed National Guard and Army Reserve members. Dedicated child care providers from across the country have pledged their support by donating a minimum of four hours of child care services to service members while they are home for two weeks of rest and recuperation leave.

Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood (MCCIYN) is a sister-program to the Operation: Military Child Care program. Both locate and subsidize child care comparable to what a service member would receive on a military installation. OMCC is focused on providing relief to the Families of those serving in the Global War on Terror, including Guard and Reserve service members. MCCIYN provides financial support and assistance in locating quality child care for eligible military Families who do not have access to the DoD's on-base child care options due to wait listing or geographic location.

Soldier/Government Services Administration (GSA) Child Care Subsidy Initiative is a partnership between GSA and the Army for affordable child care. Active duty Army personnel will be able to use Accredited GSA centers and be charged the same rate as if they were receiving care on a military installation. The Army National Guard and Army Reserve may also be eligible.

Many services are available for returning Army Reserve Soldiers and their Families.  Here are just a few:

The service member, spouse or legal guardian can contact Child Care Aware, a division of the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (NACCRRA).at (800) 424-2246 or via the web at www.naccrra.org. These resources will provide initial information to determine eligibility and child care needs.

Army Reserve Families will receive a minimum of $100 per child per month toward their child care costs when they begin participating in the Child & Youth Services child care programs.  To find out more about child care options, visit CYS on the Family Programs Portal or contact your CYS Regional Coordinator.

As much as younger children may complain about summer vacation being too short and dreading a return to school, they often complain about being bored.  Family Programs include many activities such as crafts, coloring, and a video featuring Elmo from Sesame Workshop that is accessible on the web portal.  These activities are great for a rainy day and may remind children of fun activities that they can look forward to when they return to school.  For younger children, these are preparation for starting school.  Check them out at the Fun Zone.

Returning to school can be a challenge to some students, particularly if a parent is deployed and not always available to help with homework or college applications.  Child and Youth Services has compiled a long list of resource documents and links to help parents, teachers, students and deployed Soldiers learn how to set up a child for school success.

Links and downloads for topics like “Helping your Child with Homework”, “Keep Learning Over the Summer”, “Help your teen to be a Motivated Student”, “Preparing to Take Tests”, “Study Skills” and other can all be found on the Army Reserve Family Programs web portal.

The How to Help Your Child Succeed in School booklet can be downloaded from the web portal.  The booklet offers advice on homework, report cards, grades, getting organized, communicating teachers and many other topics.  Check out the booklet under the heading Your Child’s Success.

Military children generally move from six to nine times during their K-12 school years. Many make multiple moves during high school years alone, some even during their senior year. Academic standards, courses, access to programs, promotion and graduation requirements, programs for children with special needs, and transfer and acceptance of records vary greatly from state to state and even from school to school. These frustrations, in addition to giving up friends and associates with whom a rapport has been established, cause further anxiety. Separation from a deployed parent raises additional issues. MCEC's role is to help Families, schools and communities be better prepared to support children during these frequent moves and difficult—and sometimes traumatic—times in the life of military Families.

The Military Child Education Coalition offers a variety of programs including:

• Parent Workshops
• Supporting the Children and Families of Guard and Reserve Institute
• Interactive Counseling Centers
• Transition Counselor Institutes
• Special Education Leaders Institute
• And many other programs.

If you have a child who is changing schools or who is having difficulty making the transition, check out the MCEC for resources for parents and teachers by clicking here.

Children of all ages benefit from participation in sports, scouting, clubs, dance/music lessons and other activities that allow them to discover their passions and make new friends.  Many of these activities promote fitness, learning, self discipline and/or leadership development which are added benefits beyond being fun.  If a parent is deployed or busy with civilian employment and Family responsibilities, involvement in after school activities provides many benefits.  In addition to community and school sponsored programs, there are many worthwhile community programs with special emphasis on military children.  Here are just a few:

Operation: Military Kids (OMK) is a partnership between the Army Reserve CYS, National Guard, 4-H, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Military Child Education Coalition, American Legion and many other community-based organizations.  Operation Military Kid provides support and resources to military youth before, during, and after parents are deployed.

4-H The Cooperative Extension Service offers a variety of programming topics to provide research-based information to the community. 4-H is the Youth Development component of the Extension Services and is comprised of young people across the country learning life skills such as communication, citizenship and leadership. Through age-appropriate projects of their choice, 4-H club members can achieve through public speaking contests, county and state fairs and many more youth-oriented events.

The YLEAD Summit seeks to empower young people to further develop their leadership skills.  Army Reserve youth serve as participants from communities throughout their region, participate in a wide range of activities and learning experiences during the four day Youth Leadership Forum.

The YLEAD curriculum includes training and development for:

• Life goals
• Leadership skills
• Social skills
• Self-esteem.

Participants benefit from sharing the experience of an energetic and socially enriched environment with other delegates, distinguished guests, mentors and highly motivated volunteer staff.

The YLEAD Summit is held at a different location every year and participants have an opportunity to travel and meet other Army Reserve teens from around the country.  Check out some of the previous Summit locations on the Army Reserve Family Programs web portal.

Army Reserve CYS partners with community-based organizations to provide programs and services throughout the nation. Find out more about by visiting the Army Reserve Family Programs web portal by clicking here.

If your student will be a senior this fall, the college application process may arrive before you know it.  If your student is in middle school or in high school, it is never too early to start learning about the process and the options available for college.  Here are a couple of resources that you can use to learn more:

Free SAT – ACT Software for Military Families
A group comprised of NFL, NFL Europe, AFL and CFL football players has sponsored several million dollars worth of $199 SAT and ACT test prep programs to every Family in the U.S. Military (all branches-active or retired). The sponsorship allows any military person (active or retired) to request as many programs as needed for the students in their lives.

Programs ship to domestic U.S. addresses and APO addresses.  The sponsorship covers the regular $199 purchase price and the Family pays only the shipping and handling costs.  To learn more about the program and the NFL/CFL players who are providing this offer visit: http://sat.eknowledge.com/military.asp.

Scholarships
The news is full of stories that speak to the rise in the cost of a college education and potential cuts in future funding.  Military Families will find with research that there are a many scholarships earmarked for military Families.  With some scholarships, you can start applying as early as the sixth grade.

Patriot's Pen, a youth-essay writing contest sponsored by the VFW and endorsed by the National Association of Secondary School Principals' contest criteria, is a nationwide competition that gives students in grades 6, 7 and 8 the opportunity to write essays expressing their views on democracy. More than 115,000 students participate in the contest annually.

Contestants write a 300-400 word essay based on an annual patriotic theme with the 2008-2009 theme being “Why America’s Veterans Should be Honored”.  The first-place winner receives a $10,000 savings bond and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington D.C. The top national winners each receive a savings bond ranging from $1,000 to $10,000.

The VFW also has the Voice of Democracy (VOD) scholarship program, which is an audio-essay contest for high school students in grades 9-12 that annually provides more than $3 million in scholarships. The first-place winner, who competes with all the first-place VFW Department winners, receives a $30,000 scholarship paid directly to the recipient’s American university, college or vocational/technical school.

Deadlines for the VFW Scholarship programs are November 1st and more information can be found by clicking here.

The CYS group from Army Reserve Family Programs has consolidated information regarding additional scholarships, loans, financial aid and related links on the web portal.  If you have a student or know a student who is considering college, check out this information by clicking here.

The upcoming school year will bring new changes and challenges for Families.  Military Families may face special circumstances but Family Programs help provide the information and referral sources to manage these transitions. Information and referral sources have been compiled and organized on the Army Reserve Family Programs web portal for easy reference. 

Here are two popular pages:

Applying to College: This section includes many resources and useful links to help choose a college, completing the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), Writing a College Application Essay, and other useful topics.

Paying for College: This section includes information about loans, scholarships and a wide spectrum of financial aid topics can be found here.

The Army Reserve Family Programs Web Portal, www.arfp.org, has been designed to help the Family, friends and employers of Army Reserve Soldiers find all the information they need.  The tools discussed in this month's newsletter highlight some of the information available on the web portal.  You can browse through the Portal to find other information, forward this information to other Army Reserve Families or contact your local Family Programs office.

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